Research & reports

A Noussia · Research Open (London South Bank University) · Brazil

This paper discusses urban agriculture on city peripheries within a scenario of urban expansion, focusing on the Guaratiba neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. It argues that the city's urban expansion process does not invest in the inclusion of urban agriculture activities within the area's socio-environmental dynamics.

Jennifer Kent, Susan E. Thompson · · Australia

This chapter reviews the link between the built environment and eating habits, noting that where people live and work influences food types and prices. It examines how urban planning in Australia supports local food production to encourage healthier eating. This support includes protecting peri-urban agricultural lands and promoting food cultivation in community gardens, verges, and homes.

Thị Ngọc Anh Nguyễn, Thi Hiep Ta · The Journal of Agriculture and Development · Global

Using 2016 survey data from 340 farm households in two administrative divisions (Dasar commune and Lac Duong town) of Lac Duong district, Lam Dong province, Vietnam, this article used Probit regression to examine how socio-economic and demographic characteristics, land area, and household members' occupations affected the probability of households changing their land-use purpose. It found that other production potentials retained on the land, despite limited land and income, directly affected farmers' decisions to change land use. Although close to Da Lat city and holding a large area of farmland, Lac Duong district remained a rural area not strongly affected by urbanization, and the study concluded there was no pressing need to change land-use purpose there, noting farmers could instead adopt advanced production methods such as hi-tech agriculture, urban agriculture, and agro-tourism.

Sejabaledi Agnes Rankoana · Journal of Water and Climate Change · South Africa

A study in the Sagole community of Limpopo Province, South Africa, assessed the use of geothermal hot spring water as an adaptation practice to improve subsistence crop production. Focus group discussions with 45 subsistence farmers who grow and maintain crops in a community garden irrigated by the hot spring found that farmers were aware rainfall in the Sagole community is becoming scarce, and that this rainfall scarcity is negatively impacting subsistence crop production, characterized by poor productivity. In response, farmers had developed their own irrigation system downstream of the geothermal hot spring, furrowing the water to the garden to irrigate vegetables and fruits year-round.

Jean-Louis Yengué · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Cameroon

Focusing on the Cameroonian capital Yaoundé and one of its valleys, the Ekozoa, this study examines the forms taken by urban residents' cultivation of food and horticultural crops and its place within the urban fabric. Despite its illegality, this agriculture proved essential to the survival strategies of the poorest households, improving their nutrition and economic base, and it also played an environmental role through waste recycling and greening the city. At the same time it raised numerous problems related to pollution and public health. The solution proposed by the authorities is to bring these areas under control as non-buildable zones, incorporating them into a green network that is more ornamental than productive.

Anne Barbillon, Christine Aubry, François Nold, Stéphane Besançon, Nastaran Manouchehri · Agricultural Sciences · France

This study assessed health risks from soil trace metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, copper, and zinc) at three urban farms near Paris (Ile-de-France region), evaluating two main exposure pathways: soil and vegetable ingestion. All three farms had soil trace-metal levels above geochemical background values and the thresholds used in France as reference values for sludge spreading. Using a Hazard Quotient (HQ)-based risk assessment (HQ being the ratio of estimated daily intake to tolerable daily intake), the riskiest scenarios were urban farmers working on-site daily year-round (HQtot = 1.02), child gardeners (HQtot = 1.29), and regular child consumers eating exclusively the farm's vegetables under a maximalist scenario (HQtot = 1.6). The adult gardener scenario followed (HQtot = 0.9), while the lowest-risk scenarios were adult consumers (HQtot = 0.62) and farm workers (HQtot = 0.45).

Wojciech Mrozik, Soydoa Vinitnantharat, Thunchanok Thongsamer, Nipapun Pansuk, Pavinee Pattanachan, Parinda Thayanukul, Kishor Acharya, Marcos Quintela‐Baluja, Charles R. E. Hazlerigg, Aidan Robson, Russell J. Davenport, David Werner · The Science of The Total Environment · Asia

A study of three family-owned peri-urban aquaculture operations downstream of Bangkok, Thailand — spanning extensive, semi-intensive and intensive practices — used micropollutant analysis, genetic markers and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to assess water quality against aquaculture standards. Canals draining Bangkok did not meet quality standards and were sources of faecal coliforms, Bacteroides, Prevotella, human E. coli, tetracycline-resistance genes and nitrogen entering the ponds, causing algae blooms. The aquacultures in turn discharged salinity and the herbicide diuron into the canals; diuron was detected in shrimp, though not at a level of concern to human health. The extensive aquaculture attenuated an estimated 20 population equivalents of nitrogen pollution and trillions of faecal coliform inputs per year.

Claire Elizabeth Haselhorst, Grace Baldwin, Robert M. Stwalley · International Journal of Business and Economics Research ·

This piece argues that a lack of understanding between urban agriculture promoters and local city officials is stunting the development and economic sustainability of urban agriculture, since planning that fails to account for stakeholders can cause delays and economic setbacks. It states that urban farm installations require attention to neighborhood integration, city planning, adaptation to or upgrading of existing infrastructure, odor abatement and visual screening, but presents no original study data.

Magdalena Grochulska-Salak · Practice, progress, and proficiency in sustainability · Global

This book chapter, a conceptual rather than empirical piece, defines urban farming as building development for producing plants to meet local community needs and discusses shaping urban farms to preserve the environmental balance of urban spaces alongside the coexistence of architecture and greenery. It argues that technologies such as hydroponic and aeroponic production integrated into buildings can complement a city's functional and spatial structure in connection with public spaces and green systems, positioning the urban farm as an element of sustainable urban development.

Dan Li, Chun Hong Wong, Mei Fang Seet, Nicole Kuan · Frontiers in Microbiology · Singapore

This study conducted, for the first time to the authors' knowledge, an investigation of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia -- an emerging opportunistic pathogen capable of causing high-mortality nosocomial infections in immunocompromised patients while also being ubiquitous in the environment -- on leafy green vegetables and in a hydroponic farming facility in Singapore. Eleven isolates were recovered from three vegetable types (sweet basil, kale, parsley) and the nutrient solution, with high population levels reached in vegetables under abused storage temperatures (over 8-log CFU/ml in basil juice after six days at 20°C) and on hydroponic facilities through biofilm formation (8 to 9-log CFU/well), and UV treatment (over 4-log reduction at 250 mJ/cm²) was identified as an effective measure to reduce contamination in nutrient solutions and facilities.

Rana Muhammad Asif Kanwar, Zahid Mahmood Khan, Hafiz Umar Farid · Water Science & Technology · Global

A study in Multan, Pakistan, assessed the feasibility of biological treatment for a typical wastewater stream using daily trends in wastewater characteristics and designed a wastewater treatment (WWT) system for it. Parameters including pH (5.8-6.2), temperature (24-30°C), and BOD5 (128-265 mg/L) supported biological treatment; including nitrogenous BOD indicated a need for nitrification-denitrification, and linear regression of volatile suspended solids against total suspended solids showed high organic solids content suited to biological treatment. A BOD/COD ratio below 0.8 indicated a need for biomass acclimation. The designed system's major units were a primary clarifier, cascade aeration, trickling filter, adsorption filter, and chlorination contact tank. Over a 15-week validation period of the secondary WWT system, removal reached 91% for TSS, 46% for TDS, 88% for BOD5, and 87% for COD. The developed system was concluded to be an appropriate sustainable WWT system, with lower energy consumption and operating costs.

Jake Mowrer, Jeremy Merrill, Don Conlee, Joseph Marble, Bruce Dvorak · Journal of Living Architecture · Global

Against the backdrop of urban agriculture's potential to benefit inner-city communities by reducing food transport distance, raising awareness of food production, and improving nutrition, health, and economic status, this study grew green beans, cantaloupe, eggplant, squash, and tomatoes in a rooftop garden. The results indicate that water source quality and rooftop climatic conditions (solar-induced temperature rise) can limit the success of untrained rooftop gardeners. The study concludes that outreach and educational materials on overcoming these obstacles will be necessary to help untrained urban agriculture farmers establish productive gardens in rooftop environments.

Ana Nadal, Daniel Rodríguez-Cadena, Oriol Pons, Eva Cuerva, Alejandro Josa, Joan Rieradevall · Urban forestry & urban greening · Global

This study assessed the feasibility of implementing rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) in the social housing neighborhood "La Comuna Santa Clara de San Millán" in Quito, Ecuador. Standard assessment methods were adapted for a social neighborhood in three steps: characterization based on criteria, determination of available roof surface, and estimation of production, self-sufficiency, and self-supply. The results showed that 33.2% (7.70 ha) of the neighborhood's rooftops had short-term feasibility for installing rooftop greenhouses, with the potential to produce 1,579,140 kg of tomatoes and 56,720 kg of lettuce per year.

Sandeep Kumar, Lal Chand Malav, ICAR- National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning, Nagpur, 440033, Maharashtra, Shiv Prasad, Sunita Yadav, Amrita Daripa, ICAR- National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning, Nagpur, 440033, Maharashtra · Agropedology · Global

This review argues that rapid industrialization and mechanization are driving heavy metal pollution worldwide, with both anthropogenic and natural sources of heavy metals reaching soil, water bodies and plants and ultimately entering the human body through the food chain. Heavy metals accumulate in plants and living organisms after uptake from soil and cause harm, and they are also toxic to soil biological activity by disrupting key microbial processes. The review states that, due to industrial development in urban areas, heavy metal contamination — from metals such as zinc, copper, lead and cadmium — has become a serious threat to the peri-urban agriculture that supplies vegetable production, and it surveys sources of contamination and remediation techniques, with a particular focus on phytoremediation.

David C. Grossman, L.M. van den Berg, Hyacinth I. Ajaegbu · · Global

This is a record of the open discussions from a four-session workshop held in Netanya in June 1996. The first session addressed forming growers' associations to secure access to land and to consumers; the second covered technology transfer for water management; the third examined ecological aspects of urban and peri-urban gardening; and the fourth compiled mission statements each participant wrote after the presentations and discussions. The main synergy expected from urban and peri-urban farming was identified as its use of urban waste products to yield fresh agricultural produce, with geographers and cartographers seen as playing an important role in supporting peri-urban and urban farmers.

Anne Barbillon, Christine Aubry, Nastaran Manouchehri · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · France

This French guide, "R.E.F.U.G.E.," developed by AgroParisTech, sets out a four-step methodology to help urban-planning actors in the Île-de-France region assess and manage soil contamination risk before establishing urban agriculture on available land: a historical and environmental site study, a sampling strategy, interpretation of soil analyses, and, where warranted, a formal health risk assessment. Based on France's national methodology for managing polluted sites and soils, it is intended as a first harmonized technical tool for the field and was slated for a testing phase applying it to future urban agriculture projects. The abstract itself does not report contamination measurements or findings from any specific site; it describes the assessment procedure rather than presenting soil contamination data.

Josiane Santos da Silva, Marta Cristina Marjotta-Maistro · Nucleus · Brazil

Using a case-study approach with secondary data from official sources (including IBGE) and scientific literature, this study built a socioeconomic diagnosis of Marituba, a municipality in Pará state, Brazil, to inform public policy for urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUP). Findings show precarious infrastructure development relative to Belém, particularly in security and basic sanitation, but relatively better education and health indicators, contributing to a medium Municipal Human Development Index among Brazilian municipalities; agriculture in Marituba is diversified and mainly vegetable production, characterized as family-run and urban/peri-urban, conducted near the urban center.

JTC Corporation · JTC Corporation · Singapore

Published by JTC on 27 Feb 2019, this article describes urban farming company Comcrop, whose founder Allan Lim started his first community farm in Bukit Panjang in 2011, later ran a rooftop farm at *SCAPE, and then built a 36,000-square-foot facility with six greenhouses at a JTC site in Woodlands. The Woodlands farm grows leafy vegetables such as pak choy, lettuce and mizuna at high output; CEO Peter Barber states the first greenhouse alone can produce 40 to 50kg a day. Barber envisions placing farms in every neighbourhood in Singapore to employ locals and supply supermarkets, while Lim stresses the need to build agricultural research capability in Singapore.

Michelle Tendai. Chihambakwe, Paramu Mafongoya, Obert Jiri · Challenges · Zimbabwe

This review maps the use of food sovereignty principles in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in Zimbabwe, addressing its potential for food security. Despite UPA being ingrained in urban households' livelihoods, institutional arrangements governing the practice remain ambivalent. The review underscores that the failure to involve all stakeholders undermines UPA, leading to heightened food insecurity and unsustainable practices.

Rachel Carey, Sarah James · · Australia (Sydney, Melbourne)

This chapter examines peri-urban agriculture in Australia, focusing on case studies in Sydney and Melbourne. It explores the pressures on peri-urban fringes, noting that while food needs are increasing due to population growth, the capacity of these areas to meet them is decreasing due to urban sprawl. The research highlights policy and planning options to protect these regions, emphasizing their potential contribution to urban sustainability and resilience amidst climate change and water scarcity.

Suranga Wadduwage · Journal of Land Use Science · Australia (Adelaide)

A multi-criteria spatially-explicit study in the Adelaide metropolitan area, Australia, investigated agricultural land vulnerability to urban sprawl under opposing policy directions. The study showed higher agricultural land vulnerabilities in “Business-As-Usual” and “Accelerated Economic Development” scenarios, extending into rural areas with a leap-frog effect. This confirms the need to sacrifice farmland uses to maintain land supply for urban development under these conditions.

Fabrice Dossa · Agricultural Research & Technology Open Access Journal · Benin

A study in southern Benin surveyed 60 onion farmers across three municipalities (Grand-Popo, Cotonou, Sm-Kpodji) using quantitative and qualitative methods. It found onion production to be financially profitable, with performance enhanced by age, experience, and producer group membership, and improving socio-economic and food situations. However, significant constraints include financial, institutional, organizational, property, and production-related issues.

Inmaculada Marques-Pérez, Baldomero Segura García del Río · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Spain (Valencia)

This study focuses on "Huerta de Valencia," a peri-urban agricultural system around Valencia, Spain, analyzing the debate between urban growth strategies and farmland preservation. It uses multifunctionality approaches and multi-criteria analysis techniques to examine territorial planning processes by stakeholders. Differences in perceptions among stakeholder groups result in varying future visions for this agricultural system, impacting the design of rural development and agro-environmental measures.

Bolanle, Oluwafisayo Wahab, Abiodun Abiodun · Ghana Journal of Geography · Nigeria

This study examined peri-urban agriculture (PUA) in Ibadan, Nigeria, by surveying 230 randomly selected farmers across six local government areas. Findings showed farmers benefited from opportunities like abundant land (47.4%) and good soil (32.2%), but faced major challenges including inadequate finance (43%), farm encroachment (15.7%), and erosion/flooding (13.5%). The study concluded that PUA opportunities in Ibadan can strengthen food security, recommending government support for finance and development control.

Dan Yu, Dongyan Wang, Wenbo Li, Shuhan Liu, Yuanli Zhu, Wenjun Wu, Yongheng Zhou · Sustainability · China (Changchun)

This paper assessed the landscape ecological security (LES) of peri-urban cultivated land in Changchun City, China, at three time points, considering both cultivated and surrounding landscapes. Results showed that urbanization affected the peri-urban cultivated landscape, with metrics like patch density and edge density progressively increasing for cultivated land within 20 km of the urban center. This indicated elevated fragmentation and vulnerability, and the study concluded that decreased LES of cultivated land impedes sustainable peri-urban agriculture.