Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1180 results(22 / 48)
Multifuncionalidade da agricultura urbana e periurbana: uma revisão sistemática
2021Roberta Moraes Curan, Paulo Eduardo Moruzzi Marques · Estudos Avançados · Global
This article presents a systematic literature review on the multifunctionality of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA), conducted using Science Direct, Scielo, and Capes databases. Fourteen articles were selected, and their data were analyzed to identify UPA typologies and functions. The study classified UPA functions into sociocultural, economic, and environmental dimensions, concluding that UPA offers benefits and can be a tool for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsCommunityClimate changeBiodiversityUrban food growing and social sustainability
2021Salvatore Engel‐Di Mauro, George Martin · · Global
Claims that urban food production raises food security and creates a more just society are questionable and contradicted by data from the Global North. Urban land is insufficient, sunlight is often inadequate, and soil pollution is widespread. Technological attempts like vertical and rooftop farming have limited feasibility, may worsen environmental and social problems, and do not address major food sources, access, or waste. Furthermore, urban gardens are increasingly linked with socially devastating gentrification.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyClimate changeSocial aspect of urban agriculture with examples from Croatia
2021Ana Poštek, Ivica Kisić, Marija Cerjak, Luka Brezinščak · Journal of Central European Agriculture · Croatia
This paper analyzes various social aspects of urban agriculture and presents examples from Croatia where social benefits are the primary purpose. Urban agriculture can have social effects such as fostering activism, gender equality, social cohesion and inclusion, education, and cultural heritage preservation. However, policymakers struggle to implement urban agriculture within city planning.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceConclusion
2021Christina Ergas · · Global
This concluding chapter summarizes lessons from urban agriculture and ecovillages, defining radical sustainability as socially and ecologically transformative and regenerative. It identifies tools for radical sustainability, including community care and skill sharing. The chapter offers practical, community-oriented solutions for socioecological crises, particularly for those unable to implement urban farming, and discusses the potential for large-scale structural change or collapse.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePolicySustainable Urban Agriculture as Functional Hybrid Unit—Issues of Urban Resilience
2021Magdalena Grochulska-Salak, Aleksandra Nowysz, Anna Tofiluk · Buildings · Global
This research reviews urban agriculture as green and blue infrastructure solutions, evaluating modern hybrid units that combine biomass and food production with water retention in urban areas. It defines criteria and typology for urban resilience solutions, analyzing the correlation between water production, management, retention, and reuse within sustainable urban agriculture systems in compact cities. The study describes a typology for cultivation and production in modern cities, contributing to discussions on synergy in urban planning, architecture, and engineering for city resilience.
Climate changeOrganic cyclePolicyExperiencias relevantes de agricultura urbana y periurbana en Colombia
2021Ramón Antonio Mosquera Mena, Yolvi Prada Millán · Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia eBooks · Colombia
Urban and peri-urban agriculture in Colombia offers benefits such as alleviating food insecurity and creating jobs, but currently lacks government policies to support these processes. This paper contextualizes relevant experiences and technical tools for implementing agroecological orchards, emphasizing environmental and social sensitivity. It also notes that agricultural research in Colombia is still emerging, requiring more applied research for technological development to benefit communities and farmers.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyCommunityHousehold and Community Gardens Surge in the Philippines and Senegal during COVID-19
2021Halie Kampman, Shun-Nan Chiang, Salam Sawadogo · Gastronomica The Journal of Food and Culture · Philippines; Senegal
This study compares the surge in household and community gardening in the Philippines and Senegal during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on urban and peri-urban areas. It analyzes how government policies and community responses shaped this increased interest, noting that Philippine policy promotes citizen food growing for national self-sufficiency, while Senegalese policy favors large-scale, commercially oriented modernization. The research highlights contrasting visions for future food systems in these two Global South countries.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceThe Politics of Smart Farming Expectations in Urban Environments
2021Per-Anders Langendahl · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Global
This paper investigates the politics of smart farming expectations in urban environments, conducting exploratory case study research on early smart farming initiatives in Sweden. It explores the politics of knowledge claims at the project level and their performativity in envisioning more sustainable urban futures. The findings suggest that smart farming at the level of individual projects gives the appearance of change, but at the same time, it produces more of the same.
Governance failureDigital agriculturePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageGLOBAL CONCEPT OF POST-INDUSTRIAL PERIOD – CITY OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
2021Anastasiia Vesna · Current problems of architecture and urban planning · Global
This article considers global concepts of the post-industrial period, using the concept of the city of sustainable development as an example. Existing global concepts of a sustainable city were analyzed in four areas: ecology, economy, politics, and culture. Using content analysis, it was revealed that the concept of "the city of sustainable development" belongs to the category of "Architectural utopias" and coincided with "ideal cities" due to its attractive expectations of "Results" and vague descriptions of "Risks" and "Resource costs".
PolicyClimate changeUrban–rural linkageAgroecología situada: contexto, proceso y masificación del Programa de Formación en Agroecología en Venezuela
2021Olga Domené-Painenao, Francisco Herrera · Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente · Venezuela
In Venezuela, the Bolivarian Revolution since 1999 has seen the unfolding of harsh class and food system contradictions. While the Program Degree in Agroecology (PDA) at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela has trained over a thousand graduates who contribute to agroecological scaling and urban agriculture, the abstract highlights the persistent "harsh class and food system contradictions" within the country. This indicates ongoing equity challenges despite agroecological efforts.
Equity & displacementFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunityFood educationAs exigências cognitivas e a complexidade do trabalho para o agricultor urbano: um estudo de caso
2021Larissa Maas, Leila Amaral Gontijo · Saúde e Sociedade · Global
This case study investigated the cognitive demands and work complexity for urban organic farmers whose main economic activity is selling their products. The findings indicate that the cognitive load for these farmers is high, contributing to complex work. The study notes a lack of existing research on the cognitive load of organic urban agriculture workers, as it is still a nascent movement.
Limited or null effectEconomicsHealthPolicyLa trama de la naturaleza en el paisaje urbano
2021Soraya Nór · Revista Latino-americana de Ambiente Construído & Sustentabilidade · Global
This article reflects on the urban landscape, focusing on its environmental dimension, to understand how to better integrate natural and social elements in urban spaces. The study proposes the green and blue infrastructure and urban agriculture as planning and territorial management practices, based on a broad notion of landscape, to favor an expansion of nature's presence in city living spaces. These proposals analyze their environmental and socio-cultural aspects.
CommunityBiodiversityPolicyUrban Agriculture in Arusha City, Tanzania: Misconceptions and Realities
2021Pastory Salvatory Thomas, Wilbard Kombe, Aldo Lupala · Urban and Regional Planning · Tanzania
This qualitative study examined perceptions of urban agriculture among 60 urban farmers and officials in Arusha City, Tanzania, through interviews, observation, and literature review. Findings revealed that negative effects of urban agricultural activities influenced negative perceptions, which city officials seldom managed. While urban agriculture is acknowledged in policy, the critical effects of negative perceptions among stakeholders are considered less crucial in policy implications and formal governmental proclamations, despite their real-world impact.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityEconomicsClimate changePrácticas agroecológicas en la implementación de huertos urbanos y periurbanos
2021Sandra Patricia Montenegro Gómez, Yetfersson Arley Serrato Velosa, Yolvi Prada Millán · Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia eBooks · Colombia
This paper contextualizes relevant experiences and technical tools for implementing urban and peri-urban agroecological orchards in Colombia. While urban and peri-urban agriculture yields positive results in food security, sustainability, and resilience, Colombia currently lacks government policies to support these processes. The paper aims to transfer knowledge on crops to various communities to strengthen their food security through vegetable production.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicyEconomicsPráticas de economia solidária em iniciativas de agricultura urbana do concelho de Lisboa. Os casos do Vale de Chelas, da Alta de Lisboa e da Horta do Baldio
2021Paizinho, C., Maria de Fátima Ferreiro · Repositório do ISCTE-IUL · Portugal (Lisbon)
This study identified solidarity economy practices in three urban gardens in Lisbon: Vale de Chelas, Alta de Lisboa, and Horta do Baldio. Quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveys of 42 users, semi-directive interviews with 3 stakeholders, and participant observation, were employed. Out of 35 evaluated practices, 31 were identified, with seven deemed "very relevant" and four "relevant." Organic production, contributions to social cohesion and health, knowledge sharing among users, promotion of reciprocal relationships, and democratic decision-making were highlighted. The remaining 20 practices were considered "less relevant."
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyRooftop garden in Amman residential buildings–sustainability and utilization
2021Naser Mughrabi, Mayyadah Fahmi Hussein, Naila Hussien Alhyari · · Jordan (Amman)
This study aims to propose design indicators for rooftop gardens in Amman, Jordan, to illustrate their economic, social, and environmental benefits. It presents a conceptual framework for interior designers to adopt green roofs, developed by studying existing literature and demonstrating its applicability in Amman. The research used descriptive analytical methodology, qualitative surveys, and questionnaires for residential building inhabitants, with expected outcomes including indicators for rooftop garden utilization in Amman.
PolicyEconomicsClimate changeThe role of community seed banks in achieving farmers' rights
2020Vernooy R., Sthapit B., Bessette G. · Development in Practice · Global
Drawing on case studies from Bangladesh, Cote d'Ivoire, India, and Zimbabwe, examines how community seed banks operationalize farmers' rights through conservation, access, and seed sovereignty at the local level.
Heirloom & landraceCommunityPolicyBiodiversityFeeding cities: Singapore's approach to land use planning for urban agriculture
2020Diehl J. A., Sweeney E., Wong B., Sia C. S., Yao H., Prabhudesai M. · Global Food Security · Singapore
Analyzes how Singapore's land-use planning supports high-tech intensified production, an AgriFood Innovation Park, and commercial/industrial urban farms, framing the policy and private-sector roles enabling value-added corporate agriculture in a land-scarce city.
PolicyEconomicsPrinciples of multifunctional agriculture for supporting agriculture in metropolitan peri-urban areas: The case of Greater Melbourne, Australia
2020Spataru, A., Faggian, R., Docking, A. · Journal of Rural Studies 74, 34–44 · Australia (Melbourne)
Presents principles of multifunctional agriculture for Greater Melbourne's peri-urban zone, developing a sustainable design framework for urban-rural-linked farming across four axes: food supply, landscape, ecosystems and community.
PolicyBiodiversityPeri-urban agriculture as quiet sustainability: Challenging the urban development discourse in Sogamoso, Colombia
2020Feola G., Suzunaga J., Soler J., Wilson A. · Journal of Rural Studies · Colombia (Sogamoso)
Drawing on a survey of 160 peri-urban farming households in Sogamoso, this study applies the concept of 'quiet sustainability' to challenge dominant urban development discourses that frame peri-urban agriculture as backward, demonstrating its role in strengthening social cohesion and environmental sustainability.
CommunityPolicyWelfareFood educationUrban agriculture could provide 15% of food supply to Sydney, Australia, under expanded land use scenarios
2020· Land Use Policy · Sydney, Australia
Synthesizing measured yields with spatial analysis, the study finds urban agriculture could supply only about 15% of Sydney's total food (its entire vegetable demand) under the lower land-use scenario, rising to 34% at maximum, a reality check on the ceiling of feeding a city locally.
PolicyEconomicsFood First: COVID-19 Outbreak and Cities Lockdown a Booster for a Wider Vision on Urban Agriculture
2020Giuseppe Pulighe, Flavio Lupia · Sustainability · Global
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the fragility of large cities to global risks and the importance of food availability. Border closures and movement restrictions increased food losses and export costs, particularly for perishable goods. This paper suggests fostering urban agriculture in developed countries with practices like vertical farming, hydroponics, and rooftop greenhouses to mitigate uncertainties from global systemic risks.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changePolicyDigital agriculture‘Locationally disadvantaged’: planning governmentalities and peri-urban agricultural futures
2020Laura Wynne, Laure‐Elise Ruoso, Dana Cordell, Brent Jacobs · Australian Geographer · Australia (Sydney)
This paper investigates metropolitan-level strategic planning documents in Sydney, Australia, using a Foucauldian governmentality approach, to understand how they relate to peri-urban agriculture. The analysis reveals that prevailing rationalities, including the global city, compact city, and sustainability agenda, frame the urbanization of peri-urban agricultural lands as necessary and inevitable. Consequently, peri-urban areas are not considered to have unique planning needs but are instead imagined as latent spaces for future housing and job development, integrating agriculture only when it aligns with the 'global city' narrative.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyUrban–rural linkageJardins partagés : une alternative pour la participation dans la gestion urbaine de proximité. Le cas du jardin Ezzouhour de Boumati à Alger
2020Fatiha Tamani-Djebra, Meriem Chabou Othmani, Radjaa Bensouyah · Insaniyat / إنسانيات · Algeria (Algiers)
This article analyzes shared gardens as a practice that fosters citizen participation in local urban management. The "Ezzouhour" garden in the AADL Boumati housing estate in El-Harrach, Algiers, as Algeria's first shared garden and a pilot operation, demonstrates that its implementation contributes to resident mobilization and appropriation. Shared gardens are stated to promote a sense of belonging and home, and to be a vector for successful local urban management and improved neighborhood living environments.
CommunityPolicyNærum Allotment Gardens
2020Phoebe Lickwar, Roxi Thoren · · Denmark
The Nærum Allotment Gardens in Denmark are publicly owned and privately leased and managed. A national Allotment Garden Association provides gardeners with a forum to counter the inherent vulnerability of these allotments to land use change. This structure indicates a persistent vulnerability of the gardens to changes in land use.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justice