Research & reports

Lisa‐Marie Hemerijckx, Gloria Nsangi Nakyagaba, Hakimu Sseviiri, Katarzyna Janusz, Michelle Eichinger, Shuaib Lwasa, Julian May, Peter H. Verburg, Anton Van Rompaey · npj Urban Sustainability · Uganda

This paper quantitatively analyzed the spatial extent of the food provisioning area for consumers in Kampala, Uganda, using a foodshed lens and primary survey data from households and food vendors. The study found that 50% of food consumed in Kampala originates within a 120 km radius, with 10% coming from within the city itself. Urban agricultural activities are currently twice as important as international imports for the city's food supply. High-income urban dwellers exhibit a more local foodshed due to their broad participation in urban agriculture, whereas low-income newcomers depend significantly on retailers sourcing food from rural Uganda.

Claudia Pasquero, Marco Poletto · · Europe

This article introduces the Urban Algae Canopy, an innovative architectural system that redefines farming and horticulture within urbanism. It proposes agriculture as a tool for reprogramming Milan's public realm and challenges the separation between urban and rural conditions. The Urban Algae Folly aims to integrate technical and scientific research with societal needs through architectural design.

Koen van der Gaast, J.E. Jansma, Sigrid Wertheim‐Heck · Agriculture and Human Values · Netherlands

This study explored how residents of Almere Oosterwold, Netherlands, envision and organize urban agriculture futures, where 50% of plots must be used for urban agriculture. Using futuring, it found that residents have diverse future perspectives and can formulate specific actions but struggle to commit to them, attributing this to temporal dissonance. The paper concludes that both planning and entrepreneurship are necessary for realizing urban food futures.

Claudia Wiese, Bernd Pölling, Wolf Lorleberg · Frontiers for Young Minds · Global

This article discusses how cities, despite covering only 2-3% of land, consume 75% of global energy and produce 80% of CO2 emissions, making them dependent on distant food sources. It describes how urban agriculture can help cities address climate change and environmental problems, while simultaneously improving living environments for urban populations.

Njenga John Ng’ang’a, Mukundi John Bosco, Masinde Peter Wasike, Kihurani Agnes Wanjiru · Journal of Agriculture Science and Technology · Kenya (Nairobi)

A study in Nairobi's eastern zone assessed heavy metal occurrence in urban farm inputs and food crops (tomatoes, arrowroots, kales). Cadmium, manganese, lead, and zinc concentrations were analyzed in soil, water, and crop samples. The study found that heavy metal contents, particularly cadmium, manganese, lead, and zinc, were above allowable limits in several crops, and based on FAO/WHO standards, were high for health concern.

Gareth Haysom, Jane Battersby · Palgrave studies in agricultural economics and food policy · Africa

Based on findings from cities in five African countries, this study argues for a re-framing of urban food system resilience. It contends that the urban system, specifically infrastructure, shapes the functioning of the food system and consumers' ability to use it, and that the agency of urban food system users needs inclusion in understandings of, and efforts to increase, food systems resilience.

Charlotte Diffey, Geoff Emberling, Amy Bogaard, Michael Charles · Iraq · Syria

The excavation of a large administrative building at Tell Brak, Syria, yielded a considerable quantity of charred cereals dated to the mid-third millennium B.C.E., providing insight into the nature of agriculture in Upper Mesopotamia. The material was studied using archaeobotanical analysis, crop stable isotope determinations, and functional weed ecology. This revealed cultivation strategies at Tell Brak and contributed to wider debates regarding trade and crop importation.

Fatin Nurlia Sari Dewi, James Rilatupa · Jurnal Sains Teknologi Urban Perancangan Arsitektur (Stupa) · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This study descriptively investigates the issue of agricultural land degradation in Kembangan District, West Jakarta, Indonesia. It notes that the conversion of agricultural land due to urban development can lead to the loss of regional food security and identity. The research concludes that vertical urban agriculture, adapted with architectural engineering technology, is one way to develop the agricultural industry to maintain food security amidst the land crisis.

Nicolette Tamara Jonkman, Karsten Kalbitz, Huig Bergsma, Boris Jansen · Land · Africa

This case study investigates the relationship between prior land use, current management, and soil quality at six urban agriculture (UA) sites in Kisumu, Kenya, and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. A soil survey determined the soil macronutrient and mineral composition. Results indicate that three UA sites predate surrounding urban development, and soil nutrient data suggest these sites were likely chosen for their soil.

Sri Purwanti · Jurnal Jendela Inovasi Daerah · Indonesia (Magelang)

This study used quantitative methods to assess the community's potential and competence for urban agricultural activities in Magelang Utara District, Magelang City, Indonesia. Field findings indicated that the community is capable and competent, evidenced by their participation in yard planting and waste management to support economical and accessible plant cultivation.

David Vallejo-Gómez, Marisol Osorio, Carlos A. Hincapié · Agronomy · Global

This research aims to conduct a systematic review of available literature on smart irrigation systems. It focuses on systems using artificial intelligence techniques for soil crops in urban and rural agriculture to identify those currently in use or adaptable to urban agriculture. A modified PRISMA 2020 method was applied, screening 170 articles, with 50 selected for detailed analysis.

Nathalie Nahas, Ugo Lachapelle · Findings · Canada

Through 16 qualitative interviews with community-supported agriculture (CSA) users in Montreal, Canada, researchers examined whether CSA use was accompanied by more ecological, non-motorized travel behavior. Urban users typically subscribed to a nearby drop-off point and many used non-motorized modes to collect their weekly baskets, but because of the baskets' weight and fixed collection windows, pickups by users who joined during the Covid-19 era were often folded into car-based trip chains.

Ada Górna · Prace i Studia Geograficzne · Europe

A discussion piece examines vineyards as a specific form of urban agriculture, focusing on their spatial and functional dimensions through a case study of Vienna. Drawing on data from the Austrian Wine Marketing Board and field observations conducted in April 2022, it analyzes Vienna — described as "the king of urban viticulture" — to determine the spatial distribution of vineyards within the city, their production structure, and the functions they perform. It concludes that viticulture and winemaking in Vienna display a multifunctionality that combines production with recreational, tourist, landscape and cultural functions, which contributes to the preservation of vineyards within the city's space.

Joe Nasr, Matthew Potteiger · Land · Global

Situating the proliferation of urban agriculture within a historical dialogue among foundational figures in urban and regional planning, architecture, and landscape architecture, this theoretical paper identifies fundamental strategies for designing and planning the "productive city" as a response to perceived failures in contemporary food systems. Drawing on a growing body of theory and practice for integrating urban agriculture into urban design and planning, it identifies three approaches: spatial design strategies that identify new territories for food production, systems design linking individual production spaces to broader food-system networks, and infrastructure design addressing flows of soils, water, and nutrients.

国土交通省 · 国土交通省 · Japan

On 14 February 2023, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) reported that, based on a survey of 199 municipalities nationwide, 8,282 ha (89.3%) of the 9,273 ha of Productive Green Zones designated in 1992 — about 80% of all Productive Green Zone area — had been redesignated as Special Productive Green Zones ahead of their 30-year deadline. The remaining 991 ha (10.7%) were not redesignated.

Loudoun County · Loudoun County, Virginia · United States

Section 7.02 (Open Space) of the Loudoun County, Virginia zoning ordinance sets required open-space percentages by zoning district. In the Transition Policy Area, the TR-3UBF/LF, TR-1, and TR-2 districts require 50% open space, while TR-10 and TR-3LBR require 70%; in each of these districts, "Agricultural" use is one of the eligible open-space categories, conditioned on protection by a permanent conservation easement. Developments of five or more dwelling units must also provide at least 5,000 square feet of active recreation open space.

Savills · Savills · Global

A September 2023 Savills report estimating the total value of global real estate (residential, commercial, and agricultural land) at $379.7 trillion in 2022 — more than global equities ($98.9tn) and debt securities ($129.8tn) combined, and nearly four times global GDP ($100.6tn). Residential property accounts for 76% ($287.6tn) of the total, which fell 2.8% from 2021 but remained 18.7% above pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

Jena Brooker · Planet Detroit (via BridgeDetroit) · United States

Hantz Woodlands, a large-scale tree farm on Detroit's east side, acquired roughly 2,600 parcels and still holds about 2,000. It bought an initial 1,550 parcels for $540,000 and later resold about 10% of its holdings for $9.5 million — nearly nine times its original cost — while paying only $7,035 of the $33,110 it owes in blight-violation fines. Critics note the Detroit Land Bank Authority never reclaimed a single Hantz property despite missed deadlines, even as it repossessed land from ordinary residents who fell behind.

· Wikipedia (Italian) · Italy

Cascina Chiesa Rossa is a farmhouse-and-church complex built between the 9th and 13th centuries, acquired by the City of Milan in 1960. Since 2009 it has operated as a public park including an orchard and wooded area, a bar, and a library, with a preservation committee founded in 1988 overseeing conservation and cultural activities. It is an example of a historic agricultural building repurposed as public civic space.

国土交通省 · 国土交通省 · Japan

According to this December 11, 2023 announcement by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, approximately 15.6 hectares of green roofs and 4.4 hectares of green walls were newly installed nationwide in FY2022. Cumulative installations from FY2000 through FY2022 (23 years) reached about 597 hectares of green roofs and 119 hectares of green walls (FY2021 and FY2022 figures are provisional).

NJBIZ · NJBIZ · United States

NJBIZ reported that Newark, New Jersey-based vertical farming company AeroFarms filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware federal bankruptcy court on June 8, 2023. It cited significant industry and capital-market headwinds, secured $10 million in debtor-in-possession financing from an existing investor group, and had announced 82 layoffs at its Newark headquarters two months earlier. Founder and CEO David Rosenberg stepped down, with CFO Guy Blanchard taking over.

AgFunderNews · AgFunderNews · United States

AgFunderNews reported that controlled-environment agriculture company AppHarvest filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 24, 2023. It posted a $176.6 million net loss for fiscal 2022, planned to sell its Berea farm to Mastronardi Produce for about $3.75 million, and aimed to sell its Morehead, Richmond, and Somerset facilities as well. It secured $30 million in debtor-in-possession financing from Equilibrium Capital, enabling operations to continue for 60 more days.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) · FAO · Global

Using FAO's newly developed Urban Rural Catchment Areas (URCA) dataset, the report analyzes household survey data from 11 African countries. It finds reliance on purchased food is high even in rural areas 1-2 hours (56%) and over 2 hours (52%) from an urban centre, with own production covering only 33-37% of consumption value in low- and high-food-budget countries respectively. Processed food penetration extends even to remote rural areas, and the report concludes that affordability of healthy diets is a critical issue across the entire rural-urban continuum, not just in cities.

Josephine Rother · Stadt und Grün 11/2023 · Germany

An article that traces the history of German allotments through one site in the Linden district of Hannover. The Linden association first appears in lease records in 1909, had more than 1,000 members by 1925, and saw its first colony building erected in 1926. On the municipal side it notes the establishment of an office for allotment construction (Amtsstelle für den Kleingartenbau) in 1919 and the merging of the clubs into the Reichsverband der Kleingartenvereine in 1921. Plot numbers rose to 20,000 in the five years from 1927 to 1932 and peaked at 26,000 in 1935. In 1983 the land was secured by permanent-allotment designation; Hannover today has roughly 20,000 gardens on 1,048 hectares, about 5 per cent of the city's area, or one garden per 28 residents.

Karen Lourdes, Perrine Hamel, Chris Gibbins, Ruzana Sanusi, Badrul Azhar, Alex M. Lechner · Landscape and Urban Planning · Malaysia

This study characterized the spatial distribution of multiple urban ecosystem services (UES) in a rapidly urbanizing catchment in Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and developed a systematic approach to integrate UES into green infrastructure (GI) planning. Using InVEST models to spatially quantify and map six UES (heat mitigation, runoff retention, sediment retention, scenic quality, urban recreation, and agricultural production), the assessment revealed that densely built areas generally had low UES provision. A multicriteria analysis identified locations for five GI strategies: conservation of headwaters, reforestation for biodiversity, development and conservation of urban parks, and greening of built infrastructure.