Research & reports

Galang Aulia Prasetya, Agus Yadi Ismail, Nurdin · Journal of Forestry And Environment · Indonesia

This study evaluates bird diversity and conservation status in the Tundagan Village Forest, Indonesia, identified as an important avian habitat. Using an exploration method with identification based on a Mackinnon bird list, the study analyzed diversity, evenness, and dominance indices, plus a one-way ANOVA testing differences among three land-cover types. Overall diversity across natural forest, pine forest, and community garden land covers fell in the moderate category, with evenness close to even in natural and pine forests but uneven in community gardens. The dominant species were Psilopogon australis in natural forest, Cinnyris ornatus in pine forest, and Lonchura leucogastroides in community gardens. Community conservation efforts use a zoning strategy distinguishing a main "prohibited forest" from secondary "baladan forest" designated for economic use.

M. M. S. Maake, C. A. Mbajiorgu, D. P. Malatji, E. L. Udeh, M. J. Mamashila, Noluyolo Nogemane, N. A. Sebola, Portia Mamothaladi Moshidi, S. Mbizeni, U. V. Ogugua, P. N. Kayoka-Kabongo, France Phiri · Discover Sustainability · South Africa

A survey of 61 participants (mostly women, aged 18-92, mean age 49) in the University of South Africa (UNISA) Community Engagement project in Katlehong township, Gauteng province, South Africa, was analyzed with SPSS descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Friedman tests. Most participants relied on government social grants and seasonal employment, and over 75% were engaged in agricultural activities (72.1% vegetable cultivation, 11.5% field crops, 9.8% poultry). Education, age and gender significantly influenced participation, and training preferences ranked animal production (layers and broilers, mean rank 2.39 and 2.55) and vegetable production (mean rank 1.36) highest.

Nur Choiro Siregar · Acceleration · Malaysia

Using a qualitative literature review of 24 scientific journal articles, this study examines the role of urban farming in strengthening family food resilience in Malaysia by integrating Islamic values, guided by Islamic principles and prior empirical findings. It reports that incorporating Islamic values into urban farming — aligned with concepts such as khalifah fil ard (stewardship), ishlah (improvement), and tawazun (balance) — is associated with greater fresh food availability, reduced household expenses, and increased environmental awareness. It notes that limited urban land availability drives reliance on imported food, and that limited technical knowledge further constrains effective use of small household spaces for urban farming.

Dwinanda Ripta Ramadhan, Supartini, Susilaningtyas Budiana Kurniawati · PROFICIO · Indonesia

A community outreach program in Indonesia (PROFICIO, 2026) applied Participatory Action Research—assessment, intensive training, coaching, and periodic evaluation—to help urban farming groups shift from consumers to micro-scale commercial producers through crop diversification, financial management, and digital marketing. Reported outcomes were skill gains in diversified cultivation, separation of household and business cash accounts, and creation of a digital brand on social media and local marketplaces; the program's expected increase in group revenue was stated as a goal, not a measured result.

Human Sciences Research Council · Human Science Research Council SA · South Africa

A South African Human Science Research Council commentary (2026) notes that women make up the majority of urban farmers who grow food in their own backyards or lead food-security efforts within larger groups that sell or donate surplus produce, and states that the country's land reform policies require an explicitly gender-sensitive approach to support them. The abstract provides no study sample, method, or measured outcome.

Chaturangi Wickramaratne, Avinandan Taron, Mark Mulligan, Sophia Burke, Matthew McCartney · · Global

A valuation study of the Kalu Oya and Mudun Ela basins, peri-urban sub-catchments of the Kelani River Basin in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka (78 km², population 548,232, with 10.50 km² of wetlands providing services including flood mitigation, water purification, biodiversity support, carbon storage, and urban agriculture), used market-price and benefit-transfer methods to value 13 wetland services at a total economic value (TEV) of USD 25.1-27.6 million for 2025 (USD 12.98-14.45 million/year when excluding static carbon stock). A separate Co$tingNature model assessed 11 ecosystem services across the basin at 30 m resolution, estimating a 25-year TEV of USD 1.67 billion (USD 66.8 million/year); wetlands accounted for only 2.7% of basin-wide TEV but showed the highest per-hectare value (USD 6,807/ha/year). Conservation investment returns were estimated at 23-341% depending on which costs were included, and the study notes that different valuation methods produced varying results depending on their conceptual foundations and data sources.

Nia Amalia, Sri Widayanti, Mirza Andrian Syah · JURNAL ILMIAH PETERNAKAN TERPADU · Indonesia (Surabaya)

A feasibility study of the Balitbangtan superior free-range chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) farming business run by the Jago Karah Farm (JKF) urban farming community in Surabaya, Indonesia (2026), used qualitative descriptive analysis for market, technical, and environmental aspects and quantitative income analysis with the R/C Ratio for financial feasibility. JKF was found to have clear market segmentation and a functioning marketing mix; the operation remains micro-scale with only partial technology adoption; environmentally it was assessed as feasible, producing no unpleasant odors and managing waste properly; and financially it was profitable, with an average income of IDR 4,069,888 and an R/C Ratio of 1.7. The study notes JKF still faces limited technology, high feed costs, and a narrow marketing reach.

Ligia Tobar, César Augusto Gutiérrez, Leidy Yurani Villa García, Jonathan S. Pelegrin · Applied Environmental Education & Communication · Colombia

This study examined how a school garden in Vijes, Colombia, functions as a habitat for pollinators and a space for experiential education. Primary school students recorded 208 floral visits across four plots (ornamental, medicinal, fruit, and crop) over three weeks of limited observation time. Visiting activity was dominated by the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula (49%) and the honeybee Apis mellifera (36%). Pollinators mainly visited the ornamental plot, particularly Zinnia peruviana, and Cucurbita maxima in the crop plot. Participation in the monitoring fostered ecological awareness, teamwork, and appreciation of biodiversity among the students.

Rabia Admin, Malka Shahzadi, Malika Shahzadi, Muhammed Faisal Rasheed · Social Sciences Spectrum · Pakistan

This study examines women's involvement and empowerment in agricultural activities in Lahore Cantonment, Punjab, Pakistan, based on data from 118 women engaged in agriculture, analyzed using mixed methods including descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, correlation, and multiple regression. The results show that while participation rates among women are high, women are not yet empowered, owing to existing socio-cultural and resource-based obstacles. Significant associations were found between land ownership and women's decision-making, between education and participation, and between access to credit and extension services and involvement in agricultural activities; the correlation matrix showed positive relationships among key variables, and regression analysis identified land ownership, education, and access to credit as significant predictors of women's empowerment. The paper states that changes to law, access to resources, and social support are needed to improve women's agency in peri-urban agriculture, and proposes policy measures including land rights reform, targeted educational initiatives, and improved access to resources.

Marcelo Budal Cabral, Alysson Maia Fontenele · Revista JurisFIB · Brazil

This legal article examines the significance of urban agriculture for greening cities and for greenhouse gas mitigation and climate adaptation in Brazil. Using bibliographic and documentary research with a hermeneutic approach, it analyzes precedents including the Inter-American Court of Human Rights' Advisory Opinion 32/2025 (climate emergency) and the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court's Arguição de Descumprimento de Preceito Fundamental 708 (Climate Fund case), alongside the national Urban and Periurban Agriculture Policy and other normative texts. It concludes that ecological and climate protection duties, reinforced by these court precedents, require implementing and fostering urban agriculture in order to realize the right to a healthy climate.

Iasmin Emanueli Becker, Luciana Nunes de Oliveira, Jordana Marques Kneipp, Augusto Costa Bernardy, Edgar Cesar Rodrigues Maia, Juarez Felisberto · Revista Tópicos. · Brazil

As urban flooding, heat islands and water scarcity become more frequent in socioeconomically vulnerable peripheral areas, this qualitative case study analyzed how an agroecological community garden contributes to urban environmental resilience and efficient use of natural resources. Focusing on the Horta Comunitária Urbana Agroecológica Renova Vidas garden in Brazil, the study combined document analysis, non-participant observation and interviews, analyzed through content analysis. The garden was found to promote recovery of degraded land, conservation of natural resources and efficient water use, illustrating how local practices can contribute to urban resilience.

Lauren Strumos, L. G. Beaman · Journal for the Academic Study of Religion · Global

Drawing on interviews with 134 community garden members across eight countries, this article examines how individuals, both religious and nonreligious, understand and enact moral relationships with other terrestrial beings at their community gardens. It frames the community garden as a place constituted by human and more-than-human relationships, showing how people make sense of the world from where they are situated, with or without reference to religion or spirituality. Gardeners' relationships are organized into three experiential modes — gardens as places of connection, as places of control and human intervention, and as places of world-repairing or mending the Earth — which are not mutually exclusive and span the diverse lifestances of individual gardeners.

Chandni Singh, Sheetal Somashekar Patil, Swarnika Sharma · Environmental Research Climate · India

As urban heat increasingly affects liveability, labour productivity and human health, nature-based solutions such as green roofs, increased urban tree cover and dedicated park space have been proposed to adapt to rising urban heat, but the literature has paid relatively little attention to how smaller urban green spaces — fragmented urban greenery and rooftop home gardens — contribute to hyperlocal temperature regulation. This study examined whether rooftop home gardens in Bangalore, India, regulate indoor temperature and provide thermal comfort, drawing on perception-based data from household surveys and in-depth interviews alongside modelled scenario data covering different types of rooftop home gardens. People generally perceived thermal comfort in rooms directly below rooftop farms/gardens, and reported air-conditioner use declined after starting rooftop gardening. Modelling across seven scenarios, from no green cover to complete (100%) soil-bed cover, showed heat reduction benefits ranging from 1.5°C to 14°C depending on foliage type, density and extent of green cover; because most rooftops serve multiple purposes, the study identifies a more realistic temperature reduction of 1.5°C to 3°C, corresponding to a scenario with 50% of the roof covered in dense foliage.

G. Bastian, Sarah Lane, Haley McMahon, Olivia Husmann, Evangeline Schumacher · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

One in eight South Dakota residents faces food insecurity, which has been linked to higher prevalence of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Against this backdrop, this study conducted a preliminary process and impact evaluation of Dakota Food Rx, a pilot community-supported agriculture (CSA) produce prescription (PRx) program in the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota. Healthcare providers (Prescribers) referred low-income and/or food-insecure adults with diet-related chronic disease (Patients) to receive weekly produce boxes from a local specialty producer (Grower); evaluation measures included patient pre-post surveys and key informant interviews with Prescribers, Growers and Patients. From June to November 2024, 30 patients participated, receiving 434 produce boxes (mean 14.5 per patient) valued at over $14,000. Ten pre-surveys and eight post-surveys were completed (seven pre-only, five post-only, three both), along with nine interviews. Overall program satisfaction was high, and patients responding at post-test reported higher food security and sense of community than at pre-test. Thematic analysis of the interviews indicated patients improved their diet, food access and overall health, and that relationships were built among program participants; however, Prescribers, Growers and Patients all reported having to adapt to the program, with future considerations including increased communication, improved workflow, and additional resources.

Dawan Arkini Challam · Asian Research Journal of Agriculture · Global

A low-cost vertical farming system was built from 90 mm PVC pipes arranged in a three-tier frame, using soil as the primary growing medium, to grow strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) under a semi-controlled microclimate created by 50% shade netting during the vegetative stage. Shading reduced transpiration stress and improved moisture retention, promoting leaf development, and removing the shade at the onset of flowering increased floral initiation and the number of flowers per plant, attributed to improved light availability. This stage-specific light management raised leaf, flower and fruit counts and yield by combining features of open-field and protected cultivation, though the abstract does not report the number of plants tested or whether the trial was replicated.

Syauqi Az Zahra, Erwan Efendi · Ganaya Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Humaniora · Indonesia

In Martebing Village, Serdang Bedagai Regency, Indonesia, a qualitative descriptive study using field observation, in-depth interviews with community administrators and members, and activity documentation examined how management of the Nurul Huda women's empowerment community, organized through a da'wah (Islamic outreach) management approach, contributes to family food security. The community was found to carry out functional management — activity planning, role organization, program implementation and collective evaluation — integrated with da'wah values, realized in practice through urban farming and yard-land utilization as part of family food security management. Women's active involvement throughout this process was said to encourage the independence and sustainability of family food security, positioning the integration of da'wah management and women's empowerment as a potential model for community-based empowerment in rural areas.

Mary T Nguyen, Carleen Rauh, Shelby Gresch, Charlotte Correiro, Heidi Elmendorf, Adriane Fugh-Berman, Gina Wimp, Alexandra L. DeCandia · ODU Digital Commons (Old Dominion University) · United States

Plant, animal, bacterial and fungal diversity were examined across three distinct urban habitats — a turf lawn, a forb garden and a farming space — using bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS2 sequencing, soil nutrient analyses, and vegetation and wildlife surveys. Bacterial community abundance was relatively even across garden types, but site-specific management style significantly shaped which fungal taxa dominated: Leotiomycetes in the farming space, Sordariomycetes in the forb garden, and Tremellomycetes in the turf lawn, indicating that distinct urban agricultural practices strongly shape fungal communities. Gardens with greater plant diversity also supported higher wildlife and fungal richness.

Alfiya Rokhmah, Ririn Mulyani, Muhammad Yusuf Hamdhani, Doni Doni · Jurnal Keteknikan Pertanian · Indonesia

At Universitas Sains Indonesia in Cibitung subdistrict, Bekasi Regency, Indonesia, researchers designed an urban farming layout to increase green open space on limited campus land. Using a mixed-method approach combining site analysis, field observation, facility-relationship analysis and economic feasibility estimation, the proposed design combines an aquaponic system (a 1,000-liter fish tank linked to hydroponic pipes with 120 planting holes), a vertical farming system adding 60 planting holes, and a green-learning park. The initial investment was estimated at approximately Rp 12,270,000 with relatively low operating costs, and the system was projected to yield 37-45 kg of vegetables per month and 30-40 kg of fish per production cycle.

Mohssen Elbagory, Hassan M. El-Zahaby, EL-Shafeey E. I. EL-Shafeey, Nagwa EL-Khateeb, Alaa El-Dein Omara, Sahar El-Nahrawy, Amal Zayed, Pankaj Kumar, Jogendra Singh · Scientific Reports · India

A field-based comparative study in Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India, compared soil properties, the growth response of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L. Czern.), and tissue accumulation of cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, manganese and zinc under irrigation with paper mill effluent (PME) versus borewell water as a control. PME irrigation significantly raised soil pH (8.79), electrical conductivity (4.73 dS/cm), organic matter (3.94%) and all six heavy metals (p<0.001); vegetative growth increased, but heavy metal accumulation was pronounced in roots, with bioaccumulation factors for iron and manganese exceeding the hyperaccumulation threshold and root enrichment factors reaching 226.50 for copper and 40.51 for chromium. Dietary risk modeling found that the health risk index from chromium in leaves exceeded the safety threshold in children (HRI=1.05) and approached risk levels for cadmium and chromium in adults, whereas the borewell-irrigated control soil remained within safe agricultural ranges, marking a clear contrast with the contaminated PME-irrigated soil.

D Darto, Nunung Cipta Dainy, Helfi Gustia, Raisa Ardiyanti, Farah Aurellia Sasikirana, Niken Wulandari Dyrin, Graiseld Raissa Erwanto · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Indonesia (Jakarta)

A community outreach activity carried out in August-September 2025 with the Hidroponik Generik farming group in Pesanggrahan, Jakarta, Indonesia, introduced an IoT-integrated solar power system and accompanying equipment, training and mentoring to reduce the electricity costs of a hydroponic system. An 800 Wp solar panel generating 1,400 Wh per day was confirmed able to power a rack-based hydroponic system with 1,000 planting holes, IoT monitoring let partners track water quality via smartphone, and the program reported cutting electricity operating costs by 30%.

Guilherme Raj, Flor Avelino, Marie-Claire Bribois · Cambridge University Press eBooks · Europe

This chapter argues that power dynamics have received limited attention in sustainability-transitions research despite their centrality to lasting societal change, and introduces two frameworks -- "power to, over, and with" and "three relations of power" -- to analyze how power relations shift over time and are constituted. Applying these frameworks to a case study of community-supported agriculture in Portugal, the analysis shows how individual and collective agency, human and non-human interactions, and historical structures of social relationships shape opportunities and barriers for transitions. It concludes that more power-aware research incorporating non-Western and Indigenous epistemologies is needed.

Tianqi Su, Yongmei · Agriculture · China

Based on multitemporal remote-sensing data from 1985 to 2015, this study examined the evolution of urban-agricultural-ecological spatial structure and water-heat-vegetation responses driven by large-scale irrigation and drainage projects in the Inner Mongolia Hetao Plain, an arid/semi-arid region of China. It built a "multifunctionality-dynamic evolution" dual-principle classification system, combining maximum-likelihood classification of individual land types with conflict-pixel-resolution merging to achieve 90.82% classification accuracy, and used a land-use transfer matrix, a standard deviation ellipse model, land surface temperature (LST) inversion, and vegetation fractional coverage (VFC) analysis. The results showed: (1) spatial structure followed a path of short-term intense disturbance followed by long-term stable optimization, with agricultural space stability increasing 4.8%, ecological core area retention exceeding 90%, and urban space expansion shifting from external encroachment to internal filling; (2) VFC increased steadily in the central area (0.8% annual growth), fluctuated with recovery in the eastern area (±12% cyclic amplitude), and improved locally in the western area (key patches up 18%); (3) the LST-VFC relationship showed spatiotemporal misalignment, with 0.8-1.2°C anomalous cooling in the central region during construction despite a 15% VFC decrease, driven by irrigation water's thermal inertia, and a disrupted linear correlation after completion due to changes in crop phenology and plastic film mulching; and (4) the irrigation and drainage projects optimized water resource allocation, constructing a hub regulation model integrated with the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus.

Flora Elvistia Firdaus, M. Dachyar · International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science · Asia

This study examined food self-sufficiency in limited spaces as a survival strategy among Indonesian migrant communities in Malaysia, through a community-based educational program teaching container gardening, vertical planting and cultivation using recycled materials, targeted at migrant households and particularly women engaged in informal economic activities, delivered through demonstration, participatory discussion and knowledge exchange. Participants responded positively, viewing food self-sufficiency as a feasible strategy for household resilience and small-space cultivation as a practical way to reduce food expenses and improve access to fresh food, with the program highlighting the importance of culturally relevant practices and community-based learning for adoption.

Pungky Slamet Wisnu Kusuma, Dyah Hariani, Vivin Andriani, Dicky Surya Putra Pradana Andriani · Jurnal Abadimas Adi Buana · Indonesia

Describes a community-service (PKM) activity centered on an NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) aquaponics system, framed as an urban-farming innovation supporting sustainable urban food security. The activity aimed to analyze the NFT aquaponic system's efficiency and to increase student and public understanding of it through a national webinar. It reports that the NFT system reduced water use by 80-90% compared with conventional systems through closed-loop recirculation, and that integrating catfish (Clarias sp.), water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) and nitrifying bacteria created a productive system supporting a zero-waste concept. Webinar evaluation showed participant understanding rising by 26 percentage points, from 62% to 88% after the session, with participants reported to show high interest in smart-farming aquaponics applications.

Nwanaforo E., Obasi C. N., Akande I. O., Nduka J. K., Offor C. C., Abdulai P. M., Udom G. J., Orisakwe O. E. · Biological Trace Element Research · ナイジェリア（オウェリ・アバ・ポートハーコート）

A study of lead, cadmium and copper in urban agricultural systems in three industrial-area Nigerian cities (Owerri, Aba and Port Harcourt), assessing spatial distribution, bioaccumulation and health risks using both deterministic and stochastic (Monte Carlo) approaches. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry found soil concentrations following Pb > Cu > Cd in Owerri and Port Harcourt but Pb > Cd > Cu in Aba, while fish and vegetables followed Pb > Cd > Cu at all three sites. The deterministic assessment found cadmium's incremental lifetime cancer risk exceeded the US EPA acceptable threshold of 1×10⁻⁶ at every site for every sample examined, identifying cadmium as the metal of greatest concern.