Research & reports

Defne Sunguroğlu Hensel · · Global

This work, "Ecological Prototypes for Green Construction - 1", focuses on linking architecture and ecological engineering. Its purpose is to achieve integrated urban, agricultural, and ecological land use.

Audrey Ferreira Rosa · Formação (Online) · Brazil (Presidente Prudente)

A survey was conducted among 13 urban and peri-urban farmers in Presidente Prudente/SP, Brazil, to analyze their profiles. This survey was part of a master's research conducted between 2018 and 2019. The findings indicated that there is no single or homogeneous profile characterizing urban and peri-urban farmers, and the information obtained differed from farmers in other Brazilian municipalities and states, highlighting the heterogeneity of individuals involved in urban and peri-urban agriculture.

Vito D'Onghia · IGI Global eBooks · Global

This paper analyzes the cultural debate and policies in urban and rural fields, comparing various actions to outline new opportunities for developing more sustainable cities with inclusive projects. It considers how urban agriculture in policy contexts raises questions about integrating sustainable practices and spatial planning tools to guide local communities. Innovative experiments at national and international levels demonstrate how research and practical experiences can support urban agriculture.

Tassha Junaidi, Setyono Yudo Tyasmoro · PLANTROPICA Journal of Agricultural Science · Indonesia

This research, conducted from October to December 2020 at Greenhouse CV. Kurnia Kitri Ayu in Indonesia, investigated the effect of 10 combinations of planting media (soil, roasted husk) and goat manure doses on lettuce growth and yield using a Randomized Block Design. The study found that combinations of planting media and goat manure supported lettuce growth more effectively than media without these additions. Specifically, treatment P7 (Soil and Roasted Husk 2:1 + 75g goat manure) yielded the highest average weight of 44.67g and economic weight of 40.67g.

Gopika Somanath Prathiksha I. · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This paper discusses microgreens as an innovation in vegetable growing, which have gained popularity since their introduction to Californian restaurants in the 1980s. Microgreens are presented as a potential solution for malnutrition and food security, providing nutrient-rich and high-quality phytochemicals. Interest is rising due to their nutraceutical, fresh, and functional food properties, and their abundance of phyto-constituents and minerals.

Elizandra Flávia Araujo, Marcos Paulo Fuck · Cadernos de Ciência & Tecnologia · Brazil (Curitiba)

This study aimed to identify and characterize different categories of urban agriculture practitioners in Curitiba. A descriptive study using bibliographic and documentary analysis found that urban agriculture activities are concentrated in peripheral areas of the city, with most participants having a monthly family income of up to two minimum wages. Despite a wide range of actors engaging in these practices, their visibility and inclusion in the political agenda occur asymmetrically.

Ehsan Rahimi, Shahindokht Barghjelveh, Pinliang Dong · Agriculture & Food Security · Global

This study reviewed 87 articles on the presence of bees in urban gardens and urban farms, summarizing bee diversity, host plant attractiveness, and the effects of landscape variables. Urban environments, especially urban gardens, contained a high diversity of bees, with honeybees and bumblebees being the most dominant species. Native plants were more attractive to bees than non-native plants, and while urbanization negatively impacted bee presence, the presence of green spaces or other farms and gardens positively affected pollinators.

Doralice Sátyro Maia, Miriam Hermi Zaar · Revista Espaço e Geografia · Brazil

A study of João Pessoa (Paraíba) and Natal (Rio Grande do Norte), two cities on Brazil's northeastern coast, analysing the persistence of rural practices - small-scale cattle farms (vacarias) in João Pessoa and agricultural practices in Natal - as "islands of rurality" that resist real-estate speculation and urbanization mechanisms within areas classified as urban. Arguing that the spread of new technologies and communication networks, along with the homogenization of social and labour relations, has produced a multiscalar and complex territorial structure that calls for rethinking methods of distinguishing rural from urban, the study combines fieldwork (observation, photographic records, questionnaires, and informal conversations with those involved), findings from prior research, and data gathered from government institutions to examine what is now called "urban agriculture" alongside the persistence of small-scale cattle raising in both cities.

Barbora Duží, David Fanfani, Stanislav Martinát · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Europe (Italy)

A case study of Prato Province (Tuscany, Italy) analyzing how urban and peri-urban farming is embedded in local community life. Methods combined spatial analysis, semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders (N=9), field observations and discussions with local farmers (N=17). The study identified a diversity of locally rooted agrifood initiatives and food networks connecting individual farmers with local residents, with farms varying in how re-embedded they were in the urban space of Prato and its inhabitants. Cooperation among local agrifood initiatives was found to contribute to a more sustainable territorial agrifood system, and a tendency toward more sustainable land management was observed in the region. The authors argue that coordinated local food governance and innovative territorial planning instruments could contribute to sustainable agrifood systems elsewhere.

Fajar Sidiq Muttaqin, Endang Danial, Prayoga Bestari · JURNAL CIVICUS · Indonesia

A qualitative case study examining citizen participation in Bandung city's "Urban Farming" program in Pajajaran Village, Indonesia, as a form of "economy civics" implementation. The program was created by the Bandung city government in response to the city's dependence on food from surrounding areas, with data collected through interviews, observations and documentation studies involving the city's Food and Agriculture Office, Pajajaran Village officials, and the community. The results indicate that citizen participation in the Urban Farming program constitutes a form of economy civics implemented through produce with market value, affecting both the local economy and food security.

· JAcom 農業協同組合新聞（一般社団法人農協協会） · Japan

A December 2021 survey by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism found that among 199 municipalities with productive green zones (seisan ryokuchi) designated in 1992 (total 9,412 ha), 86% (8,048 ha) had already been, or were expected to be, redesignated as "specified productive green zones," which extend agricultural preservation and tax benefits beyond the original 30-year period. 7% of landowners had no intention to redesignate, and another 7% were undecided. Tokyo had the highest redesignation rate at 92% (2,227 ha), followed by Saitama (85%), Chiba (87%), Kanagawa (87%), Aichi (75%), Kyoto (87%), Osaka (85%), Hyogo (87%), and Nara (87%).

Jan Eelco Jansma, Sigrid C. O. Wertheim-Heck · Land Use Policy · Netherlands

A paper (Land Use Policy, vol. 117, 2022, article 106104) analysing the peri-urban development of Oosterwold in Almere, the Netherlands, where 51% of the planning area is allocated to agriculture and left to residents' self-organisation. It classifies Northwest European peri-urban agriculture into three types and examines how new residents shaped the planning process, finding that agricultural practice in Oosterwold developed toward 'hobby garden farming'.

Singapore Food Agency · Singapore Food Agency (SFA) · Singapore

Published by the Singapore Food Agency on 11 Nov 2022, this article explains that Singapore is vulnerable to supply shocks because it imports more than 90 per cent of its food, while less than 1 per cent of its land is set aside for farming, and sets out the country's '30 by 30' goal to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030.

東京都都市整備局 · 東京都都市整備局 (Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of Urban Development) · Japan

A section of the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Urban Development's case study collection on its comprehensive green-space policy, describing Nerima Ward's 'disaster-cooperation farmland' scheme, under which farmers agree by covenant (since 1996) to let their land be used in a major disaster for evacuation space, temporary housing sites, equipment storage, or fresh food supply. Citing MAFF data, it states that as of 31 March 2020, 76 municipalities across 8 prefectures in Japan's three major metropolitan areas had similar programs covering 1,353 hectares. It also notes that because the agreements are not legally binding, proactive use led by local government is difficult.

Kingsley, Jonathan, Diekmann, Lucy, Egerer, Monika H., Lin, Brenda B., Ossola, Alessandro, Marsh, Pauline · Health & Place · Global

This Health & Place study analyzes survey responses from 3,743 gardeners collected internationally (including Australia, the USA, and Germany) between May and August 2020, examining gardening experiences during the early COVID-19 pandemic. It found gardens became safe spaces for social connection amid increased free time from lockdowns, while participants faced shortages of seeds and supplies and restricted access to shared garden spaces.

Leslie Mabon, Wan-Yu Shih, Sue-Ching Jou · Sustainability Science · Taiwan

This paper examines how a science-policy-practice community formed around Taipei's Garden City urban farming initiative. It finds the community emerged through a dynamic top-down and bottom-up process, enabling long-term public-private partnership and the coexistence of different knowledges, while questioning the community's limited ability to influence the broader 'garden city' vision beyond discrete, time-bound sites. It reports that the number of urban farming sites grew from 292 in 2015 to 733 in 2020.

CONQUITO · CONQUITO (Agencia Metropolitana de Promoción Económica) · Ecuador

CONQUITO's presentation page for its AGRUPAR participatory urban agriculture programme, stating that more than 4,500 farmers participate each year, 84% of whom are women heads of household, and that around 105 organic products are handled through the programme.

Helena I. Hanson, Emma Eckberg, Malin Widenberg, Johanna Alkan Olsson · Urban forestry & urban greening · Sweden (Lund)

This study explored private gardens' contribution to urban biodiversity and garden owners' wellbeing (in terms of cultural ecosystem services) in Lund, Sweden, through a garden land-use inventory and interviews with 35 garden owners. Results showed that urban development influences gardens' biodiversity potential by limiting available space or garden vegetation, with new properties having small gardens containing few biodiversity features and large trees. Important cultural ecosystem services included social bonds, recreation, nature experiences, and relaxation, which were influenced by age and gender.

Dominika Dymek, Agnieszka Wilkaniec, Leszek Bednorz, Magdalena Szczepańska · Sustainability · Poland

This study in Poznań, Poland, examined the significance of allotment gardens in the urban green space system and developed a classification method for urban planning. While over 30% of allotment gardens were found to be of high significance, urban planning documentation indicates plans to reduce their area. Even highly significant gardens are slated for liquidation, highlighting a conflict between their ecological value and current urban development plans.

K. Wróblewska, Byoung Ryong Jeong · Environmental Sciences Europe · Global

This review presents the effectiveness of plants and green infrastructure in ambient particulate matter (PM) removal. It describes the mechanisms of PM capture by plants and factors influencing PM reduction in the atmosphere. The review refers to the effectiveness of plant utilization in various forms of green infrastructure, including trees, grasslands, green roofs, living walls, water reservoirs, and urban farming. Additionally, methods to increase PM removal by plants, such as species selection, biodiversity increase, PAH-degrading phyllospheric endophytes, transgenic plants, and microorganisms, are presented.

Alexander Follmann, Maximilian Willkomm, Gilbert M. Nduru, George Owuor, Peter Dannenberg · Applied Geography · Kenya

This study analyzes the spatiotemporal dynamics of market-oriented urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) and farmers' responses to changing socio-spatial circumstances in Nyeri and Nakuru, Kenya. Findings indicate that the continued existence of market-oriented agriculture in these cities is linked to dynamic processes of commercialization, specialization, and intensification. The research concludes that market-oriented farmers are not inevitably displaced but can actively adapt to pressures and opportunities arising from rapid urban growth.

Fatima Haque, Rafael M. Santos, Yi Wai Chiang · Environmental Science & Technology · Global

This viewpoint article proposes incorporating enhanced rock weathering (ERW) into urban farming as an additional climate stabilization measure. Urban farming utilizes extensive urban surface areas for food production and atmospheric CO2 sequestration through air-to-soil contact. Combining this with ERW offers a further opportunity for this negative emissions technology to gain greater utilization.

Bruno do Nascimento Macedo, Fernanda Nogueira Comas, Amarílis Lucia Casteli Figueiredo Gallardo · Journal of Urban Technology and Sustainability · Brazil (São Paulo)

This study discussed the main environmental services and disservices associated with urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in São Paulo, Brazil, using a systematic literature review and spatial analysis. It identified 12 environmental services and 5 disservices, mapping 197 UPA initiatives. The research concluded that UPA has the potential to offer environmental benefits, but can also exert negative pressures on the environment, including in areas that should be protected.

Gabriela de Azevedo Marques, Iara Rafaela Gomes · Boletim Goiano de Geografia · Brazil

This empirical study analyzed the socio-spatial development of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (AUP) in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, examining both spontaneous agricultural activities and municipal institutional actions. While AUP holds significant relevance in the city, particularly in peripheral areas, governmental initiatives were found to be sporadic and discontinuous, lacking a broader institutional agenda. The study concluded that despite recent municipal efforts, legal and institutional support for AUP remains weak, leading to the rapid disappearance of productive spaces and indicating that institutional actions have not effectively fostered the socio-spatial development of spontaneous initiatives.

Mitchell Klein, Bethany Cox, Kelsie Tuck, Tom Baker, Ryan Jones, Salene Schloffel‐Armstrong · New Zealand Geographer · New Zealand (Auckland)

This study examines how temporary urbanism contributes to the production of publicness, focusing on the Auckland Night Markets in New Zealand. It discusses how these events generate publicness through the attendees' experiences, control practices, and spatial configuration. The findings support the view of public space and publicness as pluralistic and dynamic.