Research & reports

R. Deiny Mardian, Suhartati Agoes, Erby Virta Joseph Paays, Abi Falaki, Nur Hudantomo · · Indonesia

For urban residents growing plants as a hobby, an automated irrigation system was developed that activates a water pump based on soil moisture readings and refills a water tank automatically when its level drops to a minimum threshold, monitored and controlled remotely via a dedicated Android smartphone application. The application's performance was evaluated by measuring its response time over a 4G cellular network, which ranged from approximately 4 to 9 seconds.

Zatalini Putri Permatasari, Ninuk Herlina · Jurnal Produksi Tanaman · Indonesia

Conducted from April to June 2016 in Pandanrejo Village, Bumiaji District, Batu City, Indonesia, this study aimed to determine the appropriate planting-media composition and plant number to increase the growth and yield of kailan (Brassica oleracea var. Alboglabra) in a vertikultur (vertical cultivation) system. Using a randomized complete block design, the results showed that planting-media composition and plant-number treatments significantly affected plant height, leaf number, leaf area, total fresh weight per plant, fresh root weight per meter, and total and root dry weight per plant and per meter, but did not significantly affect total fresh weight per meter, fresh consumable weight per plant and per meter, or fresh root weight per plant.

· UMUDIKE JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY · Africa

Describes the design, development and evaluation of a portable raised soil bed with a self-regulated subsurface irrigation system, intended for urban settings where arable soil is scarce or costly. Tested with palm fruit fibre filled to a thickness of 0.15 m, the system released moisture when saturated throughout the full 0.20 m thickness of the overlying soil, at an application efficiency of 65%, a fibre efficiency of 18% and an overall efficiency of 12%. Soil moisture data recorded at different depths in the profile indicated the system provided subsurface irrigation sufficient for vegetable growth, and no moisture overflow or surface flooding was recorded during evaluation.

Global Generation · Global Generation · United Kingdom

Global Generation's Skip Garden was a portable urban garden that operated for 10 years, from 2009 to 2019, within a 67-acre King's Cross construction site, relocating within the site as land was sold and developed. Food was grown in skips by young people and local business volunteers, using largely self-sustaining organic practices including composting, rainwater harvesting and beekeeping, with produce served at the on-site Skip Garden Kitchen.

特定非営利活動法人 Co.to.hana, 金田 康孝 · 国土交通省 都市と農・緑が共生するまちづくりに関する調査（平成29年度） · Japan (Osaka)

Co.to.hana's second-year MLIT study codifying how to reproduce Minna-no-uen's effects — activity data analysis since 2011, international comparables, intermediary-organisation needs, trial social-impact metrics, published as this report and at minnanouen.jp/research.

Elizabeth A. Miernicki, Sarah Taylor Lovell, Sam E. Wortman · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Illinois)

A 2-year field experiment in Illinois compared urban production systems (direct soil, compost-only raised beds, and mixed compost-and-soil raised beds) and fertilizer sources for their effects on growing media, weeds, and vegetable yields. Compost raised beds had higher pH, organic matter, and nutrients and sharply reduced weeds, and the authors recommend raised beds with a mix of compost and soil for urban vegetable production.

· International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture · Global

Evaluates the efficiency of the epigeic earthworm Eisenia foetida in vermicomposting different organic substrates, including kitchen waste.

· Horticulturae · Global

Reviews capillary irrigation systems such as capillary wicks, noting higher yields and lower water use than conventional irrigation, no runoff, and economical installation and operation.

· Sustainability · Ethiopia

Introduces treadle pumps as a low-cost small-scale irrigation technology in eastern Ethiopia and examines their effect on farmer empowerment and innovation.

S. Alan Walters, Karen Stoelzle Midden · Agriculture · Global

Vegetable production on green roofs faces multiple challenges, resulting in minimal current activity despite its potential for urban agricultural sustainability. While intensive green roof systems are considered suitable for vegetable production, extensive systems with shallow-rooted crops like lettuce, kale, and radish show the greatest potential for sustained productivity due to building weight restrictions. Deeper-root crops like tomatoes require constant monitoring of fertility and moisture. Green roofs are not presented as a total solution for urban food provision.

Universidad Tecnológica Fidel Velázquez, Alfredo Ricardo Pérez Fernández, Mariana Ruiz Morales, Universidad Iberoamericana, María Odette Lobato Calleros, Universidad Iberoamericana, Eloy Pérez Valera, Biosistemas Sustentables, S. A., Promotora de Inversión de Capital Variable, Perla Rodríguez Salinas, Universidad Tecnológica Fidel Velázquez · Revista Internacional de Contaminación Ambiental · Global

This study developed biophysical substrates for protected and urban agriculture by mixing compost from urban solid waste with polystyrene and tepetate. Experimental tests were conducted on roses and tomatoes under four different treatments in a greenhouse, evaluating substrate nutritional properties and productivity. The results indicate that the proposed biophysical substrates possess physical, chemical, and biological properties making them a viable substitute for urban gardening or protected agriculture.

Lisbeth Gallardo, Yelitza Contreras, J. Saavedra Jaramillo, Raúl Ernesto Alban · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Venezuela

This paper investigated the population growth index of the Red Californian Earthworm (Eisenia foetida) to produce solid and liquid humus from urban organic waste. Conducted at the Artisanal Bioisumes Laboratory at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela, the study compared compost and egg shells with coffee waste as substrates. The egg shell and coffee waste substrate yielded better earthworm population growth and humus production.

Camille Frazier · Journal of Political Ecology · India (Bengaluru)

This article examines the motivations and practices of organic terrace gardeners (OTGians) in Bengaluru, India, who grow food in private spaces. While OTGians successfully create a vibrant community driven by food safety and environmental concerns, their efforts are limited to the middle class due to class-specific concerns and production practices. The study highlights that urban gardening in this context remains an intervention primarily for the middle class.

Evelyne Riandini · Biota · Indonesia

This study investigated the diversity and phylogeny of bananas (Musaceae) in Bengkulu City, Indonesia, across three districts. Researchers collected 22 specimens representing 10 varieties from wild and cultivated plants in home yards and community gardens. Morphological analysis revealed two main phylogenetic groups: Musa acuminata Colla and Musa acuminata x Musa balbisiana, with similarity coefficients between 0.45 and 0.60.

Germano Güttler, Valmir Milani, Camila Peligrinotti Tarouco, Marcos André Nohatto, Eliete De Fatima de Ferreira da Rosa · Revista Ciência Agrícola · Brazil

A study conducted in Brazil evaluated the effects of physical-mechanical control strategies on Rumex obtusifolius (broad-leaved dock), a difficult weed in urban production. Using a randomized block experimental design, treatments including black mulching, intermittent black mulching, transparent mulching, mowing, weeding, and a control were compared. Results showed that mulching, in particular, had a greater capacity to reduce the population density and aerial dry mass of broad-leaved dock, but the effectiveness of control depends on the continuous maintenance of these strategies.

Georgia Pollard, James Ward, Philip Roetman · Sustainability · Australia (South Australia)

This paper explores the economic sustainability of home food gardens in South Australia using new data from the Edible Gardens project online survey. While saving money is a top motivation for many respondents, the study notes that it remains to be seen whether current gardening practices actually support this aspiration. The paper concludes that more work is needed to measure the full costs of different gardens to better predict their financial accessibility and economic sustainability.

Laura Isabel Bedoya Corrales, David Alberto García Arango, Jovany Sepúlveda-Aguirre, Camilo Andrés Echeverri Gutiérrez, Leidy Catalina Acosta Agudelo · Producción + Limpia · Global

Urban agriculture promotes vegetable cultivation in cities, but it requires germinating seeds to obtain seedlings in order to initiate this practice in a sustainable and practical manner.

Georgia Pollard, James Ward, Philip Roetman · Horticulturae · Australia (South Australia)

A systematic review of literature from 1975 to 2018 on urban agriculture yield research found that only 5 out of 25 articles actively collected water use data from the perspective of water use efficiency, all from purpose-built experimental gardens. Given the scarcity of literature on urban agriculture water use efficiency and measurement, a case study from South Australia demonstrated the diversity of water pricing, sources, and irrigation methods. Four equations for calculating urban agriculture water use efficiency (WUE) were proposed.

María Angélica Flórez Trujillo, Catalina Andrea García Pinilla · · Colombia (Bogotá)

This report details an internship project conducted in 2017-2018 with 4th and 5th-grade students at I.E.D. Julio Garavito Armero J.M. in Bogotá, Colombia. The project, "Mother Earth Arts," aimed to foster environmental awareness and agricultural knowledge by addressing urban growth's environmental problems. Students created a vertical garden and learned about food security through planting organic aromatic and medicinal seeds.

Monika Egerer, Brenda B. Lin, Stacy M. Philpott · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · United States (California)

This citizen science study in the California Central Coast examined water use, vegetation, and soil management in urban gardens. Water use varied by gardener and was positively related to mulching and crop cover. Gardeners expressing high concern for drought and water conservation paradoxically tended to use more water, while those in gardens with more rules used less.

Marina Silalahi, Lauresius Sihotang, Sunarto Sunarto, Fajar Adinugraha, Adisti Ratna Puri · · Indonesia (Cianjur)

A survey was conducted among 21 students at Pusaka Junior High School in Cianjur, Indonesia, to assess their understanding of hydroponic farming. Students knew the definition, methods, maintenance, and production of hydroponic plants, but literally interpreted that media like sand could not be used. While many students had experience with hydroponic farming, they claimed it was more expensive than conventional farming.

Romana Brunner · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Switzerland (Luzern)

This report documents an urban gardening project implemented at Jugendkulturhaus Treibhaus Luzern from October 2016 to November 2017. The project's main goal was to participatively involve youth and young adults in urban gardening, fostering their identification with and appropriation of the space. The report details the project's planning, execution, organization, and the difficulties and insights gained during its implementation.

Jens A. Geißler, Tim Schümann · · Germany (Bad Oldesloe)

The "Ernte deine Stadt" project series in Bad Oldesloe, Germany, combines civic engagement platforms with makerspace and community building ideas, focusing on local sustainability, particularly urban gardening and green libraries. Due to the project's success, the Bad Oldesloe City Library won the IFLA Green Library Award in 2017.

Dania de la Caridad González Gort, Arelys Valido Tomés, Roberto Vázquez Montes de · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Cuba (Camagüey)

A study on "The New Hope" farm in Camagüey, Cuba, evaluated human urine as a fertilizer for corn cultivation under family farming conditions. Family-collected human urine, stored for six months and applied in dilution, was compared to a mineral fertilizer and an unfertilized control using a randomized block design with 18 sample plants per treatment. Results showed that human urine yielded equivalent results to mineral fertilization, with no significant differences, but both differed from the unfertilized treatment, concluding that urine is an economic alternative for family farming.

Janaina Henrique dos Santos, Júlio César Maestri · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil

This work presents the experience of reapplying the "Revolution of the Baldinhos" Social Technology, which involves managing organic residues and urban agriculture, in Macaiba-RN, Brazil. The project focuses on women collecting household organic waste to produce thermophilic static compost for urban food production and gardening. This method, originating from the UFSC Method, was applied through the Urban Housing Project with Social Technology (MUTS), supported by AACC/RN and Banco do Brasil Foundation, marking its first national application.