Research & reports

Theresa W. Ong, Gordon Fitch · · Global

This chapter provides an overview of natural science research methods for new researchers in urban agriculture. It discusses applying classic ecological theory to urban agriculture's unique conditions, identifies open questions, and outlines methodological advancements and pressing issues for future urban agroecological research.

Moisés Savian, Mari Inês Caríssimi Boff, Pedro Boff · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil

This study evaluated Brazilian scientific production from 2009 to 2018 on urban agriculture's contribution to food and nutritional security, analyzing 34 selected articles out of 612. It found that while agrobiodiversity is present in urban agriculture areas, pesticide use is a reality in some crop plots. The research suggests urban agriculture must be based on agroecology to avoid environmental contamination and produce healthy food.

Esther Sanyé‐Mengual, Kathrin Specht, Jan Vávra, Martina Artmann, Francesco Orsini, Giorgio Gianquinto · Sustainability · Italy (Bologna)

This study compared perceptions of urban agriculture (UA) ecosystem services (ESs) among different societal groups in Bologna, Italy, namely UA project leaders, stakeholders, and the general public, with 406 individuals evaluating 25 ESs via a standardized Likert-scale survey. Statistical analysis indicated that the general public and UA stakeholders agreed on the high relevance of socio-cultural ESs, while provisioning ESs were considered less significant. This study reveals a lower perception of provisioning ESs from urban agriculture.

Zornitsa Stoyanova · Economic Alternatives · Bulgaria

This paper aims to determine the possibilities of urban agriculture for improving life quality in Bulgaria, based on an assessment of its ecological impact. It analyzes respondents' opinions on the environmental benefits, customer profiles, product types, and production methods of urban agriculture. Conclusions relate to urban agriculture's potential for food security, resource optimization, green practices, and local employment.

Michelle Medeiros Jacob · DEMETRA Alimentação Nutrição & Saúde · Brazil

A project at a federal university in Northeast Brazil studied eight unconventional food plants (PANC) in a community garden during 2018, using the Garden-Based Learning (GBL) method. Data on botanical family, names, origin, biome, uses, and nutritional indicators were collected by nutrition students. The GBL method mediated the educational process, and the studied plants showed potential for food and nutritional security due to their suitability to the Caatinga biome and nutrient variety.

Stepha McMullin, Barbara Stadlmayr, Erick Ngethe, Brendah Wekesa, Ken Njogu, Agnes Gachuiri, Ben Mbaya, Agnes Katiwa, Ramni Jamnadass · · Global

This chapter discusses the role of neglected indigenous fruit trees in providing vital minerals and micronutrients to children and communities, and in addressing seasonality and hunger periods. It highlights their diversity, food composition, and contribution to dietary needs, as well as a 'portfolio approach' for addressing nutritional gaps. School gardens are presented as an entry point for integrating and promoting these trees for nutrition education and community engagement.

Jennifer Engels, Sheree J. Watson, Henrietta Dulai, Kimberly Burnett, Christopher A. Wada, ‘Ano‘ilani Aga, Nathan DeMaagd, J. J. McHugh, Barbara Sumida, Leah L. Bremer · PLoS ONE · United States (O‘ahu)

A researcher-farmer collaboration on O‘ahu's Sumida watercress farm conducted a 25-year trend analysis and a year of intensive spring water sampling. Negative correlations were found between historical crop yields and increases in the Oceanic Niño Index, temperature thresholds, and pest outbreaks. Despite urbanization, on-farm water quality was very high, and microbial analyses suggested the farm provides nutrient retention services to downstream systems. The study demonstrates that challenges facing urban agricultural systems shift over time.

Leonie K. Fischer, Jonah L. Landor-Yamagata, Ingo Kowarik · · Global

This paper illustrates the benefits of urban foraging, the practice of collecting wild-growing edible plants in urban green spaces worldwide. It describes how ecological and cultural knowledge intertwine in this practice and elucidates approaches used in urban foraging studies globally, including an example from Berlin, Germany. The paper also highlights challenges and opportunities for urban greenspace planning and management related to foraging.

Katherine C. R. Baldock · Current Opinion in Insect Science · Global

Urban expansion is a major threat to biodiversity, yet some pollinator groups, particularly bees, can thrive in urban areas. Recent studies indicate that local floral resources and the amount of impervious cover influence pollinator abundance, richness, and community composition. Urban intensification, chemicals, climate change, and increased honey bee colony densities all negatively affect urban pollinators.

Catalina Cruz-Piedrahita, Caroline Howe, Audrey de Nazelle · Global Transitions · Global

This scoping review analyzed 138 papers to develop a conceptual framework on the impacts of urban horticulture (UH) on public health in the Global North. While UH is proposed as a tool for health improvement, the review notes a lack of systematic information on its benefits, barriers, costs, and risks in these regions. The framework visualizes relationships between UH and public health, providing evidence for both positive and negative connections regarding mental health, physical activity, diet, and socialization.

F. Feldmann, Ute Vogler · Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection · Global

Ten key challenges for plant protection in cities were identified, each belonging to a specific field of action of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in urban horticulture, according to Directive 2009/128/EC. These challenges include appropriate plant selection, microbiome engineering, nutrient recycling, smart digital solutions, diversification of vegetation, avoidance of pesticide side effects on beneficials, biorational efficacy assessment, effective pest diagnosis, efficient outbreak control, and holistic approaches.

Justyna Mokras-Grabowska · Miscellanea Geographica · Poland

Allotment gardening (AGs) in Europe, including Poland, is a tradition stemming from rapid urban industrialization, now emphasizing community, social, ecological, creative, and entertainment functions beyond economic and recreational roles. The Polish Allotment Association undertakes numerous initiatives, such as the "Open Social Programme of Allotment Gardens Development," to protect AGs from liquidation and promote their use for public and non-public purposes. This program redefines the perception of AGs in Poland and contributes to their infrastructural development.

Cynthia Ellis Topsey, Anabel Ford, Sherman Horn · Heritage · Global

This narrative describes an education outreach project in archaeology that incorporates local collaboration, focusing on ancient Maya heritage and the Maya forest garden. The project is centered on the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna, with activities at the Cayo Welcome Center, Chak Ha Col forest garden, and Känan K’aax School Garden. It highlights that community partnerships require acknowledging tangible heritage, formal information outlets, education links, and cultural traditions.

Lexi Earl, Pat Thomson · · United Kingdom (midlands in England)

This chapter examines a school garden with farm elements at a primary school in a deprived market town in the midlands of England, established as part of an 'eco-school' initiative driven by the former head teacher. The garden included various spaces like a farm, raised beds, a pond, and a herb garden, used for science learning and natural exploration. However, the study notes that the impetus for outdoor learning diminished after the initiating head teacher departed, as school priorities shifted due to other pressures.

Peter Loxley · · Global

This chapter discusses "adaptation" as a scientific concept that helps children understand the diversity of wildlife they encounter in school gardens, local parks, and other outdoor learning areas. It also helps children understand why the destruction of green spaces can have devastating consequences for wildlife. The chapter includes three topics designed to guide teachers in helping children grasp the concept of adaptation.

Elisa Peñalvo López, Francisco Javier Cárcel Carrasco, David Alfonso-Solar, Iván Valencia-Salazar, Elías Hurtado-Pérez · Energies · Spain

This paper investigated the effect of a green roof on a public building's energy consumption in a Mediterranean location in Spain through experimental campaigns. Results showed a substantial 30% improvement in cooling energy demand for a standard summer day and a 15% reduction in heating energy demand for a winter day. Annual simulation analysis, calibrated with experimental data, indicated an overall 19% improvement in energy efficiency but also a 6% increase in peak power during winter.

Jacques L du Plessis, Ashley J Knox, HE Jacobs · Water SA · South Africa

Using spatial data on 1,813 gated-community homes across different regions of South Africa, this study quantitatively evaluated garden footprint area as a percentage of total plot area. Analyzing data from 11 gated communities, it found the average garden footprint to be 36% of total plot area. Homes with a garden area under 100 m² showed limited influence on monthly water consumption, while water use in homes with a larger garden footprint increased proportionally with garden size, and seasonal fluctuations in water use reflected garden irrigation and other outdoor water use.

Aurillia Manjella, Alessandra Grasso, Victor W. Wasike · · Africa

A report on the Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition project in Busia county, western Kenya, describes school gardens that supply or complement school feeding programmes as a practice for mobilizing biodiversity and improving dietary diversity among schoolchildren. Kenya is said to have more than 200 African leafy vegetables (ALVs), and the project gives children opportunities to acquire agricultural skills focused on cultivating nutrient-rich ALVs; the report notes that school gardening has long been part of education in Kenya, especially in rural areas dating to colonial times.

João Flávio Bomfim Gomes, Renata da Silva Brant Gomes, Alex Oliveira de Souza · Horticultura Brasileira · Global

A review-style introduction on the multifunctionality of urban horticulture. It cites United Nations (2015) projections that 66.36% of the world population will be urban by 2050, up from 53.60% in 2014, and an FAO 2015 report estimating about 795 million people worldwide facing food insecurity. It states that FAO (2015) puts global urban agriculture practice at 800 million people, and frames the practice as multifunctional - supplying food, supporting biodiversity, improving land and water use, and raising income and quality of life for urban farmers - without presenting original empirical data.

Louis Amprako, Kathrin Stenchly, Martin Wiehle, George Nyarko, Andreas Buerkert · Insects · Ghana

In 36 fields around Tamale in Ghana's Northern Region, researchers used 72-hour pitfall and pan trap sampling to examine how different irrigation water sources shaped arthropod communities in urban and peri-urban agricultural systems. Among 14,226 specimens spanning 13 orders, 103 families, 264 genera, and 329 taxa, analyzed with non-metric multidimensional scaling and redundancy analysis, arthropods grouped by irrigation source, with dipterans -- notably the disease-vector eye gnat Hippelates pusio -- dominant under wastewater irrigation, three alien ant species indicating community shifts from invasive species, and seven ant species forming mutualistic relationships with aphids flagging a future risk of aphid pest outbreaks.

Jaekyoung Kim, Sang Yeob Lee, Junsuk Kang · Sustainability · South Korea

Using ENVI-Met simulation on the campus of Seoul National University, South Korea, researchers quantitatively analyzed how different rooftop garden arrangement patterns affected temperature reduction. Extreme and linear (longitudinal) configurations achieved the greatest maximum reduction at -0.3°C, while the checkerboard pattern achieved the lowest maximum reduction at -0.2°C, with the largest impact over broader areas occurring in the mornings rather than the afternoons.

Marcela Patricia Galindo Toloza, Brandon Steven García Rodríguez · · Colombia (Bogotá)

This project proposal addresses the San Germán neighborhood in Bogotá, Colombia — located between the Usme and San Cristóbal localities on the upper slopes of the Entre Nubes ecological district park in the city's southeast, an area designated as protected land since 2000 under the city's land-use plan (POT). The Integral Improvement Plan (PMI) aims to provide an architectural, urban, and environmental solution to the neighborhood's problems by structuring an alternative for recovering the existing urban fabric in relation to the informal settlement that developed there over time, through rehabilitation and landscape regeneration. The PMI is designed to minimize the physical, environmental, and legal impacts caused by informal occupation, which has degraded residents' quality of life and disarticulated the neighborhood's urban structure from the wider city. It implements an "Ecobarrio" (eco-neighborhood) strategy incorporating design for different modes of mobility, prioritizing bike paths and pedestrian trails, applying integral-improvement treatment to existing construction where possible, recovering disused areas, and designating a zone for urban agriculture — elements intended to work together to regenerate the sustainability and livability of the San Germán community.

Francesca Grazioli, Muhabbat Turdieva, Chris J. Kettle · · Global

A book chapter (2020) discusses how school gardens can engage children in documenting the diversity of socioeconomically important tree species around their school and community, and highlights the role schools can play in ex situ conservation of tree genetic resources through school arboreta, seed orchards, and nurseries. It presents case studies and a proposed framework for incorporating this into school curricula, without reporting quantitative outcomes.

Chantika Mayadewi, Dewi Ratnaningrum · Jurnal Sains Teknologi Urban Perancangan Arsitektur (Stupa) · Indonesia (Jakarta)

An architectural design study for a dense settlement in Tanah Sereal, Tambora District, West Jakarta, Indonesia, where residents lack proper social-interaction spaces and use narrow streets and alleys instead. Using an analysis-synthesis method with data from field observation, interviews with local residents, literature study, and regional mapping, the project proposes a "third place" design called the Tanah Sereal Community Activity Space, integrated with a green alley to address social and environmental problems in the dense settlement. Its main program is a hydroponic urban farming area, supplemented by a foodcourt, play areas, teenage discussion areas, communal areas, a seminar room, an event room, and community development programs such as hydroponic and garment workshops intended to improve residents' skills, productivity, and living standards. The output is the design proposal itself rather than measured outcome data.

Matthew Potteiger · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

A review of The Community Food Forest Handbook by Catherine Bukowski and John Munsell of Virginia Tech, a systematic analysis of 30 community food forest projects — landscapes producing food modeled on forest ecosystem form and function. The review reports that only one of the 30 projects has existed for more than 10 years, and situates the food forest movement, like earlier urban agriculture and CSA efforts, as a grassroots phenomenon that has spread across the country with little coordination among individual projects.