Research & reports

Andrew Butt · Economic Papers A journal of applied economics and policy · Australia

This article reviews changes in farm output and structure in peri-urban regions around Australia's cities. It concludes that farming in these regions is changing differently from other agricultural regions, with productivity centered on a few high-value activities. The majority of peri-urban farming, while potentially providing landscape services, is unable to adjust to changing productivity regimes, creating vulnerabilities for these farming systems.

Jaap Evers · · Global

This paper discusses the use of untreated wastewater for irrigation in urban and peri-urban agriculture, noting its prevalence in four out of five cities in the developing world according to a 2008 survey. It highlights that local policymakers are often unaware of the significance and opportunities of this practice, despite its potential for nutrient recovery and integration into urban sanitation systems. Planning for wastewater use requires multi-agency involvement.

Camila Tavares Ferreira, Silvia Coelho do Nascimento, Marlene Evangelista Vieira, R. F. de M. Tavares, Lucélia Rosa de Jesus · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil (Marituba)

This study evaluated the socioeconomic aspects of agriculture in the Uriboca community of Marituba, Pará, Brazil, by applying questionnaires to 13 local producers. The main commercial products were foliage, medicinal plants, and flowers, sold primarily in Belém and Marituba, while cassava, beans, and small animals were produced for consumption. Most producers had production costs between R$250.00 and R$500.00, with variable net incomes mostly ranging from R$250.00 to R$500.00 and R$500.00 to R$1000.00. Leafy greens were the main commercialized crops due to their ease of adaptation, management, and demand.

Tathagata Chatterji · South Asia Journal of South Asian Studies · India (Gurgaon)

A case study of Gurgaon, India, examined how local political factors, the rural-urban divide, and inter-governmental conflicts influenced the governance of a rapidly globalizing urban region. The study found that Gurgaon's real estate-driven transformation from a rural town to an outsourcing hub, involving the conversion of peri-urban agricultural land, has resulted in a fragmented landscape with glaring inequalities. This rapid urban makeover created everyday tensions and contradictions, particularly evident with the formation of a new municipal corporation.

남윤철 · · South Korea

The Ecovillage 'Sanneoul' in Seocheon-gun, South Korea, was developed for urban dwellers returning to rural areas and to prevent rural population decline. The village incorporates ecological elements such as rainwater recycling, rooftop gardens, and ecological sewage disposal plants, and residents utilize sunlight and solar heat systems, garbage recycling, and pellet boilers. While residents are content with the village's ecological elements, significant dissimilarities among residents in age, profession, and previous living environments pose an obstacle to community maintenance.

Anushiya Shrestha, Rajesh Sada · · Nepal (Kathmandu)

Climate change and its impacts on peri-urban agriculture were investigated in four peri-urban villages in the Kathmandu valley, Nepal. Temperature showed an increasing trend, while rainfall was erratic with no distinct pattern. These changes primarily had negative impacts on agriculture, leading to increased crop pests and diseases and a decline in crop production.

Charles E. Hess · HortScience · United States

Reflecting on horticultural science over the past 60 years, it is evident that it is in a period of great opportunity. Recognition of the role of fruits and vegetables in a healthful diet has led to food for health initiatives that encourage diets rich in horticultural crops. The 'locavore movement' fosters the popularity of purchasing locally, spurring increased interest in farmers' markets and urban gardening. Internationally, the idea of peri-urban gardening recognizes the value of horticultural crops in improving nutrition and income on relatively small areas of land in developing nations.

Elisa Marraccini, Sylvie Lardon · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Italy (Pisa)

The first Spring School on "Agricultural management in periurban areas," held in Pisa from May 20-27, 2013, aimed to introduce participants to key concepts and methods in Landscape and Territory Agronomy for analyzing and supporting land planning in peri-urban agriculture. This case study took place in the urban region of Pisa, Central Italy, where main spatial issues were identified and action proposals discussed.

Zhu Qi-jiu · Anhui nongye kexue · Global

This paper discusses the fusion of urban agriculture, ecotourism, and cultural innovation as a necessary approach for industrial upgrading, value creation, and income improvement in suburban areas. It outlines four methods for this fusion: government-led corporate development, market-guided corporate management with government support, market and policy-guided collective development, and individual development with villager participation based on government-provided infrastructure. The paper suggests that different villages and towns should adopt the most suitable route based on local conditions.

CDR Aza-Gnandji, Yongxin Xu, Lincoln Raitt, Jonathan Levy · Water SA · South Africa (Cape Town)

This study explored the salinity of irrigation water from the Cape Flats aquifer in the Philippi farming area of Cape Town, South Africa, collecting water samples from boreholes and ponds in summer and winter. Concentrations of chloride, nitrate, potassium, and sodium exceeded target maximum limits set by DWAF and FAO guidelines. Groundwater and pond water were found to be brackish in most parts of the research area, with salinization primarily attributed to agricultural activities. The water is generally suitable for irrigation but requires caution for salt-sensitive vegetables.

Claire Corbould · · Global

This abstract discusses the role of urban agriculture, which produces 15 to 20 percent of the world's food supply, in global food security. Urban populations are vulnerable to food insecurity as they rely on external food sources. Some commentators suggest that urban agriculture may provide a solution to food security issues in cities.

Juliano Avelar Moura, William Rodrigues Ferreira, Luciene de Barros, Lorandi Silveira Lara · Mercator · Global

This study discusses the viability of introducing urban and peri-urban agriculture models in municipal planning, driven by the need to improve the current chaotic management model of urban space. It focuses on the dynamics of relations between the environment, transport, and socioeconomics, presenting urban agriculture as a strategic program for harmonizing urban spaces.

Hamidreza Pourkhabbaz, Javanmardi Saeedeh, Yavari Ahmad Reza, H A Faraji Sabokbar · · Iran

This paper presented an integrated DEMATEL and ANP technique to evaluate land for peri-urban agriculture in the Qazvin Plain, Iran. Ecological word model, slope, climatic soil properties, water resources, and vegetation density were chosen as major factors and evaluated using a Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) model. Results confirmed six classes of agricultural land use, indicating that northern parts are not suitable for agriculture development. However, 98,598.20 hectares of polygons were determined to be extremely to medium suitable for agriculture.

Messay Mulugeta · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Ethiopia

This study assessed the need for a policy framework for urban/peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in Ethiopia. It was based on a desk review of other countries' experiences and policy frameworks, supplemented by primary and secondary data from Ethiopia and interviews with legislators, experts, urban farmers, and urban planners. The study's synthesis indicates that formulating a policy framework and by-laws for UPA in Ethiopia is imperative for the country to fully utilize the sector's potential.

Heng Shi, Ya Jun Shi, Guang Cai Xu · Applied Mechanics and Materials · China (Beijing)

This study proposes a non-weight agricultural information index model based on the analytic hierarchy process, developed in the context of Beijing's agricultural information development. It suggests that agricultural information promotes the economic growth of urban agriculture, particularly peri-urban agriculture, by facilitating the transition from traditional to modern agriculture.

K.G. Rosin, Ravinder Kaur, Sushma Singh, Prabhat Kumar Singh, Digvijay Dubey · Procedia Environmental Sciences · India

A study was conducted in peri-urban agricultural sites around Faridabad, Haryana, India, to assess groundwater contamination and the contribution of salt/trace metal-laden irrigation waters. Mean EC, Cl, and F concentrations in root zone leachates were found to be far beyond permissible limits, and some trace metals posed a threat to deep percolating waters. However, due to existing cropping patterns and deeper water table depths, the groundwaters were not yet vulnerable to these salts/trace metals, and the presence of salts in the groundwaters was primarily geogenic.

舒显奇梁建琼官智茹陈丽 · 农村经济 · China (Chengdu)

This study briefly outlines the advantages and current status of urban agriculture development in Qionglai, a major agricultural county in Chengdu's outer suburbs. It discusses the problems encountered in developing urban agriculture and proposes countermeasures for Qionglai to advance its "Urban Agriculture Demonstration Project." The research is based on an understanding of urban agriculture's connotations, functions, and development status at home and abroad.

Doreen Atkinson · African Journal of Range and Forage Science · South Africa

This paper critiques the assertion that commercialization of smallholder agriculture poses dangers for sustainable rangeland management in South Africa. It argues that a range of policy options are required, including commercialization and subsistence farming, large-scale and smallholder farming, various land tenure options, rural and peri-urban farming, and part-time farming. The case of municipal commonage land is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of flexible policy options regarding land ownership, farming scale, and the social nature of farming, but it is noted that effective institutional development is a key requirement in all cases.

Jaap Evers · · Vietnam (Hanoi)

This paper discusses the transfer of international commitments on green sustainable growth to local levels, focusing on integrated urban wastewater management in Hanoi, Vietnam. It highlights the substantial potential of urban and peri-urban agriculture to reuse urban wastewater for nutrient recovery and to serve as environmental service providers within urban sanitation systems. However, it notes that many local policymakers are unaware of the significance and opportunities of this practice.

Shogo Mlozi · International NGO Journal · Tanzania

This paper assesses the knowledge of livestock keepers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, regarding the climate change effects of their activities. Over two-thirds of respondents did not believe solid waste, liquid waste, and pollution from livestock would affect future climate risks. However, they did perceive chemical pollution and land degradation from urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) livestock keeping as having climate change effects.

Daniele La Rosa, Francesco Martinico, Riccardo Privitera · TERRITORIO · Italy

This study discusses how non-urbanized areas in metropolitan contexts can be reconsidered for new land uses, combining peripheral urban agricultural production with environmental protection for climate change adaptation and ecosystem service production. Through a review of urban planning instruments in Mascalucia, a new land-use scenario for non-urbanized areas was proposed using a land suitability model that combined land cover and fragmentation analysis.

Zhenshan Yang · 自然资源学报 · China (Beijing)

A study modeling city food footprint using supply-and-demand data, applied to Beijing over time. Beijing's food footprint grew from 11,800 km2 in 1993 to 29,400 km2 in 2010, about 1.8 times the city's territorial area, while per-capita food footprint stayed roughly stable at 0.127 hectares. The paper concludes that continuing population growth and shrinking arable land will force Beijing's food footprint further outward, and argues the city needs a different development strategy that strengthens local food supply through urban and peri-urban agriculture.

Ramón Isidro Cieza, Claudia Cecilia Flores, Lía Nora Tamagno, María Margarita Bonicatto, Natalia Agustina Gargoloff, María Luz Blandi, María J. Lermanó · Americanae (AECID Library) · Argentina (Buenos Aires)

The potential of urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUP) is increasingly recognized in cities across Latin America and the Caribbean, according to this 2013 piece on Argentina, because large quantities of food are produced in urban peripheries.

L.D. Albright · ·

A discussion piece noting that peri-urban farming, historically important in the United States, is now less prominent. It states that growing interest in local food production has focused attention on urban agriculture and vertical greenhouses, but that high land and energy costs, limited access to appropriately sized and shaped open space, and shading from surrounding tall buildings constrain urban agriculture options, and argues that peri-urban farming in traditional horizontal greenhouses can be a better alternative to vertical greenhouses.

Nsikak-Abasi A. Etim, Glory Emmanuel Edet · · Nigeria

A study of 80 peri-urban farming households in Uyo, Nigeria, sampled through a two-stage procedure with a structured questionnaire, using the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke weighted poverty measure to decompose poverty into sub-groups. Among peri-urban farming households, 0.48 were found to be impoverished, with the poorest of the poor at 0.29. Male-headed households were poorer than female-headed households. The incidence of poverty increased with the household head's age and household size, and decreased with years of formal education.