Research & reports

Catherine Rwamba Githuku · Abstracts of postgraduate thesis · Kenya (Nairobi)

This study investigated soil and crop pollution levels resulting from untreated wastewater reuse for irrigation in Kibera and Mailisaba wastewater irrigation farms in Nairobi, Kenya. Analysis of irrigation water, soil, and crop samples (maize, kales, black nightshade, arrowroots) revealed that the Electrical Conductivity (EC) of irrigation water at Mailisaba exceeded recommended levels. Farmers reported adverse effects on crops due to wastewater quality, and despite awareness of health risks, many farmers confessed to not using protective clothing.

Kai Zhang · Journal of Changjiang Vegetables · China

This paper analyzes the Netherlands' experience in developing modernized, specialized, and marketized urban horticulture, and discusses development goals for the horticulture industry in China's metropolitan suburbs on that basis. Drawing on the concept of modern agricultural development, it proposes strategies including developing advanced technology and equipment, innovating greenhouse production technology, optimizing the organizational forms of agriculture, improving industrial systems, increasing overall benefit, and achieving agricultural modernization.

Wang You-hui · Hubei nongye kexue · China

Land-use issues in urban agriculture in Changsha City, China, were examined by analyzing and comparing the city's annual statistical data alongside data from related government departments, given the close relationship between land use and the healthy development of urban agriculture. The results indicate that Changsha's urban agriculture land-use planning needs to be formulated and completed, the land-use system needs to be completed, the land-use structure needs to be optimized, and land-use functions need to be expanded, with corresponding countermeasures proposed for these issues.

Andrea Calori · TERRITORIO · Global

The essay traces how agriculture has long been part of the urban planning policies of many cities and international institutions, while noting that agriculture and rural development only recently entered planning debates, delayed as part of the broader development of planning shaped by the 'overcoming of the rural' made explicit by 'modern' development. It connects several key turning points in how the role of the rural has been reconstructed globally in recent decades, offering new content for future action plans.

孟兴 · 中国乡镇企业 · China

A news report describes the Binhai Eco-Agriculture Science Park in the Tanggu new town of Tianjin's Binhai New Area, China, where a large glass roof had been completed and interior fitting and climate-control testing were underway ahead of its planned opening for the October 1, 2012 National Day holiday as a 100,000-square-meter urban agriculture park. The park is described as offering dining amid tropical plants, water play in what is called the world's largest indoor hot spring, and organic fruit and vegetable picking and agricultural learning in large greenhouses.

Annelies De Nijs, Pei-Chun Wen, Di Wu · TERRITORIO · China

In contemporary China, where the evolution of productive land relates to specific government policies and the nation's changing spatial conditions, a paper describes urban agriculture — particularly developed in the friction zone between the ever-growing urban and threatened rural territories — through three cases in Beijing's peri-urban periphery: Liuminying, Xiedao, and Taihu. The first two, Liuminying and Xiedao, show a major concern for sustainable production and agro-tourism but a weaker embedding in their local contexts, while the Taihu project is more rooted in its locale and provides a stronger response to the site's ecological sensitivity. The paper argues the Taihu case exemplifies an alternative to China's ever-booming and seemingly randomly placed agro-tourism sites.

Marco Antonio Toral Juárez, A. Montes Pérez, Catalino Jorge Lopez Collado, Felipe Gallardo-López · Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems · Mexico

A study of peri-urban families in Ciudad Cardel, Veracruz, Mexico, measured dietary diversity using a staple-foods scoring method and assessed eating habits and willingness to practice home horticulture using a Likert-scale survey. Thirty-five percent of households showed good eating habits, 19% regular, and 46% poor eating habits. Dietary diversity scored 29.4 ± 8.7 for staple foods. The general Likert index for willingness to practice horticulture was 2.9, indicating average availability. Dietary diversity varied with household economic capacity, while eating habits and socioeconomic status showed no association, and multiple factors were found to positively influence mothers' willingness to practice peri-urban horticulture.

Tesfamichael Fessahaie · · Africa (Ethiopia)

A thesis examining peri-urban agriculture in Asmara, Eritrea, within an analytical framework of urban population growth encompassing natural population increase, rural-urban migration, and outward movement linked to urban expansion. It draws on primary field data collected with research assistants, secondary data from Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Public Works reports, and focus group discussions. Respondents in the context of natural population growth were found to make a viable living from peri-urban agriculture, but also to face considerable challenges. Three sub-groups of farmers were identified; poultry farmers were the most vulnerable, owing to high input costs, uncertainty from avian flu, and an undeveloped distribution network. Vegetable producers had a sophisticated marketing network but low levels of education, large households, and an impending shortage of land and water. The abstract's description of agriculturalists who migrated to Asmara is cut off before stating a conclusion.

P. W. Mashela, K. M. Pofu, B. Nzanza · Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica Section B - Soil & Plant Science · Global

To test whether cabbage (Brassica oleracea) leaves -- widely available as market waste in peri-urban agriculture -- could be used in a ground leaching technology (GLT) system to manage root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) and improve tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) growth, researchers ran a 2x2x2 factorial experiment combining Bacillus species, Brassica leaf extract, and nematode presence across two seasons under microplot conditions. At harvest, the Bacillus x Brassica x nematode interaction reduced final nematode population density, fresh fruit yield, dry shoot mass, plant height, and stem diameter, while the Bacillus x Brassica interaction increased tomato growth variables; Brassica alone reduced tomato productivity, and overall the extract's efficacy depended on microbial activity, leading the authors to conclude the material was not suitable for use in GLT systems.

Simon Mariwah, Jan-Olof Drangert · Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy · Ghana

A study in a peri-urban agricultural community in Ghana explored attitudes towards sanitized human excreta as fertilizer, collecting data from 154 households. It found a general negative attitude towards fresh excreta and its handling. While residents accepted excreta could be used as fertilizer, they were unwilling to use it on their own crops or consume such fertilized crops.

Gerald Forkuor, Olufunke Cofie · International Journal of Remote Sensing · Sierra Leone (Freetown)

A land-use and land-cover (LULC) change mapping exercise in Freetown, Sierra Leone, used multi-temporal Landsat data from 1974, 1986, and 2000 to map nine LULC classes. Built-up areas increased by at least 140% between 1974 and 2000, and 882 ha (27%) of agricultural lands in 1986 were converted to residential purposes by 2000. These conversions indicate a strong link between urbanization, agriculture, and deforestation, negatively impacting agricultural land availability.

Luc Hippolyte Dossa, Andreas Buerkert, Eva Schlecht · Human Ecology · Sub-Saharan Africa

A study surveyed 700 randomly selected households across Kano (Nigeria), Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), and Sikasso (Mali) to explore the relationship between household socioeconomic status (SES) and participation in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). The results showed no significant differences in UPA participation rates across socioeconomic groups. Instead, UPA participation was significantly and positively related to household size.

Zikrullah Safi, Martina Předotová, Eva Schlecht, Andreas Buerkert · Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science · Afghanistan (Kabul)

A two-year study in Kabul, Afghanistan, measured horizontal flows of C, N, P, and K, and leaching losses of N and P in 21 vegetable gardens, 18 cereal fields, and vineyards. The findings suggest that soils in extensive cereal fields are at risk of N and K depletion, vegetable gardens face K depletion, and vineyards may be oversupplied with nutrients, potentially contributing to groundwater contamination. These results merit verification.

Richard Oram · Stirling Online Research Repository (University of Stirling) · United Kingdom

This paper reviews geoarchaeological evidence and analyzes documentary records from 17 Scottish burghs to explore waste management and peri-urban agriculture in early modern Scotland. The study illustrates the central role of urban waste as manure in burgess agriculture. Burgh regulations revealed changing cultural attitudes towards waste in the 17th and 18th centuries, but urban waste remained in demand as fertilizer in the hinterland of many Scottish towns until the late 19th century.

Zhou Pei · Acta Scientiae Circumstantiae · China (Shanghai)

This study analyzed surface soil samples (0-20 cm depth) from a peach orchard in Nanhui, Shanghai, to understand the spatial distribution of soil nitrogen (TN, NO3-N, NH4-N). It found that NH4-N content varied more than NO3-N and TN, with TN and NH4-N variations being higher than NO3-N. Spatial correlation for these elements was moderately interdependent up to approximately 740 meters, with NO3-N and NH4-N showing patchy distributions and higher concentrations near the village, while TN had distinct high concentration areas in the east.

Gianni Cicia, Francesca Colantuoni, Del Giudice Teresa, Stefano Pascucci · International journal on food system dynamics · Italy

This study analyzed the effects of urbanization on farm land use and organization in the protected area of the Campi Flegrei Regional Park, a peri-urban rural area in the Neapolitan metropolitan area. Researchers distinguished farms into three behavioral-social groups based on specific features to identify the best-suited type for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) implementation. A market scenario was predicted for each group without intervention.

Michael D. Howard · Design Principles and Practices An International Journal—Annual Review · Australia (Melbourne)

This case study explores potential new land-use patterns in under-utilized spaces within an intensive horticultural region in peri-urban Melbourne, Victoria, where a mismatch between title boundaries and commercial production methods has created redundant land. The project aimed to increase efficiency, introduce cross-programming, and develop a recreation strategy. It offers a design framework for reorienting land use while preserving the unique qualities of such places.

MM Ruma · Bayero Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences · Nigeria

This paper examined wastewater reuse in urban farming in Katsina, Nigeria, by interviewing 130 households out of 276 registered with the Katsina Urban Planning Authority. It found that wastewater reuse in urban farming is a full-time, sole income source for many households and an indispensable activity for the town. Recommendations were provided for promoting and integrating this activity into local planning processes.

Pedro Paulo Videiro Rosa · Revista Geográfica de América Central · Brazil

This paper provides a preliminary analysis of a document by FAO and Brazil's MDS, which identified and characterized urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) initiatives in Brazilian Metropolitan Regions. The article relates this document to existing Brazilian legislation and public policies, discussing the refunctionalization of urban spaces to integrate economic, sociocultural, and environmental factors. It also reports on contemporary UPA experiences aligned with agroecology principles and discusses the definition of urban agriculture to identify bottlenecks in its promotion.

Eckhard Hein, TW Kabore, A. Bilgo, SN Sall, Dominique Massé · International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)

This study evaluated the impact of untreated municipal solid waste (MSW) on soil properties in peri-urban agricultural fields near Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Soils receiving MSW for 7 to 20 years showed up to a two-fold increase in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content, with older fields having higher increases. While microbial biomass was significantly higher in MSW-fertilized soils, microbial activity and catabolic diversity were not significantly different.

Rachel Carey, Fanny Krumholz, Kena Duignan, Kathy McConell, Jessica L. Browne, Catherine Burns, Mark Lawrence · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Australia (Victoria)

This policy analysis examined fruit and vegetable production in peri-urban areas of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It highlights that environmental pressures, the loss and cost of peri-urban agricultural land, and a cost-price squeeze due to rising input costs and low farm-gate prices combine to threaten the viability of the Victorian fruit and vegetable industries. These pressures suggest that the availability and affordability of fruit and vegetable supplies cannot be taken for granted.

杨丽红 · 时代金融 · China (Kunming)

The Xishan Sub-branch of the People's Bank of China provided guidance for financial institutions in Xishan District, Kunming City, to support "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers" (三農) in 2011. Key priorities included vigorously developing urban agriculture, specifically through the creation of Yongjing Green Vegetable Park, Longtan Four Seasons Specialty Fruit Park, and Xiaocun Ecological Leisure Tourism Park. These initiatives aimed to promote green vegetable cultivation, ornamental and processed flower development, attract suburban leisure tourism, and foster the growth of rural service industries like "agritourism."

Marie-Christine Zélem, Zelem, Marie-Christine · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Senegal (Dakar)

This study identifies numerous constraints hindering the widespread adoption of organic waste utilization in agriculture in the peri-urban area of Dakar, Senegal. These constraints include the nature, availability, and accessibility of organic waste, poorly controlled urbanization, effects of seasonal variation, resistance to changes, and medical risks. The project, which combines agriculture with city waste management, faces these challenges.

Duncan Hilchey · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global

Volume 1, issue 3 of this electronic journal presents open-call papers on food and agriculture-based community development, alongside a supplementary collection on urban and peri-urban agriculture. These papers, including the first published from Asia, Australia, and Africa, contribute to the breadth of topics covered in the journal.

Héctor Ávila-Sánchez · Norois · Mexico

This paper discusses socio-territorial changes in peri-urban food production spaces in Central Mexico, focusing on the impacts of urbanization on old rural areas. It highlights that peri-urban poor populations often face marginalization, degradation of their agricultural activities, and conflict over space with other social groups. The development of peri-urban agriculture has led to significant transformations in land use, production structures, and social and cultural aspects.