Research & reports

· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · China (Shanghai)

Examines problems and countermeasures for Shanghai's food system under the COVID-19 lockdown.

· Sustainable Cities and Society · China (Xiamen)

Builds a framework to evaluate, diagnose, and optimize multi-functional urban agriculture in Xiamen, China, finding strong social but weak ecological functions.

· Landscape Ecology · China

An analysis of how urban green space expansion affected grain production through cropland loss in Chinese cities from 2000 to 2020, with implications for national urban greening schemes.

· Nature Cities · China

A study evaluating the potential of urban rooftops in China for both food production and energy generation.

· Planning Practice & Research · Germany

Investigates citizen participation and acceptance around regional garden shows (Landesgartenschauen) in Germany as recurring urban greening and event-driven planning instruments.

· Urban Ecosystems · Germany (Dresden)

A case study based on two transition experiments in Dresden, analyzing how edible cities are initiated, innovated, and accelerated.

· Land · Germany

Presents a national ecosystem-service indicator for Germany to assess and monitor local climate regulation provided by urban green infrastructure.

Mager · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Germany (Southern Germany)

A longitudinal-spatial case study mapping municipal food supply in Southern Germany.

· Sustainability · Global

Provides architectural design recommendations for residential rooftop urban agriculture. It addresses integrating low-cost growing infrastructure such as container gardens, raised beds, and vertical gardens onto rooftops.

Flores-Aguilar P.S., Sánchez-Velázquez J., Aguirre-Becerra H., Peña-Herrejón G.A., Zamora-Castro S.A., Soto-Zarazúa G.M. · Sustainability · Mexico

The paper examines, in light of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), how aquaponics can contribute to food security through the production of high-quality protein and decentralized local production.

Turner · Geographical Research · Global South

Explores motivations, practices, and political contexts of rooftop gardening in the Global South, examining how socioeconomic conditions and policy environments shape urban agricultural initiatives.

· GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites · Jordan

Develops a spatial typology of urban agriculture initiatives aimed at achieving food security in Jordan.

· Latin American Perspectives · Cuba

Discusses urban agriculture in Cuba through the lenses of food security and food sovereignty.

Hawes J., Goldstein B., Newell J. · Nature Cities · Europe and United States

A large-scale life-cycle study using citizen-science data from 73 urban sites in Europe and the US found that food from urban agriculture had a carbon footprint about six times that of conventional farming (roughly 420 vs 70 gCO2e per serving), driven mainly by infrastructure and inputs.

· Discover Environment · Global (review)

A review documenting that urban roadside vegetables accumulate heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, arguing that health risks justify exclusion zones for cultivation away from high-traffic roads.

Boukharta Ouiam Fatiha, Sauvée Loïc, Chico-Santamarta Leticia, Pena-Fabri Fabiana, Navas-Gracia Luis Manuel · Urban Science · France (Normandy)

Multi-level governance analysis of urban-agriculture projects in Normandy based on interviews and fieldwork. Documents a gap between policy prescriptions and how local authorities actually implement them, showing expectations for UA-driven resilience outrun delivery on the ground.

Kanosvamhira T. P. · Area · South Africa (Cape Town)

Analyses how the state institutionalises Cape Town's community gardens along neoliberal lines. Argues state support cultivates neoliberal subjectivities and regulates production, diminishing the gardens' potential to advance food justice in historically disadvantaged communities.

Cian O'Callaghan · Antipode · Ireland (Dublin)

Critical account of Dublin's 2008–2017 temporary-urbanism moment showing how the post-crash possibilities for community/garden uses of vacant land were foreclosed by governmental interventions that re-secured property relations, withdrawing interim uses once the market recovered.

FAO · Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations · Global

FAO presents strategy for achieving food security through strengthened urban and peri-urban food systems. Integrates policy frameworks, infrastructure investment, and market development approaches.

· MDPI Agriculture · Global

Examines paradox of urban expansion reducing agricultural land while urban agriculture offers compensation. Highlights importance of urban-rural food system integration.

Boston University School of Public Health · Boston University School of Public Health · United States

Examines historical inequities in urban organic waste and composting access. Highlights disparities in low-income and communities of color. Advocates for equitable policy design and implementation.

Zhe Zhu, Faith Ka Shun Chan, Gang Li, Mengxia Xu, Meili Feng, Yong‐Guan Zhu · Soil & Environmental Health · China

This review examines urban agriculture in China, identifying three forms: small-scale, capital-intensive, and tourism-type, each with benefits and challenges shaped by local context and government policies. Despite benefits like improved community cohesion and environmental sustainability, urban agriculture in China faces significant limitations including land availability, capital shortage, market access, and insufficient governmental support. Strategies and four recommendations are proposed to address these challenges.

Ana Luisa Santos Rocha, Luly Rodrigues da Cunha Fischer · Revista de Direito Urbanístico Cidade e Alteridade · Brazil (Pará)

This action-research article, based on documentary sources, reports on legal solutions for land and urban issues in the Amazon, specifically for institutionalizing urban and peri-urban agriculture initiatives in Pará municipalities. It describes challenges for implementing the 2023 National Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture Program in the Amazon and discusses municipal competence for territorial planning and land titling. The study concludes that agroforestry hubs and backyards can serve as land instruments for municipalities in Pará.

Clara Pantoja Bohórquez, Karen Johanna Martínez Grisales, Jessica Paola Rincón Vivas, Linda Vanessa Boada Arias · Convergencia Revista de Ciencias Sociales · Colombia (Bogotá)

This qualitative multiple case study in Bogotá, Colombia, explores the role of women in seven community urban farming initiatives and their collective resistance practices. It found that women pursue food sovereignty, transform relationships with nature, and re-signify public space. Women play a significant role in community self-management, with high recognition of their knowledge and practices, and their networks of affection and intergenerational exchange strengthen female autonomy and leadership.

Sreejith Aravindakshan, Hage Aku, Michi Tani · · India

This study investigated factors inducing the emergence, sustenance, and sustainability of urban agriculture using primary data from urban farming households in Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh, India. The research indicates that urban agriculture has provided questionable environmental gains and has not significantly improved urban food security, especially among the poorer sections.