Research & reports

Lafia N' Gobi GM, Moussa S, Falalou H, Degla P · Scientific Reports · ニジェール・ニアメ市（サヘル）

A study of how 150 urban pearl millet farmers aged at least 40 in Commune V of Niamey — an area the authors note is often overlooked in agricultural studies, since most work focuses on broader farming systems — perceive climate change and what they do about it. Respondents were reached by snowball sampling; data came from structured interviews, focus group discussions and key informant interviews with the Agricultural Extension Unit, alongside an analysis of 30 years of rainfall data (1991-2020). Farmers showed a high level of climate awareness over the past 30 years and had adopted both local and extension-based adaptation measures, and significant disruptions in rainfall were confirmed in the record. The adaptation strategies used were soil fertility regeneration techniques, crop diversification, crop defence, improved seeds, organic fertilizers, adjusted planting calendars, water conservation techniques, and prayers or rituals. Descriptive statistics, statistical tests and multinomial logistic regression were used to identify the determinants of adoption.

FAO · FAO (FAOSTAT Analytical Brief) · Global

According to a FAOSTAT analytical brief, global agricultural use of inorganic fertilizers rose 34 percent, from 142 million tonnes in 2002 to 190 million tonnes in 2023. Per-hectare application rates of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium all increased over the period, and world production reached 208 million tonnes in 2023, up 40 percent since 2002.

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

According to FAO, disasters have recently affected 4.03 billion people, up 124% compared to the previous two decades, with direct economic losses reaching nearly USD 3 trillion, an increase of 182% since 1980–1999. Climate-related disasters accounted for 91% of direct economic losses globally and affected 3.6 billion people. Between 2008 and 2018, agriculture absorbed 26% of the overall impact of medium- to large-scale disasters in least developed and low- and middle-income countries. Some 2.5 billion people worldwide depend on agriculture for their livelihoods; FAO promotes disaster risk reduction through coherent implementation of the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the SDGs.

Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore · Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore · Singapore

On 26 September 2025, Minister Grace Fu replied to a parliamentary question on progress toward the "30 by 30" goal, stating that less than 10% of Singapore's food consumption is currently produced domestically. She called the goal "aspirational," set before COVID-19 under more favourable conditions, while noting locally produced hen eggs exceed 30% and beansprouts exceed 50% of local consumption, and that the alternative protein industry faces high energy costs and insufficient consumer acceptance.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) · U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) · Global

This is the Phosphate Rock entry of USGS's annual Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. U.S. 2024 marketable production was 20,000 thousand metric tons (about 20 million tons, valued at $2 billion), with net import reliance at 13% of apparent consumption and import sources (2020-23) at Peru 98%, Morocco 2%. World mine production was estimated at 240,000 thousand metric tons in 2024 (China, Morocco, the U.S., and Russia leading), world reserves at 74,000,000 thousand metric tons, with Morocco alone holding 50,000,000 thousand metric tons. World P2O5 consumption in fertilizers was 47.5 million tons in 2024, projected to rise to 51.8 million tons by 2028.

Abdul Rahim Mohammed Sabtiu, Isaac Kwame Sraku, Christopher Mfum Owusu-Asenso, Yaw Akuamoah-Boateng, Richard Tettey Doe, Emmanuel Nana Boadu, Judith Dzifa Azumah, Nana Aba Setorwu Eyeson, Anisa Abdulai, Godfred Amoateng, Simon Kwaku Attah, Fred Aboagye-Antwi, Yaw Asare Afrane · BMC Infectious Diseases · Ghana (Accra)

A 2025 entomological study in Accra, Ghana, that sampled mosquitoes at ten sites grouped into five categories — irrigated urban farming (IUF), low, middle and high socioeconomic status, and peri-urban — to compare vector distribution, biting behaviour and infectivity. Human landing catches and Prokopack aspiration collected 41,747 mosquitoes in total; 48.63% (10,466/21,520) of Anopheles gambiae s.l. came from the irrigated urban farming sites, far above peri-urban (18.06%), high (16.42%), middle (13.74%) and low (3.15%) socioeconomic sites. Indoor-caught An. gambiae s.l. had a higher sporozoite infection rate (4.56%, 16/351) than outdoor (3.78%, 9/238; χ² = 6.78, P = 0.009), and Tuba, an irrigated site, had the highest rate at 6.41% (10/156). The authors conclude that irrigated urban agriculture drives urban malaria transmission in Accra and that indoor control plus management of immature vector habitats in farming areas is needed — evidence of a public-health trade-off in which irrigated growing creates vector habitat alongside its food and livelihood benefits.

Chimwemwe Chiutula, Andrew G. Mtewa, Amon Abraham, Richard Lizwe Steven Mvula, Alfred Maluwa, Fasil Ejigu Eregno, John Njalam'mano · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Malawi (Blantyre)

At the Soche Wastewater Treatment Plant in Blantyre, Malawi (built in the 1950s, current design flow 4,100 m³/day), whose effluent irrigates nearby gardens, researchers measured heavy metals by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in effluent, soil and six vegetables (three exotic Brassica varieties plus indigenous pumpkin, sweet-potato and amaranth leaves). Soil zinc reached 56.4 ± 0.5 mg/kg against a WHO limit of 36 mg/kg; vegetable stems reached 4.65 mg/kg chromium (limit 2.3) and 4.09 mg/kg lead (limit 0.3), and leaves 0.31 mg/kg cadmium (limit 0.2). Health risk indices peaked at 92.28, far above the safe threshold of 1. Limitations: sampling at a single time point (November) with no seasonal variation, and total-element rather than speciation analysis.

Gerald Quarcoo, Samuel Armoo, Augustina Angelina Sylverken, Matthew Glover Addo · PLOS ONE · Ghana

A study of 179 urban vegetable farmers in Accra (n=125) and Tamale (n=54), Ghana, with stool samples from 168 of them. Tamale recorded 0% soil-transmitted helminth infection, while Accra recorded Ascaris lumbricoides 5.1%, Ancylostoma duodenale 2.5% and Strongyloides stercoralis 0.8%. Not using personal protective equipment was strongly associated with infection (odds ratio 4.3, 95% CI 1.03–18.00, p=0.04); PPE use was 72% in Tamale versus 41% in Accra. The results indicate that occupational health risk in urban farming varies sharply by site and working practice. Limitations include farmers declining to give samples for superstitious reasons and the near-absence of prior studies on this population.

Gabson Baguma, Gadson Bamanya, Hannington Twinomuhwezi, Allan Gonzaga, Timothy Omara, Patrick Onen, Simon Ocakacon, Christopher Angiro, Wilber Waibale, Ronald Ntuwa · Journal of Xenobiotics · Uganda (Kampala)

In the Luzira Industrial Area of Kampala's Nakawa Division, Uganda — a park hosting metal fabrication, pharmaceuticals, brewing and plastics — researchers sampled 20 composite soils and 20 yam tubers from five sites (four under industrial influence, one control) in March 2024 and measured copper, cadmium, chromium, zinc and lead. Soils held 137.30–162.30 mg/kg zinc, 39.50–54.53 mg/kg lead and 28.70–42.13 mg/kg copper. Tubers held less (zinc 6.68–33.1, lead 0.023–0.291, cadmium 0.013–0.116 mg/kg), yet hazard indices for children exceeded the safe threshold at every industrial site (HI = 1.14–2.06) and total cancer risk of 1.27 × 10⁻⁴ to 5.83 × 10⁻⁴ exceeded EPA limits, with cadmium and chromium the main drivers. Limitations: standard EPA exposure parameters rather than population-specific data, and no metal speciation.

Bauer W., Titz A. · Nature-Based Solutions · Malawi (Lilongwe)

Urban Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are promoted globally as multifunctional and cost-effective, and municipal interest is growing in cities of the so-called Global South. Yet research remains clearly biased toward the Global North, with particularly few studies on cities in Sub-Saharan Africa — leaving a high risk that maladapted NbS, modelled on examples from elsewhere that do not meet local requirements, get adopted. This article examines the barriers to adopting urban NbS in Malawi's cities and the opportunities for successful implementation, drawing on qualitative data (workshops, narrative expert interviews, group discussions) gathered over five research stays in Lilongwe between 2022 and 2024, and analysing in detail the strategies used by those implementing the Lilongwe Ecological Corridor Initiative (LECI), a large-scale NbS in the capital.

Luis Andrade · Quito Informa (Municipio del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito) · Ecuador

On 29 April 2025, Quito's Metropolitan Council approved the 'Healthy Food Neighborhoods' ordinance, allowing community gardens on idle municipal land and requiring new housing developments to include garden space. The city currently has about 2,000 urban gardens and aims to double that number by 2030. ConQuito, the municipal economic development agency, will provide seeds and training, and produce will be sold through organized bioferias to avoid affecting existing markets.

Equipo Actualidad Jurídica · Actualidad Jurídica (DOE) · Chile

A bill reported in Chile would have the state promote, foster, and oversee public policy on food security, environmental education, and urban agriculture. It defines urban gardens as cultivation plots of up to 500 square meters within urban territory, intended for growing vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers for self-consumption. Garden operators would be required to ensure safety and social integration, are allowed to hire workers with priority given to vulnerable groups and older adults, and may temporarily use abandoned lots that pose public-safety risks, though overnight stays or residing on the sites would be prohibited.

Municipalidad de Guayaquil · Alcaldía de Guayaquil · Ecuador

An official Guayaquil municipal article on its 'School-Community Gardens Program,' which has set up 57 gardens (50 in schools, 7 community/family gardens) providing free seeds and fertilizer. The program has benefited 67,020 people to date, with participating families reporting household savings of up to USD 80 per month.

Hacemos Memoria · Hacemos Memoria (Universidad de Antioquia) · Colombia

A timeline from Hacemos Memoria tracing the search for people disappeared after military operations (including Operación Orión, 2002) in Medellín's Comuna 13, centered on the site known as La Escombrera. Comuna 13 as a whole records 5,912 disappeared people, with 502 expected around La Escombrera specifically; forensic excavations from December 2024 through 2025 recovered a total of seven sets of remains. The search is led by the national search unit for the disappeared (UBPD) and the transitional justice tribunal (JEP), which ordered precautionary protective measures in 2020.

Heidi Tamayo Ortiz · El Colombiano · Colombia

An article on rooftop terrace gardens in Medellín's Comuna 13, where 37 terraces grow lettuce, basil, chard, kale and European cogollo. The pilot began with five terraces in 2021 and has grown to 25 participating households, mostly women heads of household, including 12 terraces in the San Javier area supported by Fundación Éxito. Produce is sold to restaurants and an Éxito store in Laureles, with workdays capped at 4 hours; the model has been replicated in Bogotá (Ciudad Bolívar) and Cali (Siloé).

Jaime Mulet Martínez, Daniel Melo Contreras, Félix González Gatica, Consuelo Veloso Ávila, Rubén Darío Oyarzo Figueroa, Jorge Saffirio Espinoza · Cámara de Diputadas y Diputados de Chile — Datos Abiertos (WSLegislativo) · Chile

A private member's bill (moción) admitted to Chile's Chamber of Deputies on March 24, 2025, establishing norms for the promotion, development, and registration of urban gardens (huertos urbanos). It was introduced by six deputies led by Jaime Mulet Martínez. The open-data record shows it as admissible, with no voting record yet.

Kipelo A., Atibu E., Sivalingam P., Poté J. · Environmental Challenges · Democratic Republic of the Congo

The study sampled domestic and irrigation water at Kinshasa's main gardening sites and measured faecal indicator bacteria alongside toxic metal concentrations — addressing head-on the sanitary risk sitting under the city's market gardening, in the water that irrigates its vegetables. The publisher does not make the abstract openly available, so only the study's scope is recorded here.

Panțiru I., Ronaldson A., Sima N., Dregan A., Sima R. · Systematic Reviews (Springer), 13:45 · Global

An umbrella review and meta-analysis comparing prior reviews of diverse gardening interventions, including home, allotment, community, and therapeutic gardening. Synthesizing 40 studies, it finds a significant positive effect of gardening and horticultural therapy on well-being, quality of life, and health status.

Edwards F., Mercer H. · Local Environment (Taylor & Francis), 29(10) · Global

An ethnographic study of ShareWaste, an online community-composting platform in Sydney and Canberra that connects food-waste donors directly with households hosting compost heaps to divert waste from landfill. Drawing on environmental humanities and discard studies, it explores the relationships among people, soil, compost, and food waste and the community-building these practices foster.

Alessio Russo · Land Use Policy, 149, 107410 · Global

A conceptual paper extending the ecological-restoration paradigm of rewilding into urban and food contexts, arguing that multispecies-based 'urban rewilding' can simultaneously enhance climate resilience, biodiversity recovery, food-system robustness, water sensitivity and community participation. It also flags trade-offs such as green gentrification and land availability, opening new debate within productive green infrastructure.

Milestad R., de Jong A., Bustamante M. J., Molin E., Martin M., Malone Friedman C. · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global

A scoping review of sustainability assessments of commercial urban agriculture, finding that just under half address economic sustainability and frequently note difficult profitability, systematizing the evidence base for evaluating business-run urban farming.

Kwiringira J., Mohling E.W.P., Mathias A., Ariho P., Mugisha J., Zakumumpa H., Rujumba J., Tumwebaze I.K. · Agriculture & Food Security 13:53 · Uganda

This study analyzes urban agriculture in Kampala as a dynamic, evolved livelihood strategy attracting both the urban poor and other groups, contributing to job creation, poverty alleviation, and household food security.

Ezzeddin N., Kalantari N., Abdollahi M., Amiri P., Amini B., Zayeri F. · BMC Public Health 24:118 · Iran

Cross-sectional study of rural Iranian women in a homestead food production program. Nutritional knowledge and decision-making empowerment positively predicted dietary diversity, while household food insecurity predicted it negatively.

UNCCD, UN-Habitat · UNCCD & UN-Habitat · Global

A recent policy guide integrating urban-rural linkages from a land-management perspective, offering a governance framework across the three axes of land use, food and ecosystems.

Parot J., Wahlen S., Schryro J., Weckenbrock P. · Agriculture and Human Values, 41(2):685-699 · Global

Typologizes food justice in community supported agriculture into 'charitable' and 'emancipatory' support actions, analyzing differences in the motivations and effects of participating in urban-rural food networks and discussing CSA's social-transformation potential.