Research & reports

Xiomara Asunción, Moreno Lorenzo, Reynier Rodríguez Rico, Eduardo San, Marful Orbis · · Cuba (Cienfuegos)

This study aimed to characterize urban agriculture in Cienfuegos city, Cuba, and identify strategic axes for the further implementation of its land use and urban plan. Through SWOT analysis and variable identification and spatial analysis using GIS, the positive and negative impacts of urban agriculture on the urban, environmental, economic, and social spheres were determined, leading to the enunciation of strategic priorities for urban planning. This article reports on this experience.

Marzieh Rezaei Qaleh, Hossein Medi, Mahdi Sheybani · Cumhuriyet Science Journal · Iran (Qazvin City)

This study investigated the role of urban agriculture in sustaining the urban environment, using Qazvin City, Iran, as a case study. Qazvin City, historically surrounded by traditional gardens that created a favorable urban environment, is now experiencing the destruction of these garden environments due to development processes, posing a risk of breaking the chain of environmental sustainability. The research, based on content analysis through observation and document study, proposed solutions considering environmental concerns, including preserving old irrigation methods, restoring native plant species, and focusing on existing water resources.

Misha Leong, Lauren C. Ponisio, Claire Kremen, Robbin W. Thorp, George Roderick · Global Change Biology · Global

This study investigated the impact of human-altered landscapes on the seasonal patterns of bee communities, using three years of data on the spatio-temporal distributions of 91 bee species in urban, agricultural, and natural landscapes. Seasonal patterns of abundance and species richness in human-altered landscapes varied significantly less compared to natural habitats, where floral resources are relatively scarce in the dry summer months. These findings demonstrate that anthropogenic environmental changes in urban and agricultural systems, mediated through changes in plant resources and water inputs, can alter the temporal dynamics of bee pollinators.

Mohd Yazid Mohd Yunos, Neda Jafari, Utaberta Nangkula, Nor Atiah Ismail, Sumarni Ismail, Nastaran Jafari · · Malaysia

This study examined high-rise building residents' preferences for rooftop gardens to promote urban agriculture in condominiums in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia. A quantitative survey questionnaire revealed that most participants showed a positive correlation with having a rooftop garden in their living area. Rooftop gardens were found to reduce environmental problems and contribute to microclimate improvement.

Susmita Dasgupta, Asif Zaman, Subhendu Roy, Mainul Huq, Sarwar Jahan, Ainun Nishat · · Bangladesh (Dhaka)

A study on flood mitigation in Dhaka explored complementary measures to existing drainage systems and discussed institutional, technical, and financial challenges to their implementation. A commonly acknowledged challenge for Dhaka is the lack of coordination among agencies, exacerbated by scarce resources and unplanned development. Clogging of stormwater drains with solid waste was identified as a primary reason for frequent localized flooding, and issues with khals (canals) regarding water flow, encroachment, and walkways were also noted.

Ana Lucrecia Nadal Fuentes · Temes de disseny · Global

This article discusses the historical relationship between cities and agriculture, noting that while agriculture was central to ancient civilizations, it was excluded from modern 20th-century urban plans. The study highlights that current and projected demographic growth in urban areas has increased the value of urban agriculture.

Pay Drechsel, Keraita, Bernard N. · CGSPace A Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) · Global

A CGIAR (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) perspective piece on food and water challenges at the urban-rural interface amid global urbanization. It states that in low-income countries, investments in waste management and sanitation are not keeping pace with population growth, so the urban "return flow" of waste is not adequately managed. Where polluted water is used for irrigation to feed cities, food safety becomes a crucial component of food security. The piece explicitly states that urban and peri-urban farming systems — often run by the informal sector — are the systems most affected by this resource competition and pollution. It describes CGIAR's Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) research program as working at the interface of agriculture and sanitation to address these urbanization-related challenges and opportunities.

Shoujun Chen, Nikolay Popov · Unitec Research Bank (Unitec Institute of Technology) · Global

This 2015 paper, addressing projected population growth in Auckland, New Zealand, surveys planning concepts for peri-urban agricultural development. It notes that while Auckland is the country's largest customer of food markets, its fossil-fuel-based agricultural system is vulnerable to urban growth and climate change. The paper reviews various peri-urban agriculture planning concepts and evaluates their applicability to a specific site, the Special Housing Areas (SHAs) in Belmont.

Gabriela Civeira Hermida · · Argentina

Peri-urban agroforestry — combining agricultural and forestry species on small urban plots — was evaluated for its potential to sequester carbon and produce electrical and thermal energy at the municipal level across the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA), Argentina. Carbon sequestration was estimated between 200 and 400,000 tonnes per year, thermal energy between 0.5 and 200 MJ depending on the hectares in each municipality, and electrical energy between 10 and 15,000 kW, leading to the conclusion that agroforestry can generate jobs, food, and bioenergy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Andreas Wesener · Journal of Urbanism International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability · New Zealand

In Christchurch, New Zealand — struck by a series of major earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 — community gardens, urban agriculture, art installations, event venues, cafés and pocket parks emerged as temporary uses on vacant post-earthquake sites. Through a review and analysis of exemplary transitional community-initiated open spaces alongside related literature, this paper examines how the post-disaster urban context shaped particular aspects of temporary urbanism compared with case studies in non-disaster settings. Focusing on the anticipated benefits of community-initiated open spaces, it discusses their relevance to urban sustainability in relation to community resilience, while raising unresolved questions about their possible long-term value.

Municipality of Milan · Milan Urban Food Policy Pact · Global

The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP), launched by the Municipality of Milan in 2015, is an international agreement among cities to develop sustainable, inclusive, resilient and diverse food systems. According to the official site, 330 cities have signed the pact, covering an estimated 550 million residents.

Anne Thebo, Pay Drechsel, Éric F. Lambin · Environmental Research Letters · Global

This study used spatial overlay analysis of global cropland and urban extent data to estimate the global area of urban and peri-urban irrigated and rainfed croplands. Urban irrigated croplands were estimated at approximately 24 Mha (11.0% of all irrigated croplands) with a cropping intensity of 1.48. Urban rainfed croplands were estimated at about 44 Mha (4.7% of all rainfed croplands) with a cropping intensity of 1.03. Additionally, 60% of all irrigated croplands and 35% of all rainfed croplands were found within 20 km of urban extents.

Carey Clouse · · Cuba (Havana)

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Cuba developed a significant urban agriculture initiative. By 1998, Havana alone had over 8,000 urban farms, producing nearly half of the country's vegetables. This grassroots effort evolved into the largest sustainable agriculture program, establishing Cuba as a world leader in urban farming.

Long Cheng-zh · Guangdong nongye kexue · Global

This article, based on comprehensive literature research, proposes a framework for an urban agriculture strategic development plan. The framework is rooted in customer value theory, focusing on modern industry competition and strategic theory. It suggests that the strategic approach for urban agriculture should fully activate the entrepreneurial spirit of market participants while maintaining its quasi-public product attributes.

Melissa Nursey‐Bray, ELEANOR PARNELL, Rachel A. Ankeny, Heather Bray, Dianne Rudd · South Australian Geographical Journal · Australia (Adelaide)

This paper discusses the role of community gardens in enhancing community resilience, using a case study in Adelaide, South Australia. The study concludes that community gardens offer the possibility of building community resilience and social cohesion, in addition to providing urban green space, amidst increasing challenges from urbanization, pollution, and climate change.

S.J.E. Verzandvoort, G. Mol, Suzanne van der Meulen, Niels van Oostrom · Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) · Global

This literature review collected knowledge on the potential benefits of urban agriculture within local food systems for climate change mitigation and adaptation. It found that the effects of urban agriculture depend on the specific agricultural practice and the difference from previous land use. Certain types of urban agriculture can alter the urban environment, influencing climate adaptation or contributing to mitigation through lower energy inputs.

Benjamin Goldstein, Morten Birkved, Michael Zwicky Hauschild, John Fernández · · Global

The supply chain supporting urban food consumption currently stresses the environment at planetary, regional, and local scales. Urban agriculture (UA) is claimed to mitigate environmental burdens from urban food needs, but the veracity of these claims remains inconclusive. This study addressed the lack of meaningful systematics by developing a system that categorizes UA into five broad types, optimized for comparing environmental performance.

Gilberto Javier Cabrera Trimñio · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Cuba (Havana)

In Cuba, urban agriculture is viewed as a movement to produce food in available urban spaces using local resources under sustainable ecological principles. While large cities like Havana cannot achieve food self-sufficiency, implementing agricultural programs there can foster an understanding of the population-environment-development relationship, which is crucial for public policies addressing environmental vulnerability and climate change impacts.

Katja Rothe · Scholarworks (University of Massachusetts Amherst) · Global

This article examines permaculture design, developed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, not only as an application of systems theory but also as a form of figurative, ecological reasoning. Permaculture challenges the division between theory and practice, or rationality and sensibility, inextricably linking these modes of knowledge in explorations of patterns. Specifically, it describes permaculture design thought through three aspects: visual thinking in patterns, the role of radical imagination and speculation, and systems theory thought drawing from the Gaia hypothesis.

Michael Classens · UnderCurrents Journal of Critical Environmental Studies · Global

This is a review of Lorraine Johnson's book "City Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing" by Michael Classens. Johnson argues that small-scale 'city farmers' are the vanguard of an emerging transformation of the contemporary food system, despite urban farming being more prefigurative than productive in aggregate. The book reveals the potential in interstitial urban spaces for food production and urges a reimagining of our relationship to cities as farms.

한주형, 장동민 · · Global

This study aimed to propose sustainable development directions for urban agriculture by analyzing its theories, paradigms, and types. It classified urban agriculture definitions into five types, identified four similar concepts, and defined sustainable urban agriculture theory using four keywords: eco-environmentalism, human socialism, high-tech, and capital economy. The study also derived 16 development types for urban agriculture, suggesting its evolution into a "new 6th industry" through a feedback linkage from primary to fifth industries.

Maurizio Bergamaschi, Marco Castrignanò, Alessandra Landi · Journal of Nutritional Ecology and Food Research · Global

This paper examines community vegetable gardens and Transition Towns initiatives. It finds that these experiences contribute to sustainable urban development, improve environmental health and quality of life, reshape urban image and morphology, and enhance cities as forms of social cohesion.

Anna Eugenia Alsobrook · · Senegal

This in-progress assessment investigates the Great Green Wall (GGW) reafforestation project in north-central Senegal, which aims to restore degraded land and improve local lives. Using field experiences, interviews, and observations, the study found that young GGW trees decreased land-surface temperatures and solar radiation, improving environmental conditions. While gardening and economic components showed positive village-level impacts, problems with water and grazing areas led to negative perspectives from stakeholders.

Mark Matsa, Beauty Dzawanda · · Zimbabwe

This study assessed the performance of Caritas-initiated and sponsored community gardens in Chaka ward, Chirumanzu District, Zimbabwe, during and after the sponsors' regime. Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews, and direct observations, and analyzed with descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results showed that the gardens flourished during Caritas's presence but quickly shrank and folded after the NGO's departure, indicating a lack of sustainability.

古月 · 新农业 · Global

This paper describes urban agriculture using the popular 2013 term "gaodashang" (high-end, atmospheric, and classy). Urban agriculture is an industry in urbanized areas that utilizes pastoral landscapes, natural ecology, and environmental resources, combining agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery production, agricultural business activities, rural culture, and rural life. It provides places for people to engage in leisure tourism, experience agriculture, and understand rural areas, integrating the three functions of agricultural production, life, and ecology.