Research & reports

Alessandra Pavesi, Denise de Freitas, Bárbara Pacheco Lopes · · Global

This paper reaffirms the importance of community horticulture as a tool for learning scientific and political skills essential for building sustainable and resilient Socioecological Systems (SES). It explores concepts from (Agro)Ecology and Education, reframing community and school gardens from a contextualized perspective to strengthen adaptive capacity and enable systems to respond to disruptions.

Jana Adamková · Brno University of Technology Digital Library (Brno University of Technology) · Global

This article discusses how productive gardens, historically integral to cities, have been disappearing from urban structures in recent years. As urban agglomerations and their resource uses become dominant, cities increasingly depend on external food supplies. The article highlights the importance of gardens for humans and the role of productive urban space in creating a viable urban environment. It states that as the world urbanizes, urban agriculture plays an important role in contributing to the sustainability of cities in spatial, socio-economic, and environmental ways.

Adrian Atkinson · City · Global

This paper analyzes the background to the rapid growth of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) globally over the past three decades. It notes that while food security is a primary consideration in many cities, UPA initiatives are driven by many other concerns, motivations, starting points, and organizational means.

Stephan Barthel, John N. Parker, Henrik Ernstson · Urban Studies · Global

This article examined the role of urban gardens during historical collapses in urban food supply lines and identified social processes needed to protect open green spaces and the collective memory of food production during crises. Over the past 50 years, urban dependence on global food systems has increased, eroding collective memory of food production and losing suitable urban gardening spaces, heightening the potential for food shortages during crises. Urban gardening is effective during crises, and allotment gardens transmit social-ecological memories of food production. Urban environmental movements protect urban green space, and urban gardening and social movements can build local response capacity against food supply collapses.

Xiao Di Li, Wei Hu, Xiao Yang · Applied Mechanics and Materials · Global

This research aims to create intelligent ecological residential buildings with small, limited agricultural rooms for city residents, fulfilling their psychological desire for nature, eco-protection, work-life balance, and a residential agronomic garden. Through logical reasoning, it was found that rapid social, political, technological, and economic development sufficiently supports the realization of intelligent eco-building ideas for urban agriculture. This is expected to initiate social concerns and further research on urban intelligent ecological agricultural buildings.

Sara Fattahi · · Iran (Shiraz)

Focusing on Shiraz City, Iran, rooftop gardens were examined as an example of incorporating passive, eco-friendly technology for sustainable development. Rooftop gardens are stated to help mitigate negative environmental impacts by conserving energy and water, improving air and water quality, assisting in storm water management, absorbing solar radiation, becoming a source of local food production, providing habitat restoration, and creating natural retreats.

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.

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.

Pian Pian Wang, John G. Nevius · Environmental Claims Journal · Global

This article discusses the role of insurance in promoting urban agriculture, which is increasingly important due to population density and climate change. It suggests that insurance, public policy, and land use law must be combined with financial support to help urban agricultural initiatives flourish. The article proposes adjusting existing insurance, establishing local programs, and incorporating risk analysis into urban land use planning to encourage urban agriculture.

Danfeng Huang · Journal of Changjiang Vegetables · Global

This paper discussed the importance of intensive vegetable production in urban agriculture, highlighting its role in guaranteeing the supply, quality, and safety of fresh vegetables. It summarized key aspects of intensive production, including industrialized seedling production, facility production, efficient cultivation, postharvest processing, and commercial management, but also presented environmental problems and restricting factors in the development of intensive vegetable production.

Michael R. Hoadley · Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) · Global

A talk by Michael Hoadley, founder of Chicago firm Fewzion, discussed challenges in vertical farming and controlled environment agriculture. The presentation emphasized the importance of framing discussions within the context of economically self-sustainable models, free of dependence on policy subsidy and philanthropy. This highlights concerns about policymakers' over-zealous view of urban agriculture as a panacea for social ills.

Patrick F. Banga · · Zimbabwe

Unsanctioned urban agricultural activities in Emakhandeni High Density Suburb of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, negatively impact biodiversity. Researchers interviewed 100 people and conducted field visits, finding that the majority of cultivators operate outside existing laws and guidelines. This leads to progressive land degradation, massive deforestation, soil erosion, dried wetlands, lowered water table, and compromised groundwater quality due to pesticides and inorganic fertilizers.

Juan Miguel Moreno Alvarez · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Cuba (Ciudad de La Habana)

This doctoral thesis aimed to establish a system of urban soil quality indicators for Havana, Cuba, under different land-use scenarios (agricultural, parks/gardens, wooded areas, idle/underutilized spaces). Researchers selected 35 urban soils in Havana, described their morphological profiles, and determined physical, chemical, and biological properties. Eight variables were selected as soil quality indicators using principal component analysis, and a soil quality index, including one for heavy metals, was defined and evaluated for different uses. The studied soils, heavily affected by human activity, were classified as Urbic or Garbic Technosols and showed high heterogeneity in properties.

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.

Marc van lersel · · Global

Agriculture faces the 21st-century challenge of feeding a growing, urbanizing population while minimizing negative environmental impact. Urban farming has been presented as a potential solution to perceived problems with conventional agricultural production, but its effectiveness as a comprehensive solution is questioned.

Xuejun Chen · Ziran zaihai xuebao · Global

Introducing disaster-chain theory for mine ecological environments, this paper classifies the secondary ecological-environment destruction chains originating from ground collapse — affecting land, climate, water and artificial ecological environments — into five types, and further divides their interaction mechanisms into seven kinds across four classes. At the Siding lead-zinc mine, 280 collapse pits were brought under control based on ecological restoration and reorganized into landscape ecological function areas comprising urban agriculture and economic forest zones, restoring farmland and 8.47 hectares of forest land. The results indicate the proposed disaster-chain analysis is feasible and could offer a new approach for controlling ground collapse in mining areas.

Chen Yu, Wong Nyuk Hien · Advances in Building Energy Research · Global

This chapter reviews worldwide research on urban greenery, discussing three main types: public green areas, rooftop gardens, and vertical landscaping. It examines these from both a systematic and thermal benefit perspective. The chapter provides general guidelines for strategic landscaping in cities to mitigate environmental issues.

Sylvestre Dasylva · Journal of environmental science & engineering · Senegal (Dakar)

This paper discusses rainwater management in the "niayes" zone of Dakar, Senegal. This area is characterized by agricultural depressions with typically high groundwater levels, but a recent drop has turned some into runoff-gathering sites, used for urban agriculture among other services. However, two acute problems are observed: hydrological drying due to insufficient rainwater refill and urbanization of these bottom-lands. Furthermore, decreasing pluviometry exacerbates nuisances like floods and malaria.

· · Global

This paper discusses the unsustainable uni-directional flow of food and nutrients from rural areas to cities, which are then discharged as waste, causing pollution and nutrient depletion. Citing historical examples from Rome and London, and contemporary observations of sewage plumes in coastal cities worldwide, it highlights how valuable nutrients are lost to the sea. The paper argues that creating sustainable cities requires re-evaluating nutrient flows between urban and rural areas and understanding urban metabolism.

Brian R. Stockwell, I. Layden, Zebedee Nicholls, Jennifer Carter · Australasian Journal of Environmental Management · Australia

A four-year action research project in Australia's Pumicestone catchment developed and implemented the FarmFLOW framework to address rural diffuse pollution in peri-urban agricultural catchments. This framework was designed for catchments with diverse land uses. The project achieved its target of 30% of producers adopting all recommended best management practices, and over 80% began adopting new practices to reduce off-site nutrient movement by 2011. This resulted in social and economic benefits for producers and a reduced risk of chronic algal blooms in receiving waters.

Sersnova Sersnova · · Latvia (Riga)

This study concerns small-scale urban agriculture and the transformation of family gardens in Riga, Latvia. Urban agriculture has gained recognition globally in recent decades due to its economic, social, cultural, and environmental benefits.

Raul Alberto Marino Zamudio · · Global

Global cities are major consumers of resources, and their uncontrolled expansion blurs rural-urban boundaries, impacting agricultural production essential for food security. This article examines the causes of the global food crisis and proposes strategies for cities and communities to achieve food security and environmental sustainability. These strategies involve urban agriculture in various forms and scales, and the management of urban solid waste for fertilizer and renewable energy production.

Christoph Kasper, Undine Giseke, Silvia Martin Han · · Morocco

As part of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research's "Future Megacities" research program, the Urban Agriculture Casablanca (UAC) project investigates the extent to which urban agriculture can contribute to sustainable city design. This project aims to integrate the provision of open space within integrated and sustainable urban growth in Casablanca, Morocco. Based on an action research approach, integrated case studies in peri-urban spaces and four pilot projects were implemented, identifying synergy potentials between the city and agriculture in connection with other relevant sectors of the social and economic system.

Raúl Puente-Asuero · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This chapter provides a critical and propositional analysis of the integration of agricultural production into contemporary urban metabolism. It positions urban agriculture as a strategic green infrastructure capable of mitigating the dysfunctions of the diffuse city model. The text analyzes how urban agriculture acts as a mechanism for urban resilience, allowing the city to recover lost ecosystem functions, improve social cohesion, and reduce its ecological footprint through food sovereignty and on-site organic waste management.