Research & reports

Jamie Matthews, Akhtar-Khavari Afshin · Journal of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University · Global

This paper argues that as land values rise with increasing population density, legally established practice has pushed agriculture out of the urban environment, leaving cities dependent on regional and industrial agriculture, with urban agriculture practiced mainly in developing countries as a defense against hunger and malnutrition or as poverty alleviation. It contends that urban agriculture can contribute to environmental recovery in the Anthropocene, on the premise that existing conservation and protection strategies should not be assumed to be sufficient on their own, without presenting empirical measurements.

Brenda B. Lin, Monika Egerer, Alessandro Ossola · Frontiers in Built Environment · Global

This review examines how urban gardens might counter the ratcheting-down of everyday nature experience caused by urban green-space loss, by fostering biophilia. It outlines three pathways: exposure to diverse plants, animals and soils; understanding of natural processes tied to food production such as climate, pest control and pollination; and provision of a safe space for physical interaction with nature, and presents examples of urban gardens to illustrate biophilic design.

Bertrand Festus Nero, Nana Afranaa Kwapong, Raymond Jatta, Oluwole Fatunbi · Sustainability · Ghana

Combining interviews with 105 respondents in six neighborhoods and vegetation surveys of over 200 plots (100 sq m each) across five land use types, this study examined the composition, diversity, and socioeconomic contributions of Accra's urban forest and food trees in Ghana. Of 70 woody species found in Accra, 22 have edible parts (leaves, fruits, flowers, etc.), food trees make up about half of all trees counted, and species richness and abundance differed significantly by land use type (p<0.0001) and neighborhood type (p<0.0001), with diversity of food-bearing species much higher in poorer neighborhoods than wealthier ones — while respondents in wealthier neighborhoods rated overall tree and food-tree cover as low and showed greater interest in cultivating food (fruit) trees and expanding forest cover than those in poorer neighborhoods.

Yun-Cheol Nam · Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering · South Korea

A case study of the development process and community life of the Sanneoul eco-village in South Korea, created to welcome urban dwellers choosing to return to rural life and to help prevent rural depopulation. Nearly fifty community meetings were held by residents during construction. Public funds covered most basic construction costs, with residents paying only for property, land and buildings. The village includes rainwater recycling, grass blocks, rooftop gardens, an ecological sewage plant, solar heating, a pellet boiler, a fireplace and ondol floor heating, and residents actively participate in recycling garbage, food waste and human waste; the study reports residents are content with the village's eco-friendly features.

Dalmiro Cazorla-Perfetti, Pedro Morales-Moreno · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global

A short report records female broad mites, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks, 1909), attached to the legs and/or thorax of adult whiteflies, Bemisia tabaci sensu lato, collected from sweet pepper (Capsicum spp.) and eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) plants grown in compost at a dwelling in the city of Coro, Falcón State, Venezuela. It suggests the symbiotic association between P. latus and the whitefly may be phoretic.

Ebrahiem Babiker, Stephen Stringer, Hamidou F. Sakhanokho, John J. Adamczyk, Arlen D. Draper · HortScience · United States

'Muffin Man' is described as a new public-domain, edible ornamental cultivar of rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum), a species commercially important in the southeastern United States for its tolerance of common biotic and abiotic stresses, developed amid growing interest in edible landscaping as an alternative to conventional ornamental landscapes. The abstract text is truncated and provides no further cultivar details.

Chatura Vaidya, Kaleigh Fisher, John Vandermeer · Sustainability · United States

A study placed experimental bumblebee nests at 10 sites (nine of them community gardens) across an urbanization gradient (0-99% urbanization) in the United States to assess the effects of urbanization on colony development and reproductive success. Reproductive success and colony size were positively correlated with the nests' cumulative weight gain (p < 0.05), but the degree of urbanization had no significant effect on population growth rate or forager activity (p > 0.05). Growth rate was strongly negatively affected by the abundance of wax moth larvae (p < 0.05) and positively correlated with parasite diversity (p < 0.05) and the number of foragers entering the nest (p < 0.01). The study concludes that both bottom-up and top-down effects are equally important for pollinator population dynamics.

Horta das Corujas · Horta das Corujas (blog oficial) · Brazil

The official blog of Horta das Corujas, a volunteer-run community garden on Praça das Corujas in the Vila Beatriz neighborhood of São Paulo. Opened on September 29, 2012, the roughly 800 m² garden practices agroecological vegetable and herb cultivation, restores a local spring, keeps bees, and hosts school environmental-education visits. It operates without formal permits, run by volunteers, with about 10-15 people regularly active.

· 国土交通省都市局 · Japan

National materials on the Special Productive Greenland system created by the 2017 Productive Greenland Law amendment to address the '2022 problem,' extending buy-out timing and tax benefits by ten-year renewable periods; about 89% (8,282 ha) had been designated as of end-2022.

· 参議院常任委員会調査室『立法と調査』No.394 · Japan

Legislative analysis by the House of Councillors research office, organizing the regulatory framework for urban farmland (productive greenland, taxation, leasing) and examining the rationale and issues behind the 2018 lease law in light of the 2022 problem.

Alessio Russo, Francisco J. Escobedo, Giuseppe T. Cirella, Stefan Zerbe · Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 242, 53-66 · Global

A foundational paper proposing and reviewing the concept of Edible Green Infrastructure (EGI), addressing the neglect of provisioning (food) ecosystem services in green infrastructure planning that has emphasized regulating and cultural services. It frames allotment gardens, rooftop gardens, edible landscapes and urban forests as a multifunctional green network that, with best management practices to minimize disservices, can enhance food security and urban resilience.

Brenda B. Lin, Stacy M. Philpott, Shalene Jha, Heidi Liere · Greening Cities (Advances in 21st Century Human Settlements), Springer, 155-179 · Global

A book chapter framing urban agriculture—community farms, rooftop gardens, edible landscaping and urban orchards—as 'productive green infrastructure' supplying high biodiversity and diverse ecosystem services. It synthesizes both ecosystem services (pollination, biological pest control) and social benefits (food and nutrition, cultural and recreational value) that this green infrastructure delivers to cities.

Turreira-García N., Vilkamaa A. M., Byg A. · Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society · Thailand

Documents 55 leafy vegetable species (32 families) in Chiang Mai fresh markets and assesses, via interviews with sellers, residents, and traditional practitioners, how diversity, use, and knowledge persist amid urbanisation.

Tieman D., Zhu G., Resende M.F.R., Lin T., Nguyen C., Bies D., Rambla J.L., Beltran K.S.O., Taylor M., Zhang B., Ikeda H., Liu Z., Fisher J., Zemach I., Monforte A., Zamir D., Granell A., Kirst M., Huang S., Klee H. · Science 355(6323):391-394 · Global

Quantified flavor chemicals across 398 modern, heirloom, and wild tomato accessions and linked them to consumer liking. Shows modern cultivars lost allelic diversity governing sugars, acids, and volatiles, explaining reduced flavor versus heirlooms.

de St. Maurice G. · Food, Culture & Society 20(2) · Japan

Examines how Kyoto's Shishigatani heirloom squash, though considered not delicious, persists as culinary heritage through cultural embeddedness, temple rituals, and distinctive form, showing heritage value beyond flavor.

Plieninger T., Kohsaka R., Bieling C., Hashimoto S., Kamiyama C., Kizos T., Penker M., Kieninger P., Shaw B.J., Sioen G.B., Yoshida Y., Saito O. · Sustainability Science (Springer) · Japan

A 'solution scan' comparing place-based food networks (teikei, direct sales, farmers' markets) in Europe and Japan, systematizing how urban-rural food connection contributes to maintaining biocultural diversity.

Guzman C. · Sustainable Landscape Planning in Selected Urban Regions (Springer, Tokyo) · Philippines (Metro Manila)

This book chapter reviews urban agriculture initiatives, practices, and impacts in the Philippines, using Metro Manila vegetable production and peri-urban jasmine cultivation as case studies. It highlights employment and income benefits while identifying land-use competition and lack of clear policy as major threats to continued urban farming.

Hagolani-Albov S.E. · Focus on Geography, Vol. 60, No. 1 · Finland (Helsinki)

This photographic study documents four forms of urban agriculture in Helsinki — colony allotments, market gardens, box gardening, and community-supported agriculture — tracing over a century of practice and illustrating how urban farming is spatially and institutionally embedded in the city.

Hall D.M., Camilo G.R., Tonietto R.K., Ollerton J., Ahrné K., Arduser M., Ascher J.S., Baldock K.C.R., Fowler R., Frankie G., Goulson D., Gunnarsson B., Hanley M.E., Jackson J.I., Langellotto G., Lowenstein D., Minor E.S., Philpott S.M., Potts S.G., Sirohi M.H., Spevak E.M., Stone G.N., Threlfall C.G. · Conservation Biology, 31(1):24-29 · Global

A review by an international team arguing that, as pollinators decline globally under agricultural intensification and pesticide use, cities can serve as important refuges for insect pollinators including native bees. It highlights the conservation value of designing and managing urban green spaces such as gardens and community plots for pollinators, framing citizen urban agriculture as a contributor to biodiversity conservation.

Tammy E. Parece, James B. Campbell · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States

This study used the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from U.S. Landsat 5, 7, and 8 satellites to assess the environmental impact of urban community gardens across three eastern U.S. cities—Roanoke, VA; Pittsburgh, PA; and Buffalo, NY—over the 2007–2015 growing seasons. It reports that establishing community gardens altered seasonal NDVI trajectories, sometimes declining initially but then increasing over time, revealing the vigorous vegetative character of urban agriculture.

Cabral I., Keim J., Engelmann R., Kraemer R., Siebert J., Bonn A. · Urban Forestry & Urban Greening · Germany (Leipzig)

Assessed ecosystem services such as climate and water regulation and habitat provision across 30 allotment plots and adjacent community gardens in Leipzig, finding highest plant species richness in medium-intensity managed plots.

Jennifer Wilhelm, Richard G. Smith · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · Global

This 2017 global review analyzed 320 peer-reviewed papers on urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) published between 2000 and 2014, focusing on UPA's impact on ecosystem services (ES) and land sparing potential. The review found that while UPA research is growing, few studies (n=15) place UPA in the context of ES, and no studies explicitly quantify its land sparing potential. Additionally, few studies (n=19) quantify UPA's production potential, indicating a significant data gap.

Amélie Robert, Jean Louis Yengué · Environment and Ecology Research · France

This case study investigated the Bergeonnerie allotments in Tours, France, through in situ observations, user surveys, and interviews with municipal stakeholders. It found that these allotments provide not only provisioning services like food but also cultural ecosystem services, serving as a source of well-being for gardeners and a place for walking, sociability, and education for other people. Municipal stakeholders confirmed these broader benefits, indicating allotments offer more than just vegetable cultivation.

Attila Tóth, Axel Timpe · Moravian Geographical Reports · Europe

This paper presents and discusses the application of figure-ground plans combined with complex land-use maps as a tool for spatial analysis of urban agriculture in European cities and their multifunctional green infrastructure, using 'Urban Atlas' data. Urban fabric, agriculture, and non-agricultural open spaces were analyzed and compared in selected cities and metropolitan areas, including Dublin, Ruhr Metropolis, Geneva, and Sofia. The results reveal the scale and land-use diversity of metropolitan regions and different spatial patterns of urban agriculture at both regional and central urban levels.

Brenda B. Lin, Monika Egerer · · Global

Urban agriculture, the production of food and livestock in urban areas, is a key component of urban green infrastructure, supported for food security and biodiversity enhancement. While habitat management in urban agriculture aids local biodiversity and food production, the effect of native plants on beneficial insects and ecosystem function is debatable. Declines in urban bees are likely linked to increased impervious cover, which reduces habitat and restricts bee movement.