Research & reports

Siti Hadianti, Nurhasanah Nurhasanah, Teguh Prakoso, Hidayah Hidayah, Siti Hadianti · Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia

A community-service report on a community-based organic waste management program in Kurungkambing Village, Banten Province, Indonesia, aimed at improving environmental quality and supporting sustainable rural tourism. Despite the village's agricultural and tourism potential, unmanaged household and agricultural organic waste had been contributing to environmental degradation and limited community awareness of sustainable waste practices. Using a participatory, empowerment-oriented approach, the program was implemented in three stages: (1) community needs assessment and stakeholder consultation, (2) training and mentoring on composting and herbal plant cultivation, and (3) environmental improvement through school garden development and compost use. The program reported increased community awareness of organic waste management, improved practical composting skills, and active participation in greening activities involving residents and schools, as well as strengthened collaboration among the university, local government and community groups that contributed to cleaner public spaces and more sustainable village conditions.

Kulesh Bhandari · Open MIND · India

This first entry in a species documentation series on wild food forests in tribal Jharkhand, India, part of a Pollination Project-funded initiative, presents a field-based profile of Clerodendrum viscosum, a shrub of the Santhal Pargana uplands, recorded on a semi-open granite-laterite rise at 210 m elevation under conditions of 27°C, 30% relative humidity, a 15°C night low and wind gusts to about 35 kph. The profile documents microhabitat characteristics, morphology (bud, calyx, corolla, stamens), ethnobotanical use among Santhal-Paharia communities, and the species' ecological role as a pollinator-supporting, upland-stabilizing plant.

Asra Jabeen, Vaijanatha ., Kiran Lakshmikant Kadam, Kalyan . · International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development · India

A study in Medchal-Malkajgiri District, Telangana, India examined ICT utilization among urban farmers, the relationship between farmer profile characteristics and ICT use, farmers' attitudes toward ICT tools, and constraints on their use. It found smartphones, WhatsApp, YouTube and agricultural mobile applications were the commonly used information sources, with education, age, digital literacy, income and training exposure significantly influencing usage, while constraints including lack of technical knowledge, poor internet connectivity and inadequate training limited effective use of ICT tools.

K. C. Sahu · Open MIND · India

This study surveyed urban farmers in Bhubaneswar, a planned smart city in India, using direct-contact interviews and questionnaires. It covers forms of urban agriculture practiced according to building position, including rooftop gardens, balcony gardens, terrace gardens, vertical farming, Z-farming, aquaponics, hydroponics, and aeroponics. Data were collected from respondents through semi-structured interviews and tabulated for analysis. Regarding the distribution of family members involved in urban agriculture, the study found that female participation was greater than male participation.

Rakindra Putri Ardhini, Jasmine Tifani Claudia Arisayu, Ida Syamsu Roida, Adi Candra · Jurnal Abdi Masyarakat Indonesia · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This community outreach report describes a four-month support program for KWT Kedurus Asri, a women's farmer group operating an urban-agriculture-based production business in the Kedurus neighborhood of Surabaya, Indonesia, aimed at developing a visual identity (logo, color palette, typography), improving product packaging, and building digital marketing capacity through social media and online marketplaces. Methods included observation, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, participatory design workshops, and ongoing mentoring. The program reports that the group achieved a more cohesive brand identity, packaging meeting food labeling standards, and active social media accounts with planned promotional content, with sales volume increasing by 35% during the support period.

Fitri Mahyudi, Husinsyah, Yarna Hasiani · INSPIRASI JURNAL PENGABDIAN KEPADA MASYARAKAT · Indonesia

A community activity in Desa Sungai Batang, Martapura sub-district, Banjar regency, South Kalimantan, aimed at building a self-sufficient food village by integrating urban farming with budikdamber (catfish farming in buckets). The method used fieldwork, direct observation, and interviews. The resulting budikdamber setup could supply local residents with animal protein from self-managed cultivation, while a simultaneously applied aquaponic technique for growing water spinach (kangkung) produced a vegetable supply that could become a long-term source for residents.

Ivonne M. Leiwakabessy, Novalien Syauta, Lili Sarce Joi Sapari, Joni Penda, Denny Petta, Dormauli Br Gultom, Dwi Indah Widya Yanti, Melisa Masengi · Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat dan Riset Pendidikan · Indonesia

A community-service report from Pulau Soop, a small island in Indonesia, aimed at strengthening household food security by using home yards and plastic bottles as planting media in response to limited land and increasing plastic waste. Students at SMP Negeri 9 Pulau Soop were trained to convert plastic bottles into planting containers and to cultivate vegetables, gaining knowledge and practical skills in recycling, appropriate technology and simple cultivation methods. The program resulted in improved student understanding and active participation, and led to the establishment of a school mini garden as an urban farming model, supporting environmental education, reduced plastic waste, and yard-based food security in the small island community.

Wei-Chun Chuang, Ching‐Pin Tung, Wan-Yu Shih, Wen-Ray Su · 網際網路技術學刊 · China

This study examines the spatial equity and socio-spatial implications of urban agriculture by analysing the distribution of community gardens under Taipei's Garden City Program (TGCP) in relation to neighborhood-level income growth, using unsupervised machine learning (DBSCAN) combined with spatial statistics (Moran's I and LISA). It finds that garden service density is highly concentrated in central districts with significant service gaps in peripheral areas, while at the citywide scale no significant correlation is found between garden density and income growth -- consistent with the "just green enough" view that low-cost, small-scale, decentralized community gardens are less likely to trigger conventional green gentrification -- though several local areas do show potential spatial coupling between garden presence and income change, pointing to a need for policy attention to distributional equity.

Yus Alvar Saabighoot, Yusrafidin Yusrafidin, Rakhmini Juwita, Rizka Nurhalija, Rory Fitriani Larasati, Annisa Raudhatul Jannah, Lulu Ilma'nunah · Jurnal SOLMA · Indonesia

This case study examines a community-based program, "Waringin Sehat," delivered through an early childhood education center (PAUD Ibnu Umbara) in Waringin village, Indonesia, to address stunting and malnutrition in young children through a five-stage intervention combining education, participatory training and active mentoring. The program improved parents' and PAUD educators' understanding of balanced nutrition, equipped educators to integrate nutrition material into their curriculum, and formed active community learning groups that promoted use of local food through simple urban farming initiatives.

Dewi Ratna Nurhayati, Efi Nikmatu Sholihah, Andini Desi Sawitri · Jurnal Masyarakat Madani Indonesia · Indonesia

A community service (PkM) program in Gulon, RT 01/RW 19, Jebres sub-district, Surakarta, Indonesia, worked with residents facing limited yard space and low use of household space for food self-sufficiency, aiming to raise knowledge, attitudes and skills in fruit and ornamental plant urban farming. Methods comprised outreach sessions, hands-on planting training and participatory community mentoring. As a result, resident participation in yard use increased, with 17 participating households beginning to independently grow fruit and ornamental plants, and new planting habits formed that support household food resilience and environmental quality.

Pesi Suryani, Ratna Marta Dhewi, Vivi Oktari, Demi Primavera · Mejuajua Jurnal Pengabdian pada Masyarakat · Indonesia (Jakarta)

A 2026 community service program based at RPTRA Payung Tunas Teratai in Cipayung sub-district, Indonesia, sought to build resident capacity through technology-based urban farming. Key problems addressed were limited knowledge of modern agricultural technology, low urban farming literacy, and underuse of the RPTRA's function as an education center. Participatory training — including material delivery, hands-on hydroponic and aeroponic practice, group discussion and ongoing mentoring — improved participants' understanding and skills in urban farming techniques, with a harvest success rate exceeding 80% in the first cycle. The Edufarm area was put to use as a community learning center, and a small farmer group was formed to support the program's continuation.

Kadek Ayu Natalia, Kadek Wulandari Laksmi P · KAIBON ABHINAYA JURNAL PENGABDIAN MASYARAKAT · Indonesia (Bali)

A community-service report on a university KKN (Kuliah Kerja Nyata) program that taught urban farming at SD Negeri 04 Sesetan, an elementary school in Bali, Indonesia. Students used experiential learning, combining lessons on urban farming basics with hands-on planting practice using pots and polybags, and involved teachers to sustain the activity as an extracurricular or subject component in science and environmental education. Reported effects included increased environmental awareness, school food security, and economic potential from using the harvest.

Hedwig Ajeng Grahani · GeoEco · Indonesia

A 2024 systematic survey of 217 urban farming households in Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, used Stata 19 for hypothesis testing and SPSS 27 for descriptive statistics, running a multiple linear regression of net urban farming income against 22 variables covering sociodemographics, farm structure, input management, biotic stress and institutional support (R2 = 0.7448). Eleven variables had a significant effect, with farm size the most favorable factor, followed by financial support, seed subsidies and technical aid; gender and family size also showed positive effects. Crop type correlated negatively with income, and biotic stress — particularly pest type and severity — substantially reduced income, while training and market access were not statistically significant.

Abdullah Abdullah, Abdul Haris, Andi Wisneni, Annas Boceng, Maemuna Nontji, Anwar Robbo, Muhammad Munawir Syarif · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Indonesia (Makassar)

A study in Makassar City, Indonesia, evaluated the multidimensional sustainability of urban agriculture (UA) through expert discussions and semi-structured interviews with 23 purposively selected stakeholders including academics, practitioners, urban planners, legislators and government officials. A Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) approach compared sustainability indices from two previous studies, supplemented by prospective and interdependence analyses to identify key leverage factors. Results showed the overall sustainability status of UA in Makassar during 2016-2020 remained "less sustainable," with a multidimensional sustainability index of 43.02%; the ecological (51.84%) and technological (65.09%) dimensions improved to moderately sustainable status, while the economic (46.15%), social (49.81%) and institutional (39.20%) dimensions showed declining sustainability performance. The study proposes three policy directions: strengthening UA planning and management systems, improving institutional coordination among stakeholders, and expanding UA's socio-economic and environmental functions.

Kulesh Bhandari · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · India

In the Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand, India (the districts of Dumka, Godda, Sahebganj, Pakur, Jamtara and Deoghar), community surveys, field walks and ethnobotanical interviews with Santhal and other tribal communities documented 54 species of wild edible and medicinal plants. Each species is recorded with local names in Santali and Hindi, plant parts used and field observation notes, and classified as wild food, medicinal, or both. The work was carried out under the Wild Food Forests Tribal in Jharkhand project, supported by The Pollination Project (USA), and states that the region's ethnobotanical diversity remains underrepresented in formal scientific literature.

Wibowo Heru Prasetiyo, Dasim Budimansyah · jurnal pendidikan humaniora · Indonesia

A qualitative case study of the citizen gardening community Bandung Berkebun in Bandung, Indonesia, examined the development of environmentally conscious citizens through programs including urban farming, an urban farming school, street urban farming, and urban campus initiatives. Based on interviews, observation, and document study with community members, the community succeeded in intensifying urban farming as an environmentally conscious lifestyle in Bandung, and from a civic education standpoint this built civic virtue through participation in environmental conservation.

Dewi Ratna Nurhayati, Efi Nikmatu Sholihah, Siti Aulida Fajri, Andini Desi Sawitri · Jurnal Masyarakat Madani Indonesia · Indonesia

A one-month community-service program in Gulon RT 01 RW 19, Kelurahan Jebres, Surakarta, Indonesia, addressed underused home-yard land and limited vegetable-cultivation knowledge by delivering outreach, hands-on training and mentoring to 15 participants in growing bird's-eye chili using simple growing media. Participation, understanding and skills in productive use of yard land increased; most participants applied the techniques independently and reported healthy plant growth with harvest potential, and the activity was reported to reduce household spending and raise awareness of food security.

Sri Widayanti, Mirza Andrian Syah, Nia Amalia · Nusantara Science and Technology Proceedings · Indonesia (Surabaya)

A study examines factors influencing the sustainability of Gallus gallus domesticus (chicken) farming at Jago Karah Farm Community (JKF), one of the urban farming enterprises in Surabaya, Indonesia, which faces complex challenges including limited land and waste management issues, high feed costs and limited production capacity, members leaving the community, underused technology, and institutional aspects needing strengthening. Conducted in February-March 2025 using a saturated sample of all 30 farmer members of JKF, data were collected through field observations and questionnaire-based interviews and analyzed with multiple linear regression in SPSS. Results show that ecological, economic, social, technological and institutional factors simultaneously had a positive and significant effect on farm sustainability, with an explanatory contribution of 99.7%. Partially, the social factor had the greatest influence, followed by technology, institutions, economy and ecology.

Wiwin Yuliani, Novia Indah Lestari, Bayu Mahendra, Putri Wening Ratrinia, Lisa Astria Milasari · Abdibaraya Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia

A community service program in a residential area of Tasikmalaya, Indonesia, addressed accumulating household organic waste by training residents to convert kitchen waste into liquid organic fertilizer (LOF) at home. Thirty participants, housewives and environmental cadres, took part in situation analysis, socialization on the economic value of waste, technical training in LOF production, and assisted fermentation using an EM4 bioactivator, with knowledge and skills measured before and after. Participants' knowledge rose from 35% to 95%, technical skill from 10% to 85%, and awareness of waste's economic value from 20% to 90%, and participants reported being able to produce LOF independently to support small-scale urban farming on limited land.

Herlyna Novasari Siahaan, Dilma’aarij Agustia, Chairia · Jurnal Abadimas Adi Buana · Indonesia

A community-service report on post-disaster recovery in Suka Damai village, Serdang Bedagai Regency, Indonesia, following repeated flooding that reduced agricultural production, household income and community health. Using a participatory approach combining a Climate Field School (SLI), bucket-based fish farming (budikdamber), urban farming and ecoprint training, the program evaluated 30 farmers from the Gapoktan Mekar farmer group with pre- and post-tests. Average scores rose from 58.6 to 78.9, a 34.6% increase, indicating improved knowledge and skills in climate-adaptive farm management. Budikdamber and urban farming were reported to improve household food security, while ecoprint training opened new environmentally friendly business opportunities for the local PKK (family welfare) group.

Muslik Muslik · RIGGS Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Business · Indonesia

A qualitative case study analyzing the role of local community police officers (Bhabinkamtibmas) in a food-security program in Magersari District, Mojokerto City, Indonesia, and the factors affecting its effectiveness. Citing land-use conversion, high market dependence and low resident participation in productive activities like urban farming as challenges to urban food security, the study collected data through in-depth interviews with 25 informants (officers, ward staff, community figures, farmer groups and related agencies), participatory observation of patrol ("sambang") and FKPM community-security-forum activities, and document review, analyzed using the Miles, Huberman and Saldana interactive model. Results show Magersari's community police performed four mutually reinforcing roles: preventive-social (early detection of food-related conflict), partnership facilitation (mediating access to seeds and fertilizer), motivator/social-change agent (humanistic approach), and security/stabilization (monitoring distribution). Obstacles included structural factors (role conflict from dual demands and limited personnel), socio-cultural factors (low urban resident enthusiasm) and economic pressure from daily livelihoods, addressed through participatory dialogue-based patrols, optimizing FKPM, collaboration with community leaders and the PKK women's group, and use of social media (WhatsApp, Instagram). The study concludes the officers' role has shown concrete contributions but requires stronger institutional support and structured cross-sector coordination.

K. C. Sahu · International Journal of Latest Technology in Engineering Management & Applied Science · India

A study in Bhubaneswar, India — chosen because many farmers there grow vegetables on rooftops — analyzed the cost-benefit ratio of rooftop vegetable cultivation using compost, vermicompost, coco peat and organic fertilizers, combining experimental and survey methods. Its stated aim was to assess the economic benefits of rooftop vegetable growing for urban residents; the abstract gives no specific cost-benefit figures, stating only that urban residents can obtain fresh organic vegetables at marginal expense and that rising profit is said to increase the perception of rooftop farming among urban people.

Aprilia Martika, Amelia Sari, Disti Macela Putri, Misbahul Munir · International Journal of Economics and Management Research · Indonesia (Pangkalpinang)

A qualitative case study of Pangkalpinang City, Bangka Belitung, Indonesia, examining urban farming as an adaptive strategy addressing food insecurity and unemployment in an urban area with limited agricultural land. Data were gathered through participatory observation, in-depth interviews and documentation, and analyzed thematically and via SWOT analysis. In Parit Lalang, urban farming was found predominantly on small home gardens and vacant lots using hydroponic and traditional methods, with participants mainly productive-age residents and housewives. The practice increased household food availability, reduced living costs and generated additional income, improving local economic resilience, but the study also reports persistent challenges of limited technical skills, financial constraints and inconsistent government support. It concludes that strengthening training programs, improving financial access and developing subdistrict pilot projects are needed to sustain urban farming as a food-security and community-empowerment strategy.

Hyun-Kyung Kang, Byungsook Choi · Korean Journal of Human Ecology · South Korea

This study analyzed remodeling characteristics, physical conditions and operational models across 22 housing complexes in seven countries to propose directions for enhancing communal facilities in South Korean public rental housing. International examples emphasized creating spaces for social integration, establishing community-linked welfare hubs, and developing tailored functions for specific groups such as youth and the elderly. In physical configuration, well-being-related spaces such as walking trails and community gardens were the most frequent, appearing in 67 cases, indicating strong demand for health and quality-of-life improvements. Operational programs were found to support individual health and culture activities, family care, and resident-led community initiatives, often under a partially fee-based system with limited public access. The study concluded that improving domestic communal facilities requires incorporating multi-purpose flexible spaces at the initial planning stage, converting ground-floor areas into accessible community hubs, activating underused spaces such as rooftops and corridors, and specializing welfare functions through integrated elderly healthcare and communal childcare facilities.

Budi Hartono, Axel Giovanni, Muchammad Khusni Wafa, Mu'alfad Zulfikar Purwanto, Mirna Harsono · COMMUNITY Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat · Indonesia

This is a community engagement program, not an outcomes study, aimed at micro-enterprises in food security and urban farming in Indonesia that face limited business management capacity, scarce resources, and insufficient technical knowledge. Partnering with Fita Farm for its expertise in integrated agriculture, the program delivers training, hands-on mentoring, and continuous evaluation toward goals of improved business management, increased income, and greater resilience, but the abstract does not report achieved results.