Research & reports

Stephen Fox · Entropy · Global

This paper aims to extend the theory of synchronous generative development, which balances human and environmental well-being, towards practical application in sustainable development projects. The theory is extended by referencing research on multilevel pragmatics, competing signals, commitment processes, technological mediation, and psychomotor functioning, and is related to human-driven biosocial-technical innovation through the example of digital twins for agroecological urban farming. However, practical examples in the paper suggest that counterproductive complexity can arise from situated entropy amidst biosocial-technical innovations, even when compatible with synchronous generative development.

Ilyas Renreng, Luther Sule ., Andi Mangkau ., Zuryati Djafar, Nasruddin Azis ., Muhammad Syahid, Fauzan Fauzan, Abir Sakka, Arfandy · JURNAL TEPAT Applied Technology Journal for Community Engagement and Services · Indonesia

This paper introduces Smart Hydroponics, an automatic solar-energy-based system, as a solution for urban farming in Bontomarannu, Gowa Regency, Indonesia. The local community faces limited knowledge of utilizing narrow land for hydroponics, and while Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) hydroponics is efficient, its high operational costs (e.g., pump electricity) and complex maintenance are barriers. The Smart Hydroponics technology aims to enable modern, small-scale home cultivation with automation and energy independence.

Tamer El Gabaly, Rasha Abd el-Lateef · Journal of Engineering Research - Egypt/Journal of Engineering Research · Global

This paper explores a new theory of sustainable architectural design, termed "Breathing Architecture," in the context of reducing fuel consumption and adapting to climate change. It uses a qualitative research methodology, including data collection, data analysis, theoretical analysis, and analytical case studies, integrating green technologies and sustainability. The aim is to develop a new architectural language based on dynamic relationships among materials, structures, and spatial ideas, with empirical application and study.

Anne-Louise Fritz, Ramia Jannoura, René Beuschel, Christoph Steiner, Andreas Buerkert, Rainer Georg Joergensen · Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture · Africa

This 2-year study in semi-arid Ouagadougou and sub-humid Tamale, West Africa, measured the effects of biochar and N fertilization on soil microbial biomass carbon, fungal ergosterol, and functional diversity. Sole biochar addition did not affect soil chemical or biological properties, but biochar with N fertilization increased microbial respiratory response. N fertilization decreased soil pH by 1.1 units in both cities, and a pH of 4.7 led to reduced microbial biomass carbon and ergosterol contents in Tamale. An N fertilizer-induced decline in soil pH below 5 should be avoided, as it decreased microbial biomass carbon and microbial functional diversity.

Sandrine Simon · Educação Sociedade & Culturas · United Kingdom (Bristol)

This article explores three types of climate change activism expressed through urban agriculture: 'proximities', 'disruptive dissent', and 'participatory urban governance'. It analyzes how urban agriculture, as a form of grassroots climate change activism, can help in taking action, using illustrative examples from Bristol, UK, and Lisbon, Portugal. The paper suggests that citizens are exploring ways to participate in combating climate change by changing economic and productive systems in their daily lives and lifestyles.

Manuela Alves da Cunha, Ryzia de Cássia Vieira Cardoso · Ambiente & sociedade · Brazil (Salvador)

A descriptive study was conducted to highlight the contribution of urban gardens to promoting Food and Nutrition Security and sustainable development in Salvador, Brazil. Data collected from urban garden farmers in the city showed that the gardens have been promoting work and generating income for families, contributing to food supply and security. In addition to producing fresh vegetables for the local population, the activity contributes to ecosystem balance and sustainability.

Ana M. Bartolome, Deiyalí Carpio, Beatriz Urbano · Amfiteatru Economic · Europe

This study used the digital agricultural geographic information system AGRO-GIS to calculate and predict potential urban agriculture from abandoned horticultural lands and greenhouses in urban areas, applying binary logistic regression to identify determinants of abandoned horticultural land and greenhouses and ANOVA to test differences in agrarian land variation among urban areas. Results showed an average of 97.85 ha of abandoned horticultural land and greenhouses providing potential urban cultivable land per city; a one-hectare decrease in non-irrigated land was associated with an 87.98% increase in the odds of potential urban agriculture, and a one-hectare increase in grassland-shrubland was associated with a 67.59% increase in the likelihood of potential urban agriculture.

Felix Chari, Bethuel Sibongiseni Ngcamu · Environmental & Socio-economic Studies · Sub-Saharan Africa

This narrative review searched Scopus, the Directory of Open Access Journals, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Academic Search (EBSCO) using terms including "urban farming," "urban agriculture" and "climate change" to synthesize literature on climate change's effects on urban agriculture in sub-Saharan African cities. While reviewed studies agree that climate change affects urban agriculture from production through processing, storage and distribution, integrated literature on the topic remains scarce, and the extent and magnitude of impacts differ by region, meaning adaptation and mitigation strategies cannot be applied universally and must instead be context-specific.

Fürüzan Aslan, Yaşar Menteş, Oğuz ATEŞ · Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology · Europe

This study examines strategies for integrating agriculture with the city of Kirklareli, Turkey, and its surrounding area to address problems arising from rapid population growth and irregular urbanization, using a four-stage method. Following a literature review, it collected and examined natural and socio-cultural data for the province, identified through field observation which neighborhoods were most suitable for applying an urban agriculture model, and set out implementation strategies and recommendations aimed at human health, environmental health, food safety, urban aesthetics, social integration and urban sustainability.

Gustavo Henrique [UNESP] Pereira da Silva, Margarete Cristiane de [UNESP] Costa Trindade Amorim · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil

A study in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, analyzed the effect of urban agricultural areas on atmospheric heat island intensity. Data were collected in February 2019 at 12 fixed points spanning three urban agricultural areas, eight intra-urban areas, and one area without construction materials. During daytime (9 a.m., 3 p.m.), points located to the south of the island of Santa Catarina—including urban agriculture sites—recorded the highest air temperatures, while at night temperatures decreased overall, with the studied agricultural areas becoming 'islands of freshness' relative to surrounding areas on many days.

Abdelkarim Hamrita, Daniel Ferrer Jiménez, Hichem Rejeb · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Africa

A 2022 study analyzed the peri-urban agrifood system of the Sousse urban agglomeration, one of the most important in Tunisia, from a landscape perspective. It finds that clearly deficient regulations combined with uncontrolled urban development, together with intersecting political, environmental and economic factors, are threatening the survival of a traditional, largely family-based agricultural model built on mixed or polyculture production with predominant olive groves — a model the study describes as vital to the economic maintenance of many families and to food security. Using the Landscape Character Assessment methodology, the study proposes a landscape-project tool to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of peri-urban agriculture and prevent the loss of landscape heritage. It also points to the importance of integrating green infrastructure into land-use planning and to the need to promote Agricultural Parks, a protected status already recognized in Spain and other countries, putting forward specific proposals for the Sousse peri-urban agricultural landscape while insisting on the need to reform current forms of governance.

Pu Xu, Shanwei Li, Xiaona Yang, Yufeng Li · Journal of Environmental and Public Health · China

Agricultural statistical data from Shanghai for 1998-2019 were analyzed using an Environmental Kuznets Curve and a VAR model to examine the relationship between urban agricultural nonpoint source pollution (UANSP) and rural residents' income growth. An inverted "N"-shaped curve linked plastic film application intensity to per capita disposable income, while fertilizer and pesticide application intensity showed a linear negative relationship with income. Nonpoint source pollution emissions declined as income rose, and while reducing this pollution supported short-term income gains for rural residents, it had a negative effect on their long-term income growth.

Tony Robinson, Minsun Ji · Sustainable development goals series · South Korea

Between 2003 and 2005, Seoul removed its largest downtown expressway and restored the buried Cheonggyecheon stream, examined here as a case study within Seoul's "green growth" regime. Alongside other interventions — destruction of urban highways, expansion of urban forests, rooftop gardens, urban farming, and bike lanes — the city achieved a decoupling of urban growth from greenhouse gas emissions, continuing to grow while both toxic effluents and greenhouse gas emissions substantially declined.

Kate A. Congreves · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems ·

An opinion article published in the Urban Agriculture section of Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems on 19 August 2022. The available abstract contains only bibliographic information, with no stated study details or findings on urban horticulture.

S. Alan Walters, Christina Gajewski, Amir Sadeghpour, John W. Groninger · Climate · United States

An experiment at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, USA, evaluated culinary herb production on an extensive green roof (about 8 cm deep) under twice-weekly, weekly, and fortnightly watering (1 L per plant), testing perennial garlic chives, lavender, lemon balm, and winter thyme, plus annual basil. All perennial herbs produced more dry biomass and greater overwintering potential under the two more frequent watering schedules, and basil grew well with weekly watering, but weekly watering was required across all perennial herbs to achieve commercially viable growth, vigor, and overwinter survival.

Jennifer Catalina Murcia Rodríguez, Adriana Quimbayo Feria · HUMAN REVIEW International Humanities Review / Revista Internacional de Humanidades · Colombia

This article discusses urban agriculture as a practice that enables the production of food — particularly fruit, vegetables and aromatic plants — while helping reduce ecological footprint and improve self-sufficiency. It frames urban agricultural production as a global trend that, in Colombia, helps mitigate environmental pollution and reduce spending on basic foods, against a backdrop of inflation that has raised food prices and reduced the quantities households can afford to buy.

Zuxuan Song, Yang Ren · Land · China

Using data on agricultural carbon emissions and carbon sequestration in Guangzhou, China from 2002 to 2020, Granger causality analysis and a grey association model examined the interaction and evolution between urban agricultural multifunctionality and carbon effects. Over this period, urban agricultural production function declined in Guangzhou while economic and social functions increased, and ecological function rose before declining. Carbon sequestration was approximately four times carbon emissions. Carbon emissions went through a pattern of decreasing, then increasing, then remaining constant, then decreasing, while carbon sequestration first decreased and then increased. Carbon emissions showed a Granger causal relationship with production, social and ecological functions, and were a Granger cause of the economic function but not the reverse. Carbon sequestration showed a Granger causal relationship with production and economic functions and was a Granger cause of the ecological function but not the reverse; no Granger causal relationship was found between carbon sequestration and the social function.

Olga I. Soldatenkova · USA & Canada Economics – Politics – Culture · Canada

This article discusses the role of modern agriculture in Canada's food system, household food security and the expansion of agricultural exports. It describes the specialization and distribution of agricultural production across Canada's provinces and the territories of the country's Arctic zone, with particular attention to the development of urban agriculture, noting that in some cases it is treated as an element of action plans to combat climate change.

Eric J. Chapman, Gaston E. Small, Paliza Shrestha · Urban Ecosystems · Global

A study quantifying leachate and soil moisture from experimental urban garden plots receiving various soil amendments — high and low levels of manure and municipal compost, synthetic fertilizer, and no inputs — over three years. A simple mass-balance hydrologic model was parameterized for high-input municipal-compost and no-compost garden plots plus reference turfgrass plots, and run over three growing seasons under ambient precipitation and three elevated-precipitation scenarios. Soil moisture varied across treatments, with the highest mean levels in manure-compost plots and the lowest in synthetic-fertilizer plots. Soil amendment treatments explained little of the variation in weekly leachate volume, but high municipal compost and synthetic fertilizer had the lowest leachate volumes, while high and low manure compost had slightly higher volumes. Garden plots received 12-16% greater total water inputs than turfgrass plots due to irrigation, but total leachate was 20-30% lower for garden plots across climate scenarios because evapotranspiration was 50-60% higher in garden plots. Differences between high-municipal-compost and no-compost garden plots were small relative to the difference between garden plots and turfgrass overall. The study concludes that garden soil amendments influence water retention, and that the higher water retention, infiltration, and evapotranspiration potential of garden soils relative to turfgrass indicate hydrologic ecosystem services may be an underappreciated benefit of urban gardens.

Cleidiane Moraes Novais, Tadeu Miranda de Queiróz · Engenharia Sanitaria e Ambiental · Brazil

In Tangará da Serra, Mato Grosso, Brazil, a city facing a recent water crisis, researchers analyzed samples collected from October 2019 to April 2020 with an initial-rainfall sampler, measuring pH, bicarbonates, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, calcium, magnesium, total hardness, chlorides, sodium, and potassium in the first five millimeters of rainfall to assess its suitability for irrigating urban agriculture. Chemical compound concentrations were highest in the very first millimeter of rain and improved as precipitation continued; under FAO guideline classification there was no restriction on using the municipality's rainwater for urban agriculture irrigation, though both natural and anthropogenic sources may have influenced the measured concentrations, and discarding the initial millimeters before use is presented as a viable option for irrigating backyard crops.

Abdul‐Lateef Balogun, Naheem Adebisi, Ismaila Rimi Abubakar, Umar Lawal Dano, Abdulwaheed Tella · Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences · Sub-Saharan Africa

Against a backdrop where sub-Saharan Africa's agriculture sector -- about 23% of GDP and employing over 60% of the population -- faces serious threats from rural-to-urban migration and climate change, this desk-research study examined the potential for digitalization to enable sustainable urban farming under climate constraints. It found that most existing digitalization research is based on data from Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania, with minimal documentation of applications and prospects specific to Africa, and drew on challenges seen in successful implementations in the Global North to propose pathways toward localized digitalization approaches for the region.

M.C.G. Haitsma Mulier, F.H.M. Van de Ven, Paul Kirshen · Energy Nexus · Global

Drawing on case-study water-energy-food (WEF) nexus research at urban farms, which found that two distinct types of "food" are relevant to urban agriculture, this study (2022, no specific region) splits the "food" component of the WEF framework to build a water-energy-nutrients-food (WENF) nexus framework for urban farming. The systematic WENF monitoring, analysis, and evaluation framework aims to support quality data acquisition during case-study research at farm sites, addressing a quantitative data gap on urban agriculture and closed circularity loops; it differentiates stocks of water, energy, nutrients, and food, describes flows within each, and identifies multi-sectoral flows and interdependencies among the four resource stocks to formulate options for circularity in urban farming. The analysis indicates urban systems offer many opportunities for realizing sustainable agriculture in cities because waste management and farming can mutually reinforce each other: local reuse of resources found in urban "waste" could reduce stormwater problems and energy needs for water, nutrient, and food transport, irrigation, and wastewater pumping, while eliminating the need for synthetic soil amendments and unsustainable mineral mining, and reusing resources from urban (waste)water in urban farming could reduce food production's overall negative environmental impact.

Dipesh Joshi, Anjal Nainabasti, Rita Bhandari, Prakash Awasthi, Dinanath Banjade, Santoshi Malla, Bishesh Subedi · Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science · Global

This review covers soilless cultivation, in which plants are grown without soil as a rooting medium, including hydroponic, aeroponic, vertical farming, and other systems. It states that in greenhouses and tunnels, about 3.5% of the world's crops are produced using soilless, hydroponic methods. It notes that hydroponic farms can be built in deserts, the Arctic, and other difficult-to-farm places, and that the absence of soil means fewer insects and weeds. Crops grown in soilless systems include vegetables, fruits, flowers, and medicinal plants, using inorganic or organic growth media such as bark, coconut coir, coconut soil, fleece, marc, and peat. The review characterizes soilless culture as a relatively recently developed approach to agricultural development that is nonetheless difficult to put into practice.

Felix Chari, Bethuel Sibongiseni Ngcamu · Climate · Africa

In Masvingo City, Zimbabwe, a structured questionnaire administered to urban livestock farmers, triangulated with in-depth interviews with livestock stakeholders, examined how climate change-related hazards affect the urban livestock industry. Heatwaves, floods and droughts were found to significantly harm the industry: farmers lose livestock to disease, poor pastures and extreme weather, while the hazards also damage storage and distribution of livestock products, labour supply and productivity, and the profitability of livestock enterprises. The study calls for further research on location-specific adaptation strategies.

Emanuele Sommariva, Nicola Canessa, Giorgia Tucci · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Europe

An article links the role of ecosystem services to growing research and development funding attention to green infrastructure and urban greening strategies, positioning ecosystem services as a new parameter for assessing urban green infrastructure and re-naturalization processes that counteract climate-change effects such as flooding and heat islands while promoting conservation, resilience, and biodiversity of natural habitats. It identifies urban agriculture and community gardens as playing an important role in securing socio-ecological benefits at the local level and promoting access to healthy, "Zero Km" food sources. Drawing on the European project Creative Food Cycles, the article outlines ideas for circularity and recycling of waste across the food chain.