Research & reports

Neville N. Suh, Richard A. Nyiawung, Ernest L. Molua, Rossella Bottone, Canan Abay · World Development Sustainability · Cameroon

This study in Cameroon explored the association between farming households' resilience and food/nutrition insecurity during COVID-19 lockdowns. Focus group discussions identified shocks and response strategies, followed by an in-depth study of 249 farming households. Econometric modeling revealed that COVID-19 shocks adversely affected food and nutrition security and reduced resilience capacity. However, existing adaptive capacity and access to basic services significantly contributed to resilience, with female-headed and semi-urban households showing greater resilience.

Michael Tuffour · Journal of Regional and City Planning · Ghana

This study investigated how urban farmers in Ghana cope with land scarcity amidst rapid urbanization and the factors influencing their mobility for farmland. Responses from 251 farmers were analyzed using both Tobit and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), revealing that land situation factors such as land ownership type, land scarcity challenges, and land size were associated with farmers' mobility. Farm characteristics like market benefits, intensity of vegetable production, and technology level, along with personal characteristics such as age, education level, farmer engagement, and marital status, also played a role in mobility.

Maikol Muñoz, Duvert Ventocilla, Cristina Fonseca, Willy Pradel · · Peru (Lima)

In response to Peru's significant food insecurity in 2022, the Institute of Development and Environment (IDMA) and the International Potato Center (CIP) organized an awareness campaign for World Food Day, focusing on the contribution of agroecological family farming in Metropolitan Lima's Valleys. A central forum, "DIALOGUES ABOUT HEALTHY DIETS FOR EVERYONE, 3X7," highlighted the roles of small farmers in food generation and the importance of common soup kitchens, noting how urban agriculture producers supplied inputs for these kitchens.

Muhammad Abbi Fahrezy Sutikno, Dwi Rahmawati, Yonika Sindiana Prahmani, Amnan Haris, Tiara Dwi Wulandari, Desy Fitria Astutianingtyas · Jurnal Pemberdayaan Masyarakat · Indonesia (Semarang)

Tugurejo Village in Semarang City, Indonesia, faces disaster risks due to land use changes. A community service program was implemented to enhance the climate village program in this area. Through qualitative data collection and program formulation, four programs were successfully developed: urban farming, urban aquaculture, rainwater harvesting, and waste bank programs.

Ricardo Toledo Neder, Lívia Cristina Barros da Silva Wiesinieksi, Emilene Eustachio, Iasmin de Sousa Jaime, Simone Parrela Tostes, Rafael Oliveira dos Reis · LaSUS FAU eBooks · Brazil

This book presents the fundamentals and basis of a multi-professional course in Science, Technology, and Society (CTS) residency, offered in Brazil in 2021. The course features a pedagogical practice integrating research, teaching, and extension, addressing themes of Habitat, Agroecology, Health, and Associated Work. It involved 15 master's and doctoral students and over 50 individuals from social movements, professionals, and government technicians, discussing topics such as solidarity technology, sociotechnical adequacy, and solidarity economy.

Lucy Diekmann, Summer Cortez, Pauline Marsh, Jonathan Kingsley, Monika Egerer, Brenda B. Lin, Alessandro Ossola · California Agriculture · United States (California)

A survey of 603 home and community gardeners across California was conducted between June and August 2020 to assess trends in gardening during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gardens were valued as therapeutic spaces to escape pandemic stress and as safe outdoor places for socializing. Concerns about food supply led to increased interest in growing food for security and self-sufficiency, though 62% of home gardeners struggled to access gardening supplies.

Qiuling Yuan, Shuo Mi, Fanxin Meng, Jiaqi Hou, Yutong Sun, Hui Li, Aamir Mehmood Shah · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · China (Beijing)

This study applied a "farm-to-table" emergy method to analyze the environmental sustainability of two typical urban farms in Beijing, China: a suburban greenhouse farm and an aquaponics farm. The aquaponics farm demonstrated a lower environmental loading ratio and a higher emergy sustainability index compared to traditional greenhouse farming, but it required more emergy inputs.

Lianna Gomori-Ruben, Chantal D. Reid · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

This study examined women farming in the United States to analyze if their practices align with agroecology, using the FAO’s 10 Elements of Agroecology and the TAPE tool. A mixed-methods case study design collected web-based survey and interview data from 87 participants. Participating women farmers tended to lead agroecological farming projects that provide direct nutritional, environmental, educational, and social services to their communities, aligning with FAO elements. Farm size and region were significant in the prevalence of agroecological practices; farms of 50–100 acres were most likely to integrate animals, and farms in the Southeast were most likely to identify with conventional agricultural practices.

Aubrey Lynn Garcia, M.A.C. Griffith, George Paul Buss, Xiusheng Yang, John L. Griffis, Sarah E. Bauer, Ankit Singh · Agricultural Sciences · Global

This review investigates Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) as a potential solution for food security, discussing its rationale, growth factors, and technologies. While indoor farming systems like vertical farming enhance urban access to food, the cost of CEA remains high, though it is decreasing due to technological advances.

Sean M. Crotty · California History · United States (California)

Pascale Joassart-Marcelli's book "The $16 Taco" examines how food and power intersect to create landscapes of hunger and plenty in U.S. cities, using San Diego as a case study. It argues for the centrality of food in broader structural issues of social, political, and cultural inequalities, which manifest as material inequality. The book explores the impacts of food apartheid, a system of segregation that prevents certain groups from accessing nourishment, and explains the role of racist real estate practices in devaluing neighborhoods of immigrants and people of color.

Charlotte Siiger · European Journal of Public Health · Denmark (Copenhagen)

The "Green Sustainable Communities" project in Copenhagen, Denmark, developed social gastronomy methods to empower lower socio-economic households with sustainable, healthy, and affordable cooking practices. Interventions included community meals, gardening, and food courses, utilizing surplus fruits, vegetables, and affordable legumes. These initiatives promoted affordable, climate-friendly, and healthy diets, increasing social wellbeing and improving nutrition.

Maria Cecília Barreto Amorim Pilla, Cilene da Silva Gomes Ribeiro, Taciane Eloisa de Camargo · Ágora · Brazil

This research aims to analyze the historical, economic, and sociocultural processes that create the gender dimension within sustainable development and the emancipation of vulnerable women. It highlights that urban agriculture initiatives, such as community gardens, mobilize communities to transform degraded spaces into healthy ones, providing vegetables and fostering social interaction. The study emphasizes the need for women's inclusion in public policy to achieve legal, political, and social equality, thereby empowering them and reducing vulnerability.

Jialing Xie · · Australia (Wyndham)

Wyndham, one of Australia's fastest-growing communities, faces increased urbanization and pressure on its socio-ecological environment, leading to growing food insecurity. This paper aims to explore agriculture-based resilient community development to achieve food security in Wyndham. Through a critical review of relevant literature and case studies on implementing a pilot site design approach, the paper presents necessary actions for urban farming practices at their current scale and reviews opportunities and barriers to scaling up these practices under future risks like climate change and sea-level rise.

Sri Aliah Ekawati · JURNAL TEPAT Applied Technology Journal for Community Engagement and Services · Indonesia

A community service program in Tallo Village, Indonesia, addressed post-COVID-19 economic impacts on low-income coastal residents, who experienced reduced vegetable consumption due to decreased income. The program implemented urban farming as a solution for dense settlements with minimal green space. Participants' knowledge and understanding of urban farming increased, and produce from demonstration gardens was consumed by families, reducing vegetable expenses.

Setiyono, Roswan, Randy Napitupulu · Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat Darma Saskara · Indonesia (Depok)

In the RT10/RW03 Tirtajaya Depok area of Indonesia, approximately 1500 m2 of unused land was utilized for organic vegetable cultivation to meet local household food needs. Corn was intercropped with vegetables such as pokcoy and mustard greens, with land preparation conducted by local residents in collaboration with Gunadarma University's Agrotechnology team. This initiative is expected to yield results in about three months, supporting the local economy, environmental health, and community cohesion.

Zeth Patty, Ariance Yeane Kastanja, Fredi Jakson Paulus · Agrikan Jurnal Agribisnis Perikanan · Indonesia

This 3-month research in Lina Ino Village, Central Tobelo, identified the types of vegetable foods consumed by the local people, including sources of carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins. Data was collected from 85 respondents out of 591 households using interviews. The findings indicated consumption of 5 carbohydrate types, 3 legume protein sources, 9 vitamin/mineral-rich vegetables (3 leaf, 2 fruit, 1 legume, 2 leaf and fruit), and 4 fruit types. Some foods were bought from retailers, while others were grown in community gardens, and common processing methods included boiling, frying, and cooking in coconut milk.

Myung‐Bok Lee · PeerJ · China

This study investigated how environmental features within and surrounding urban farmlands affected the abundance of Asian honey bees (Apis cerana) and cabbage white butterflies (Pieris rapae) in a megacity of China during winters. P. rapae abundance increased with local crop diversity but was strongly negatively associated with landscape-scale crop and weed covers. A. cerana responded positively to fine-scale flower cover, increased with local-scale weed cover, but decreased with increasing landscape-scale weed cover.

Ernst‐August Nuppenau · PLoS ONE · Global

This article proposes an ecological economics orientation for peri-urban development, focusing on land use planning, local food, and entropy. Based on a mathematical model and control theory, it presents an operational concept to minimize negative externalities within a given population, aiming to assure space for urban agriculture and enable organic matter recycling. It notes that current unhealthy developments and market-oriented city expansions have limited the scope for peri-urban farming, advocating for regional planning based on organic matter recycling.

Ayşegül YARIŞ, Emel Karakaya Ayalp · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

The current agri-food system is undergoing an unsustainable transition, with Urban Food Planning emerging as a holistic approach for sustainable transition. This paper explains and translates the "City-Region Food System (CRFS) Toolkit," developed in partnership with FAO, RUAF, and participating cities. It examines the toolkit's roadmap and approach for building more sustainable and resilient urban food systems through two case studies in West Africa. The research concluded that the CRFS Toolkit defines limited tools for building sustainable urban food systems and excludes the relationship with spatial disciplines.

Navjot Sangwan, Luca Tasciotti · Agriculture · Sub-Saharan Africa

This cross-country study analyzed household data from nine Sub-Saharan African countries to investigate the impact of urban agriculture (UA) on household food expenditure and dietary diversity. Using an inverse-probability weighted regression adjustment method, the study found that households engaged in UA reduced overall food expenditure and increased spending on protein-rich foods like nuts, legumes, fruits, dairy, meat, and poultry. The impact of UA varied substantially across the food expenditure distribution.

O.M. Seretse, Abhishek Agarwal, Ulaula Mmiletsi, Mbizo Mpho · Advances in Modern Agriculture · Sub-Saharan Africa

This study designed a cost-effective, two-row donkey-drawn maize planter for small-scale farms in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Botswana, where donkeys are a primary power source. The assembled planter weighs 48.93 kg, can be drawn by three donkeys, and has an estimated cost of 200 USD. The study notes limitations and calls for further research to assess performance under varying soil conditions, durability, and planting efficiency.

Haryanti Haryanti, Iskandar Iskandar, Achmad Rizal, Ratu Siti Aliah, Suhendar I Sachoemar · Polish Journal of Environmental Studies · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This 6-month study (July-December 2022) in Jakarta's sub-urban area investigated prospective urban farming aquaculture business models for food and economic security during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from 200 fish farming groups showed that Tilapia and Catfish models (CF-3, CF-2) improved food security, while ornamental fish models (OF-1, OF-2, OF-4, OF-5) improved economic security. The study concluded that urban farming aquaculture has good prospects as an alternative business.

Juliana Marcela Santos Calderón, Julián David Coral Sanabria, Olga Ximena Aguilar Galvis · Innovando En La U · Global

This study investigated the effect of different amounts of vermicompost (0%, 20%, and 40%) on Batavia lettuce cultivation. It found that 20% vermicompost accelerated germination on the first day (P0.05). By day 40, 20% vermicompost influenced plant height and leaf number, resulting in an average height of 5.44 cm and 7.2 leaves by day 46 (P<0.05). These findings suggest that 20% vermicompost is the most recommended amount for Batavia lettuce.

Benjamin Felix Richardson · · New Zealand (Auckland)

Auckland's urban sprawl threatens to significantly raise the price of fresh fruits and vegetables across the country, worsening chronic food security issues. Food production has become detached from the food security and food sovereignty of Aotearoa's people. The severity of this issue is driving calls for reform, and a conflict exists between humanity's agricultural subsistence and the destabilizing demands of financial extraction, where crucial productive hubs can be lost permanently.

Mira Yulianti, Nani Septiana, Hartoni Hartoni · Russian Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences · Indonesia (Banjarbaru City)

This study in Banjarbaru City, Indonesia, used simple random sampling to survey 100 people, identifying potentials, problems, and community preferences for urban farming. Five main factors supporting urban farming potential were available land (17%), additional income (14%), government support (13%), reduced food expenditure (12%), and local food demand (11%). Community preferences showed education as the dominant purpose (loading factor 0.875), direct yard land as the preferred technique (0.869), and farming as the preferred crop/commodity type (0.747).