Research & reports

Eileen V. Wallis · Western Historical Quarterly · United States (California)

This article explores the significance of urban agriculture in Southern California from the late nineteenth century to World War II. It examines how informal, small-scale, part-time urban and suburban agricultural production contributed to the region's economic development and cultural identity.

Mattia Scarpellino · · Japan (Tokyo)

This architectural design thesis proposes a redesign of a peripheral area of Tokyo, specifically Nishi-Tokyo, which exhibits both urban and rural characteristics. The study explored how to integrate agri-food production activities in a large metropolitan suburb, its potential social role, and the dynamics generated in relation to contemporary living. Through literature review on living, urbanization, functional nomadism, and digitalization, analysis of urban agriculture aspects focusing on community gardens, and participation in a Tokyo workshop, design scenarios were simulated.

Pascale Scheromm, Christophe‐Toussaint Soulard · Geographical Research · France

This paper provides a spatial analysis of agriculture in three mid-sized French cities, focusing on professional farms. It confirms the existence of significant agricultural spaces within cities and the persistence of field-based, market-oriented agriculture. Key determinants in the observed dynamics include the cities' geographies, the impact of land speculation and urbanization on farmers, and the resistance and adaptation processes implemented by some farmers.

Sandra Kurfürst · · Vietnam (Hanoi)

This chapter explores the production sites of vegetables perceived as clean and safe by Vietnamese consumers, specifically urban gardens in Hanoi and rural areas. It identifies a semantic shift in gardens from aesthetics to utility due to food anxiety and examines access to and social control over public and sacred spaces used for gardening. Urbanites also rely on personal rural-urban food supply networks for food safety, with the rural signifying safe foods based on its image as a place of intimate social relations and nature.

David Vieira Lima, Geovane Rocha de Carvalho, Jaqueline Silva Sousa, José Weselli de Sá Andrade · Global Science and Technology · Brazil

This research in Brazil evaluated the viability of a low-cost, handmade hydroponic system for sustainable urban agriculture, constructed from 25 reused 2L PET bottles. Lettuce was cultivated in this system and a commercial system for 57 days. Statistical analysis showed that while the handmade model was less productive, it yielded plants in excellent condition for consumption at a low cost, validating it as a viable alternative for sustainable urban agriculture.

Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Karima Kourtit, Peter Nijkamp · Munich Personal RePEc Archive (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) · Global

This study uses a dynamic model to analyze the growth effects of new agricultural technology adoption in rural-urban settings. It determines the steady-state growth rate of agricultural output per worker in rural regions and defines an urban-to-rural agricultural technology knowledge ratio to compute the urban region's growth rate. The analysis also examines the ratio of agricultural output per worker between urban and rural regions at balanced growth and discusses policy implications.

Chihambakwe, Michelle, Mafongoya, Paramu, L., Jiri, Obert · University of Zimbabwe Institutional Repository (University of Zimbabwe) · Africa

This review examines the application of food sovereignty principles in urban and peri-urban agriculture in Zimbabwe. It notes that despite urban households integrating these practices into their livelihoods, institutional arrangements governing them remain ambivalent. The review concludes that the failure to involve all stakeholders undermines urban and peri-urban agriculture, leading to increased food insecurity and unsustainable practices.

Luciana Macaluso · Nova Science Publishers (Nova Science Publishers, Inc.) · Europe

This paper discusses the historical perspectives of architects Leberecht Migge (1919) and Giuseppe Samonà (1976) on urban and rural connections. Both recognized the necessity of gardens within large towns and saw urbanization as a partial solution to agricultural production crises. The authors suggest that integrating gardens into urban design, inspired by these ideas, can contribute to soil conservation, especially as soils are increasingly recognized as cultural heritage.

Ashlee Cromer, Kelsey Hall, Tyson J. Sorensen, David Francis, Joshua Dallin · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States (Utah)

This study aimed to describe agricultural education teachers' perceptions of urban and non-traditional agriculture curriculum and Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) in Utah. It addresses a gap in understanding teachers' preparedness to implement curriculum and career information related to emerging agricultural issues like urban agriculture. Previous research indicates a need for professional development in these areas for agricultural education teachers.

Daina Romeo, Eldbjørg Blikra Vea, Marianne Thomsen · Procedia CIRP · France (Lyon)

This paper analyzed the environmental impacts of ReFarmers' pilot farm, a high-yield vertical hydroponic croft in the urban area of Lyon, France, from a life cycle perspective. Results indicated that the hydroponic farm performed better than cultivations in heated greenhouses and similarly to conventional open field farms. Furthermore, the electricity input source was a determinant factor; if carbon neutral (e.g., wind energy), vertical hydroponic production could outperform the two conventional agriculture types.

Ibrahim Aliyu Kankara, Hani Farouk · Annals of Geographical Studies · Nigeria (Kano)

This research evaluated potable water distribution problems in Kano municipal, Nigeria. Using data from 384 questionnaires and investigations of water supply institutions, the study concluded that water supply in Kano municipal does not meet demand due to problems such as insufficient water treatment plants, power failure, and funding shortages.

Attila Tóth, Barbora Duží, Jan Vávra, Ján Supuka, Mária Bihuňová, Denisa Halajová, Stanislav Martinát, Eva Nováková · Nature and Culture · Europe

A historical review article on allotment gardening in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Tracing back to the eighteenth century, it identifies the periods and events that shaped Czech and Slovak society and urban gardening in particular, and analyzes the development of allotments before and after 1989 using case studies and examples. The article offers this historical narrative as a basis for discussing contemporary trends, challenges and visions for allotment gardening in both countries.

İşık Sezen · DergiPark (Istanbul University) · Europe

The paper traces the history of allotment gardens (AG), which originated in the United Kingdom, and shows that in European countries such as Germany they now function mainly as recreational and social sites rather than agricultural production areas. Examining Turkish examples — Atatürk Forest Farm, the Yedikule Gardens adjacent to Istanbul's UNESCO World Heritage territorial walls, Boğazköy Kuzguncuk Garden, and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Diyarbakır City Walls and Hevsel Gardens — it concludes these sites have long served the same function as European allotment gardens, as urban agricultural land in Turkey.

Luana do Carmo Araujo de Oliveira, Cristiana Guimarães Alves, Bruno Martins Dala Paula · Revista da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais · Brazil

A Brazilian essay reflects on the role of urban agriculture (AU) in the use and occupation of urban space and its connection to migration processes. It frames AU as a multifunctional practice integrating ecological, social, cultural and political aspects, and discusses its sociopolitical, symbolic and cultural dimensions — its capacity to promote rights and social cohesion, community bonds, expression of traditional practices, and resistance to the dominant socioeconomic lifestyle model — in relation to cultural identity and new territorialities in migration experiences.

Hayuning Anggrahita, Guswandi Guswandi · Jurnal Wilayah dan Lingkungan · Indonesia (Jakarta)

In Jakarta, Indonesia, where urbanization is converting agricultural land and other green open space to built-up use and agriculture contributes only 0.1% of the city's economy, a study using descriptive quantitative analysis together with interviews and scientific photography set out to identify the multifunctionality of urban agriculture. The results show that Jakarta's agriculture is scattered due to urbanization pressure, and that it persists by transforming from a single staple-food-production function into multiple functions, environmental, cultural, property-rights protection and others, creating new urban values.

Justyna Kleszcz · Architecture Civil Engineering Environment · Europe

This paper compares urban farm initiatives across European cities (Paris, Barcelona, Vienna) and non-European cities (New York, Brasilia, Hong Kong), differentiating them by scale, purpose, and the role urban agriculture plays according to a developed taxonomy. A system analysis identifies common characteristics behind the growing popularity of new forms of urban agriculture. The paper argues that comparing the causes behind their emergence, how different solutions have been implemented, and the modifications arising from functional analysis of existing facilities is important for developing guidelines for the further development of urban agriculture systems, including in Poland.

Andrea Colantoni, Ilaria Zambon, Maria Gras, Enrico Maria Mosconi, Alessandra Stefanoni, Luca Salvati · Sustainability · Europe

This study uses multivariate analysis to identify the socioeconomic transformations shaping cropland distribution in the Athens metropolitan region, Greece, from 1960 to 2010. The share of cropland in total municipal area increased moderately, with a non-linear relationship to distance from downtown Athens: the highest cropland rates occurred 20-30 km from the inner city. Decade-by-decade multivariate regressions using 11 predictors per municipality found distance from downtown, soil and climate quality, population growth rate, and competing land use to be the factors most associated with cropland change. Competing land use drove cropland decline during the first urbanization phase (1960-1980), while population growth became positively associated with cropland in a later phase (1990-2010); per-capita urban land was negatively correlated with cropland in 1960 and 1970 but positively in 2010, suggesting a shift from a monocentric toward a more dispersed metropolitan structure.

Carolyn Steel · · Global

This essay introduces the concept of "sitopia" — a society consciously shaped by food as a tool — and argues that in cities with large amounts of vacant land and low-income residents, such as Baltimore, Detroit and New Orleans in the United States, urban farming could help green the city and revitalize neighborhoods. It states urban food production is likely to meet only a small proportion of a community's total food needs, while noting that local food production can still improve environmental quality and social ties and encourage sustainable local economic development.

Christian Isendahl, Stephan Barthel · · Global

A book chapter draws on insights from pre-Columbian Maya cities, medieval Constantinople, and wartime London, applying them to the contemporary mega-region of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta. It demonstrates the potential for integrating archaeological and historical research with investigations of contemporary conditions to inform urban planning. Despite fundamental differences across eras, it argues urban and peri-urban food production continues to play a key role for food security and city resilience, and that the long-term record shows maintaining a diversity of food systems — including localized ones — and institutional flexibility at multiple scales is essential to addressing food security challenges.

David Ceaser · Agritecture · United States

In this December 7, 2018 article for Agritecture, horticultural consultant David Ceaser reports on the challenges facing agrihood development, using The Cannery in Davis, California (500+ homes, 150 acres, with a 7.4-acre organic farm) as a case study. He notes that residents held unrealistic expectations about how the farm would be run and their role in it, and that poorer-than-expected soil quality required amending with organic matter, delaying farm development. Farm Director Sri Sethuratnam described the aging farmer population and food-production challenges as "a national security issue."

Generalitat Valenciana · Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) · Spain

A law enacted by the Generalitat Valenciana on 6 March 2018 to protect the Huerta de València, published in the official state gazette (BOE) on 20 April 2018 and in effect from 13 March 2018. It consists of 47 articles across 8 chapters, aiming to preserve, restore and revitalize the huerta as a space with agricultural, environmental, landscape, historical and cultural value, while promoting economically viable farming in the metropolitan area of Valencia.

国土交通省 · 国土交通省 · Japan

MLIT's national survey of rooftop and wall greening construction results for FY2017, aimed at mitigating the urban heat island effect and lowering urban carbon emissions, recorded about 23.1 hectares of new rooftop greening (roughly five Tokyo Domes) and 5.5 hectares of new wall greening that year, bringing cumulative totals since FY2000 to about 498 hectares of rooftop greening and 90 hectares of wall greening. Average project area was 261 m2, with a growing trend toward large-scale mixed-use projects.

J. T. Roane · AAIHS (African American Intellectual History Society) — Black Perspectives · Cuba

Published on AAIHS's Black Perspectives blog on January 4, 2018, this article by J. T. Roane describes the Organopónico Vivero Alamar as 'founded in 1997 on ten and a half hectares of land,' framing Cuban urban agriculture as a response to food shortages and oil scarcity during the post-Soviet 'Special Period.' The author reports the average laborer age at the farm visited was 56, with the tour guide noting difficulty attracting younger workers. It describes methods including worm beds converting livestock waste to compost, strategic plant biodiversity for insect regulation, and integration of plants used in Santería practice, and positions Cuban organopónicos as an alternative to fossil-fuel-dependent U.S. agribusiness.

Taipei City Government · Taipei City Government · Taiwan

This Taipei City Government article introduces the city's 'Garden City' initiative, converting idle land and school grounds into farming plots. It aims to give residents land and growing guidance, foster children's understanding of local food, and promote physical and psychological wellbeing through contact with plants and soil. It reports that 230 schools have received approval to enter the trial phase.

内閣府地方創生推進事務局 · 内閣府 地方創生推進事務局 · Japan

A November 2018 briefing prepared by the Cabinet Office's Regional Revitalisation Secretariat. The Regional Revitalisation Promotion Grant supports self-directed, pioneering work by local authorities, requiring KPIs and a PDCA cycle and targeting projects that cut across traditional departmental silos. Its initial budget was ¥100 billion a year (¥200 billion on a project-cost basis) in each of fiscal 2016, 2017 and 2018, alongside supplementary grants such as ¥100 billion for acceleration in FY2015 and ¥90 billion for base development in FY2016. Under the Regional Revitalisation Act (Act No. 24 of 2005) that underpins it, 5,796 regional revitalisation plans had been approved by this point.