Research & reports

Michelle M Althaus Ottman, Juliana Maantay, Kristen Grady, Nério Cardoso, Nilce Nazareno da Fonte · PubMed · United States (New York City)

This project explores urban agriculture and productive landscaping in the Bronx, New York City, focusing on community gardens as an alternative to address urban problems. The study aims to describe the multiple roles of these gardens, including health-promoting, economic, environmental, and cultural benefits, and to reveal gardeners' perceptions of quality-of-life improvements. The Bronx currently hosts approximately 175 community gardens administered by Operation Green Thumb, alongside others managed by non-profits and on private property.

A. C. Egun · Journal of Agricultural Sciences · Global

This paper examined the competencies needed by Agricultural Science teachers in urban areas for effective institutional preparation. Teachers identified 24 competencies for urban agriculture teaching but expressed deficiency in 19 competencies (79.17%). The curricular implication is to include basic Humanities subjects like Geography, Economics, and Commerce in Agricultural Science teacher programs and to effectively implement field trips to strengthen the relationship between theory and practice.

이양주, 김태현 · · South Korea

This study proposes management system alternatives for Gyeonggi Province's provincial parks in South Korea, including Namhansanseong, Yeoninsan, and Surisan. Namhansanseong is directly managed by Gyeonggi Province, while Yeoninsan is managed by a public foundation, experimenting with private consignment. Four alternatives are presented: establishing a new business office, unified management by the Korea National Park Service, private consignment, or consignment to local environmental groups, with a recommendation for a new business office and active consideration of private consignment, especially for urban parks. It also suggests managing certain urban park areas as "Community Gardens."

허북구, 박윤점, 오대민, 박종수, 윤숙영, 조자용 · · South Korea

This study developed marketing techniques for mugwort seedlings for urban agriculture and horticultural therapy in South Korea. Researchers examined mugwort amounts needed for various uses, harvest times and yields by seedling type and container size, and seedling quality under marketing conditions. Findings showed that one-year-old rhizomes had the shortest harvest time (25 days) and highest yield (13.2g per plant) at first harvest, and seedling quality did not decrease after 3 days of cold marketing.

Emmanuel Berthier, Bernard de Gouvello, Florian Archambault, Didier Gallis · · Global

This preliminary study aimed to better understand the water balance of vegetated or green roofs (TTV) and to develop a conceptual reservoir storage model. Two databases were used: CSTB's one-year data (limited to rain and runoff) and LROP's nine-day detailed data (including evapotranspiration and water storage). Detailed monitoring was shown to deepen the understanding of water balance, and the developed reservoir storage model appeared suitable for reproducing the TTV water balance.

Megan Sheridan · University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy (University of Minnesota) · United States (Minneapolis)

This project aimed to facilitate the creation of a commercial urban farm in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. Goals included developing a business plan for an economically viable urban farm. The project found that economic viability without foundation grants is challenging, and site control is key.

Chris Carlsson, Francesca Manning · Antipode · Global

Nowtopia identifies a new basis for a shared experience of class, characterized by an exodus from wage labor and the embrace of meaningful, freely chosen, unpaid work. Nowtopian communities are largely grounded in unpaid practical work, such as urban gardening/agriculture, which gradually reverses the extreme atomization of modern life. These practices represent a decentralized, uncoordinated collective research and development effort exploring a potentially post-capitalist, post-petroleum future.

AP Chanan, Jaya Kandasamy, S. Vigneswaran, G Spyrakis, I Ghetti, Elisa Idris · UTS ePRESS (University of Technology Sydney) · Australia (Sydney)

This paper outlines a project by Kogarah Council in Sydney, Australia, which assisted all 22 schools in the Kogarah LGA to install rainwater tanks. The initiative aimed to increase water use efficiency and reduce potable water consumption for toilet flushing and school garden irrigation. The project successfully reduced drinking water usage and served as a visual reminder for students to conserve water.

Nerea Morán Alonso · · Global

This article reviews the historical background of urban agriculture, highlighting it as an example of action in crisis situations and the social potential of food production in urban contexts. In Southern countries, urban agriculture has gained importance as a development strategy, including programs led by international organizations. Urban gardens, by integrating nature into the city, contribute to urban metabolic efficiency and enhance biological diversity.

Lin Ma · Xibu linye kexue · China (Kunming)

A study on the seedling stage adaptability of 8 Magnoliaceae species was conducted in Chenggong county, Yunnan province, from 2004 to 2009. Results from five years of seedling raising indicated that Woonyoungia septentrionalis, Michelia ingrata, and Manglietia grandis were not adapted to Chenggong and died in frost. Michelia velutina showed very significant differences in height and basal diameter growth compared to other species, leading to its evaluation as the top choice for urban gardening and greening in Kunming city, followed by Manglietia maguanica and Michelia lacei.

Lisen Hendeberg · · Sweden

This study compared Ebenezer Howard's garden city ideals with contemporary urban farming movements in Sweden through a literature review and analysis of three active movements. It found that when garden city ideas were implemented in Sweden between 1905 and 1930, much of the original ideological basis for self-sufficient small towns and collectively owned land was lost. While similarities exist in ideological starting points, their approaches to change differ.

Eva Collins, Kate Kearins · Academy of Management Learning and Education · New Zealand (Auckland)

A sustainability instructor took a graduate class to an eco-village near Auckland, New Zealand, where students observed off-grid homes and community gardens. While New Zealand students were inspired by the alternative lifestyle, two international students from China and Tajikistan expressed that this lifestyle was how they lived at home and they did not wish to live that way, preferring the New Zealand lifestyle. This indicates a limited appeal of the eco-village model to some international students.

Emma Schroeder, Krishna Ramanujan · · United States

In his 2010 interview with Emma Schroeder, Krishna Ramanujan shared his memories of the Eagle Heights Community Garden. Mr. Ramanujan discussed the ethnic diversity of the gardeners, the tensions between the Gardens and the University, and balancing graduate school while raising a young family in the Eagle Heights community. This interview was conducted for inclusion in a Master's thesis on the Eagle Heights Community Gardens.

Hygin Faust Kakai, Alban Gilles Kakai, Armelle Grey Tohouegnon · VertigO · Benin (Cotonou)

This study in Benin examined urban agriculture and waste valorization in Cotonou, Abomey, and Abomey-Calavi. In Cotonou, overexploitation of sandy, organic-poor soil in market gardening led to soil impoverishment, forcing gardeners to use chemical fertilizers with negative environmental impacts. However, some market gardeners adopted compost use, transitioning to organized organic urban agriculture after a waste management project supported waste valorization. This dynamic was not observed in Abomey, where urban agriculture is practiced in family spaces and public areas, unlike Cotonou's developed sites. Abomey-Calavi, despite rapid demographic growth, was almost devoid of urban agriculture practices.

Diana Lee-Smith, L. J. A. Mougeot, Michael Levenston, Peter Mann, Katherine Brown, Jerry Kaufman · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global

This reflection on the urban agriculture movement notes that 19th and early 20th-century urban reforms, including urban gardens, aimed to improve living conditions in industrial cities. However, these initiatives also shifted the burden of sustenance from industrialists and fair-wage policies onto urbanizing families, particularly women. Despite this, garden spaces provided nourishment and retreats in densely populated areas.

황정임, 최윤지, 장보경, 이상영 · · South Korea

This study segmented and examined urban farmers' behavior in South Korea using a two-step cluster analysis and multi-nominal logit model. Data from a telephone survey of 381 urban agriculture participants out of 2,000 respondents revealed four distinct clusters based on motive, place, companion, area, and hours. Significant differences were found among these groups in terms of age, city size, and housing type, suggesting urbanites select farming types based on socio-demographic profiles.

윤혜경, 이연숙, 이홍성 · 한국생태환경건축학회 학술발표대회 논문집 · Global

This study investigates the utility of "Health Community Farming Gardens" within apartment buildings in Korea, aiming to present a realistic and effective apartment floor plan that enhances residents' health. Through a literature review of green infrastructure and urban farming, the research confirms that green infrastructure and urban farming revitalize apartment culture, effectively address ecosystem deterioration, and foster a green cultural spread within resident communities. The study emphasizes the innovation of integrating farming gardens into apartment buildings to maintain residents' holistic health.

Kwasi Appeaning Addo · Remote Sensing · Ghana (Accra)

This paper discusses the need for sustainable management of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Accra, Ghana. A lack of reliable data on the extent of urban/peri-urban areas used for farming has hindered the development of sustainable policies to manage urban farming in Accra. Ground-based survey methods are problematic and prohibitively expensive, making accurate assessment of urban farming's future role difficult.

Junping Liu · System Sciences and Comprehensive Studies in Agriculture · China (Beijing)

This paper constructed an evaluation index system for urban agricultural multi-functionality using factor analysis and analytic hierarchy process for 13 agriculture-related districts in Beijing. Based on GIS spatial analysis of function, Beijing was divided into three urban agricultural subareas according to production economy function, social service function, and ecological protection function. The results indicate that Beijing urban agriculture has an obvious 'core-periphery' spatial structure but with different function-orientation, locational tendency, and development patterns.

Emma Schroeder, Patricia A. Palmieri, Tom Palmieri · · United States

In a 2010 interview, Tom and Pat Palmieri shared their memories of the Eagle Heights Community Garden. They discussed organic gardening practices, the seasonal vegetables they cultivated, and challenges such as weeds. The Palmieris also expressed their continued interest in gardening after their time at Eagle Heights.

Paule Moustier, Nguyễn Thị Tân Lộc · Agritrop (Cirad) · Vietnam

In Vietnam, urban agriculture significantly contributes to food supply and employment. In 2002, it supplied an estimated 44% of Hanoi's food needs, with over 70% of leafy vegetables originating within a 30 km radius of the city. Approximately 30% of the population in Hanoi Province and Ho Chi Minh City's peri-urban districts are engaged in agriculture.

C.J.M. van der Lans · Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling · Global

This study analyzes the sustainability of international horticulture initiatives, including those by Dutch businesses and Wageningen UR, particularly questioning their continuity if foreign support withdraws and their viability given limited foreign currency in developing countries. Using the Multi-Level Perspective framework, two cases were examined: an Integrated Pest Management project in Ethiopia's floriculture sector and the transition to large-scale urban agriculture in Detroit, USA. The report raises concerns about the long-term economic viability and self-sufficiency of these initiatives.

Ephraim Kigozi Nabakwa, Patrick Kizza Kagyi, David Sserunkuuma Masereka, Grace Nakimbugwe Otim · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Uganda (Kampala)

This qualitative research, conducted through interviews and focus groups with residents and leaders in Kampala's slums, examines urban agriculture as a resilience strategy. Urban agriculture projects demonstrated an average 30% increase in household food security and a 50% reduction in reliance on informal income sources. The study's development framework enhances the resilience capacity of these initiatives, offering policy recommendations for integration into formal programs and infrastructure support.

Maoxuan Li, Chen Pan, Zhang Yun-qian · Yunnan Nongye Daxue xuebao · China (Kunming)

This study analyzed the status and function of urban agriculture in Kunming, China, based on the introduction of the Regional Coordinated Development Planning of Dianzhong cities. Kunming's agricultural development was found to play an important role in accelerating economic integration and maintaining harmonious economic and social development within the economic circle. The paper put forward relevant policy recommendations.

Jennifer Sumner, Heather Mair, Erin Nelson · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Canada (Ontario)

This paper presents a case study of Fourfold Farm CSA, an urban agriculture exemplar in south-western Ontario, Canada. Analysis of in-depth interviews with CSA members and co-founders revealed that the farm serves as more than just a source of organic food. It links urban food consumers with producers through cultural activities, emphasizing civic engagement and community.