Research & reports

Natalie Hall · · China

This ethnographic research, based on two months of fieldwork in Beijing and Shanghai, investigated alternative food networks in China, including organic farms, farmers' markets, and garden plot rentals. The study argues that these networks exhibit complex and contradictory characteristics, not neatly aligning with either alternative or conventional food systems. The practice of alternativeness is presented as a pragmatic response to food safety uncertainty and declining social trust, rather than an escape from capitalism or a purely transformative agenda.

Jae-Youl Lee · 대한지리학회지 · South Korea (Seoul)

This article examines the concept of 'community' in Seoul's community garden program, comparing how ordinary citizens and civil society activists interpret and practice it. Empirical findings suggest a contestation over community, with ordinary citizens prioritizing place-based experiences and activists viewing community gardens as a governmental technology. A gap between ordinary practical achievements and civic activism poses a potential danger to urban community policy.

Matthew James Kararo, Kathryn Orvis, Neil A. Knobloch · HortTechnology · United States (Indiana)

The "Eat Your Way to Better Health (EYWTBH)" is a garden-based nutrition education program conducted and evaluated for three years in Indiana third-grade classrooms, aiming to educate youth about food sources and healthy eating habits. Participants started and maintained their own school gardens during the 8 to 12-week implementation, with outcomes assessed using pre- and post-program questionnaires. Results indicated that upon program completion, youth reported higher healthy food choice self-efficacy and increased variety in fruit and vegetable consumption.

Tong Zhu · 科研 · China (Tianjin)

This paper briefly describes the meaning and characteristics of urban agriculture and analyzes the practice of "permaculture" ideas in Tianjin's urban agriculture. It argues that urban agriculture can provide public goods and services beyond food, which agricultural production areas cannot offer under a market economy, and can solve many social, economic, and ecological problems arising in urban-rural fringe areas.

Christopher Schliephake · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · South Korea

This essay examines contemporary urbanism's re-negotiation of nature's place in cities, presenting bottom-up and top-down urban agriculture models as alternative approaches to re-embed urban systems in natural cycles. It discusses socio-historical changes in urban landscapes since industrialization and analyzes the cultural urban ecology in South Korean director Hae-jun Lee’s 2009 film "Cast Away on the Moon." The film imaginatively explores these issues, prompting a re-consideration of urban lifestyles and the regenerative potential of working with soil.

Jae-Min Park, Jung-Kwon Choi, Eun-Yeong Park · Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture · South Korea (Seongnam-si)

This study examined urban gardening in Sujin 2-dong, Seongnam-si, South Korea, through on-site inspections and interviews, to find solutions for sustainable urban regeneration. It found that vertical gardens are prevalent due to limited space, with rooftop gardens primarily for production and stair gardens for aesthetic purposes. The study identified six garden locations and noted differences between detached and multi-household houses.

Chieh-Fu Cheng, Simon Chen-Tsang Tsai, Bin-Min Sung · · Taiwan

This study in Hualien, Taiwan, applied social capital theory to investigate how social capital dimensions facilitate the development of community-based organic agriculture, focusing on an experimental green restaurant. Participant observations and in-depth interviews with 7 local organic farmers were conducted. Results revealed that the experimental green restaurant must continually fulfill various social functions (e.g., educator, information platform, resource distributor) and accumulate social capital to extend its internal ties with local farmers into relationships based on mutual trust and reciprocity.

Yong Hyun Kim, Keùn Huh, Moo Ryong Huh · Journal of people, plants, and environment · South Korea

A survey of 275 visitors was conducted at a horticultural exhibition held on the campus of G University in J city, South Gyeongsang Province, from May 2-4, 2016, to analyze satisfaction and revisit intention. Satisfaction with the flower plants section (83.7%) and docent service (78.2%) were highest, and satisfaction with activity experience showed the strongest positive correlation with overall satisfaction (0.659) and revisit intention (0.519).

Hae-Yeon Yoo · International Journal of Smart Home · South Korea (Seoul)

This study evaluated the purpose and method of new facilities for urban farming in neighborhood regeneration during the establishment of the castle village regeneration plan in Seoul's Haengchon District. It examined a method to reduce residents' economic burden and generate profits with neighbors by utilizing unused rooftop spaces of multi-family houses. A prefabricated greenhouse designed for lightness and miniaturization was selected for the rooftop of "Haengchon Lot," the revitalization center of Haengchon-dong.

Byoung-Chan Moon, Yong-tack Kim, Hyoung-seon Lim · Journal of the Korean society of earth science education · South Korea

This study investigated the application of a school garden for creative experience activities in elementary school learning programs, involving 27 fifth and sixth-grade students. A 10-unit lesson program focusing on "rocks in the school garden" was developed and applied. Results showed that the school garden is a valuable teaching/learning field, fostering students' awareness of real-life relevance, affirmative participation, and interest in learning, with most students expressing satisfaction.

刘颂, 潘鸿婷 · 中国城市林业 · China

This review discusses the definition of urban agriculture landscapes, examines the significance and characteristics of creating them, and identifies the need to introduce new technologies into their construction. It summarizes the application of related techniques from three perspectives — habitat construction, vertical (stereoscopic) agriculture, and artistic creation — as a reference for building urban agriculture landscapes that combine productivity, technical refinement, and landscape aesthetics.

Atika Krisnawati · · Indonesia

A descriptive qualitative study of the Elok Mekar Sari farmer group in Semolowaru, Surabaya, Indonesia, examining a model of community empowerment through the concept of urban farming. Surabaya's city government, through its Agriculture Office, launched the urban farming concept for densely built areas lacking large vacant land, and it has spread to 31 districts across the city, including Semolowaru; data were collected via interviews, observation and documentation using purposive sampling and analyzed using the CIPOO (context-input-process-output-outcome) approach. The results show that some elements of the CIPOO approach had not yet been fulfilled, while institutional, management, organizational and empowerment-content aspects were running well, as evidenced by an established work program; the input-process and output-outcome stages were good, evidenced by increased productivity, but the group faced problems of limited human resources and limited production space. As a change agent, the group was assessed to be at "empowerment stage II" — functioning as a partner/companion in implementing community assistance programs, evidenced by continuing empowerment activities and partnerships with both government and private-sector actors.

Wahida Junainah, Sanggar Kanto, Soenyono Soenyono · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Indonesia (Surabaya)

A qualitative case study of the Tegal Makmur farmer group in Kelurahan Keputih, Surabaya, examined the government's Urban Farming Program using structuration theory and participation concepts. It found structural shortcomings in implementation — insufficient water during the dry season and farming techniques mismatched to local RW VIII conditions — and that farmer groups were excluded from planning, making the program essentially top-down; the program has not produced a real impact on poverty reduction, though the researchers rate it about 60% successful based on farmer enthusiasm and extension-worker support.

· International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) · India

A study of the pink hibiscus mealybug (Maconellicoccus hirsutus), documented as a growing urban pest in the agricultural fields of Vadodara, India. Regular visits to agricultural fields and community gardens over two years (April 2013-April 2015) tracked the pest's morphology, biology, distribution, and relation to biotic and abiotic factors, along with damage type and extent on different host plants. Major infestation occurred on Annona squamosa, followed by significant infestation on Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Gossypium hirsutum (cotton), with adult females and nymphs as the main infesting stages and damage peaking in the winter months of November to February. The study also documented a mealybug-ant mutualistic association and noted that the prevailing use of chemical pesticides in the city is a probable reason for the growing mealybug population.

徐正挺 · 合作经济与科技 · China

An article on agricultural innovation within Suzhou's national independent-innovation demonstration zone in Jiangsu province, China, presents Shanghai's modern urban agriculture as a leading example: Shanghai Guoxing Nong company's "Internet+Agriculture" approach uses a "five-ring linkage" business model that integrates agricultural production, technology and services with internet information technology to support the pre-production, production, post-production and sales stages. The article argues that Changshu, which already has a solid agricultural base, should draw on this model and the "Internet+" strategy to build platforms that raise agricultural quality and efficiency.

Moon Byoung Chan, 김용택, 임형선 · Journal of the Korean society of earth science education · South Korea

A program in South Korea developed ten lesson units centered on 'rocks in the school garden,' combining inquiry, debate and cooperative activities, and applied them to 27 fifth- and sixth-grade elementary students in classroom and school-garden settings. Students engaged actively in learning, debate and cooperation because the garden was a familiar environment, recognized that classroom knowledge related to their own lives, and reported interest because the garden setting could be reshaped by their own ideas; most students expressed satisfaction afterward and some suggested additional garden-based programs.

박은희, 유은하, 한경숙, 장윤아, 정순진, 박동금 · · South Korea

Set against the continued growth of urban agriculture, this study analyzed usage patterns among participants in a functional vegetable garden model provided for urban home gardeners, targeting users who actually grow functional home gardens to identify flaws in product type, quantity, ratio and existing problems. The largest group of users had no prior gardening education experience, while growth education supporting gardening activity reached about half; most respondents said they determine planting timing and methods themselves. Vegetables were the main plant type produced in family gardens, kimchi-related vegetables ranked highest in autumn, current flower/herb amounts were considered generally appropriate, and the most common response favored a vegetable:medicinal:flower-herb ratio of 60.5:21.2:18.3.

Christopher Schliephake · Ecozon European Journal of Literature Culture and Environment · South Korea

An essay examines historical and socio-cultural shifts in urban landscapes and their cultural imagery since industrialization, then discusses bottom-up and top-down models of urban agriculture as two alternative attempts to re-embed cities within natural material cycles. It goes on to analyze the cultural urban ecology depicted in South Korean director Hae-jun Lee's film Cast Away on the Moon (2009), raising questions about what place nature holds in cities and whether working the soil can lead to regeneration.

Dong-Gwan Lee, Se-Hwan Cho · Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture · South Korea

A survey of residents in nine autonomous districts of Seoul, South Korea, that had grounds to support urban agriculture activation examined the causal relationship between lifestyle type and preferred urban agriculture activities. The "health-seeking" lifestyle type was significantly associated with downtown-type urban agriculture, such as participating in education programs, planting ornamental crops, and attending urban agriculture expos. The "leisure-activity" type was significantly associated with housing-utilization urban agriculture, such as indoor and apartment-veranda gardening. The "health-seeking" type was also significantly associated with school-education-type and farm/park-type urban agriculture, while the "family-oriented" type was significantly associated with school-education-type urban agriculture. The study positions these findings as baseline data for future urban agriculture activation policy.

Pulliat G. · Articulo – Journal of Urban Research · Vietnam (Hanoi)

Based on qualitative fieldwork with underprivileged households in Hanoi, this paper argues that small-scale urban and peri-urban agriculture provides affordable, safe, and diverse food for low-income residents, while current urbanization policies generate spatial injustice by restricting access to agricultural land.

Soyoung 백소영Baek, Mooyoung 한무영Han · 한국생태환경건축학회 학술발표대회 논문집 · South Korea (Seoul)

A comparative study of a concave green roof and a normal roof was conducted on building #35 at Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea. The study aimed to validate the effects on urban flood mitigation, urban heat island reduction, and food production. The concave green roof demonstrated a 60% reduction in peak flow quantity, a 3-hour delay in peak time, and stored 6.7 tons of rainwater per 140 m². A temperature difference of 27 °C was observed, and the 420 m² green roof for urban agriculture is managed by over 30 households near the campus.

Hanifah Kurniasari · · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This study, using Voice of Customer and Quality Function Deployment methods, investigated consumer behavior in fresh vegetable purchases around the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) Campus in Surabaya, Indonesia, in relation to the ITS Eco Urban Farming Research Project. Findings indicated most consumers shop frequently at traditional markets, and organic vegetables are not a primary choice due to difficulty in finding them and high prices. The research identified 11 prioritized attributes for organic vegetable purchases and suggested several marketing concepts.

Yan Xiaohui · Digital Commons - Lingnan (Lingnan University) · China

This paper presents a lecture by Mr. Yan Xiaohui on Community and Ecological Agriculture, focusing on the experiences and reflections of Little Donkey Farm. The lecture discusses the farm's origins, current activities, and future vision for a shared community.

Haeseon Chu, Eujean Jang, Chun‐Ho Pak · Journal of people, plants, and environment · South Korea

This research investigated the effects of an urban agriculture experience program on family unity, intimacy, and recognition of urban agriculture. The participated group showed a significant increase in family cohesion, unlike the control group, indicating agricultural experiences affected family cohesion. Participants also showed significantly increased recognition of urban agriculture and reported decreased stress, increased family unity, intimacy, and dialogue after the program.

LI Min-q · Zhongnan Linye Keji Daxue xuebao · China

This study explored the interactive relationship between tourists' experience, resource base, and market demand in allotment gardens in China, proposing the Resource-Market-Experience (RME) model for experiential tourism product development. Using Beijing Little Donkey Farm as a case study, the RME model was applied to develop experiential tourism products, offering proposals such as integrating superior resources and focusing on tourist needs.