Research & reports

Anang Suhardianto, Ariyanti Hartari · SAINTEKES Jurnal Sains Teknologi Dan Kesehatan · Global

This study investigated the effect of using biofloc catfish pond water, AB mix solution, and their 1:1 combination for aquaponic cultivation of caisim, pakchoy, and kailan plants. The combination of biofloc pond water and AB mix solution at a 1:1 ratio yielded the highest growth parameters, including plant height, number of leaves, and fresh weight, for all three plant types. The research concluded that biofloc catfish pond water can serve as a substitute for AB mix solution in aquaponic cultivation of caisim, pakchoy, and kailan.

Camilo Espitia · · Argentina (Buenos Aires)

After the 2001 national economic crisis, Buenos Aires, Argentina, faced increased food insecurity due to higher local product prices and difficulties for low-income families. This chapter describes the city's urban development and food security challenges, discussing urban agriculture as a mitigation strategy implemented by Buenos Aires to reduce dependency on national food production. The city uses zoning and land use ordinances, with community engagement, to bring food closer to people.

Jaime Hernández-Garc'a, Tannya Pico Parra · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · South America

This chapter explores Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture (UPA) in Bogotá, Quito, and Lima, three Andean cities, through a transdisciplinary lens. It discusses UPA as a multifunctional nature-based solution for climate change, food scarcity, and inequalities. The chapter examines the potentials and challenges of transdisciplinary projects in these cities, focusing on collaborative culture, conflicting rationalities, socio-ecological transformations, and critical translocalism, and highlights the contribution of diverse knowledge systems, including indigenous local knowledge.

Georges Flexor · Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural · Global

This article explored various technological paths that can emerge in response to rising food prices and the need to preserve land. Based on a diagram analysis of the economic model of technological change, it indicated through specialized literature that the hypotheses derived from the model already exist. It also investigated the potential geopolitical effects of these technological shifts on the global agri-food industry, stating that changes aimed at conserving land must encourage urban food production.

Amiany, Ruben Tinting Sirenden, Ave harysakti · Diteksi · Indonesia (Bukit Tunggal)

In Bukit Tunggal, Indonesia, an urban gardening training program was implemented for housewives aged 30-46 in a densely populated barracks area to enhance family food security. The program involved preparing training modules, providing basic knowledge and practical methods for urban gardening, direct practice, and ongoing assistance. Common vegetable crops grown included mustard greens, spinach, lettuce, kale, and tomatoes, aiming to foster independent planting for household food needs.

Victorine Dréau · EcoRev · Colombia

In Bello Oriente, Medellin, Colombia, displaced peasant communities resist extractivist expansion and neoliberal territorial reconfiguration through practices like urban agriculture, reasserting collective land use. This research reveals a struggle to reclaim land from the control and speculation logics of criminal gangs and urban planning institutions, indicating critical governance issues.

Pooja Krishna Jayakrishnan, Jayalekshmi Gopalakrishnan Nair, Archana Raghavan Sathyan, Ashutosh Jena, Manju Prem Shiva Reddy · Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension Economics & Sociology · India

This study, conducted from 2019 to 2023 in six agro-ecological units of Kerala's Coastal plains, India, assessed the climate resilience of peri-urban agriculture. Researchers developed a Climate Resilience Index (CRI) based on 72 indicators across absorptive, adaptive, and transformative capacities. The mean CRI was 0.563, with absorptive and transformative capacities contributing most, and water sufficiency and sustainable practices identified as key determinants of resilience.

Ianna Louise Araújo Chagas, Nathália Sá Alencar do Amaral Marques, Josimar Gurgel Fernandes · Pesquisa Agropecuária Pernambucana · Brazil (Itapissuma)

This study analyzed the development of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA) and its correlation with food and nutritional security in Itapissuma/PE, Brazil. Using satellite imagery, cartographic bases, geoprocessing software, and semi-structured interviews, the research identified UPA units and collected socioeconomic data. The findings revealed that Itapissuma's UPA receives frequent technical assistance, enabling its development and diversification, and ensuring that the interviewed community does not experience food insecurity.

Diana Hertati · MIMBAR Jurnal Sosial dan Pembangunan · Indonesia

This study investigated the development of urban farming as a strategy to support food security in Indonesia using descriptive and qualitative methods. While the community understands urban farming (P2L), inhibiting factors include perpetrators' lack of technical understanding, insufficient capital, and extreme weather. Local government strongly supports food security policies through urban farming.

Alexandre Túlio Amaral Nascimento, Tais Silva Lomba, Elvira Peruhype de Aguilar, Ana Flávia Ribeiro Evangelista, Henrique Lua Santos Ferreira · REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE AGROECOLOGIA · Brazil (Belo Horizonte)

This study investigated how agroecological urban agriculture production in Belo Horizonte and its metropolitan region utilizes available legal instruments and public policies. The research involved a literature review, identification and contact with local institutions, and an electronic questionnaire that received 34 responses. Findings highlighted the vitality of associations, the importance of national policies (PNAE, PRONAF) and territorial strategies (SPG, CSA), and the relevance of local instruments like Trilha da Agroecologia and Rede Sisal.

Manoj Misra · Culture Agriculture Food and Environment · Canada

A qualitative study of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) participants in the greater Edmonton region of Canada examined how this local food initiative promotes ecological citizenship. The study concluded that discursive and structural limitations prevent the Edmonton CSA community from achieving meaningful diversity and addressing social justice concerns within its realm.

Lisa‐Marie Hemerijckx, Gloria Nsangi Nakyagaba, Hakimu Sseviiri, Katarzyna Janusz, Michelle Eichinger, Shuaib Lwasa, Julian May, Peter H. Verburg, Anton Van Rompaey · npj Urban Sustainability · Uganda

This paper quantitatively analyzed the spatial extent of the food provisioning area for consumers in Kampala, Uganda, using a foodshed lens and primary survey data from households and food vendors. The study found that 50% of food consumed in Kampala originates within a 120 km radius, with 10% coming from within the city itself. Urban agricultural activities are currently twice as important as international imports for the city's food supply. High-income urban dwellers exhibit a more local foodshed due to their broad participation in urban agriculture, whereas low-income newcomers depend significantly on retailers sourcing food from rural Uganda.

Katarzyna Świąder, Dražena Čermak, Danuta Gajewska, Katarzyna Najman, Anna Piotrowska, Eliza Kostyra · Sustainability · Global

This review analyzed opportunities and constraints for creating edible cities and accessing wholesome functional foods sustainably. While urban food production methods like controlled-environment farms and home gardens exist, significant constraints include pollution, a lack of government support, and economic challenges for urban farms. These issues must be resolved for edible cities to become widespread.

Hifni Septina Carolina, Khodijah Khodijah, Suhono · International Journal of Community Engagement Payungi · Indonesia

A service was implemented to provide knowledge to partners from the WES Payungi community in Indonesia about alternative strategies to strengthen family food security through microgreen cultivation. A Community Based Research approach was used, and the activity was carried out in three stages: training, cultivation preparation, and implementation of microgreen cultivation. Through this training, partners became able to practice growing microgreens for themselves and participate in introducing them to a wider community.

Karolina Zubel · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Jordan

This policy paper explores the potential of urban farming in Jordan to address pressing issues of food security, climate-induced risks, and socioeconomic vulnerability in urban centers. Urban farming is identified as a crucial solution to feed vulnerable groups, enhance cities' resilience and employment opportunities, act as a center for community engagement and youth education, and provide ecological benefits. The paper also examines stakeholders' perceptions, beneficiaries, inclusivity in decision-making processes, and governance challenges related to urban farm development.

Asib Ahmed, Nazmun Nahar, Md. Shamim Hossain, Md. Shams Shahriar · Social Science Review · Bangladesh (Dhaka)

This study identified spatio-temporal changes in rooftop gardening (RTG) practices in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area (DMA) between 2016 and 2021, using digitized Google Earth images. The DMA experienced a moderate 15% increase in RTG during this period, with the western part having a larger RTG area than the eastern part. Planned residential areas showed higher RTG areas, while most government/non-government buildings had less RTG across 20 zones and the Dhaka Cantonment area.

Nehiby Alcántara Nieves, Rosa María Larroa Torres · Iztapalapa(en línea)/Iztapalapa · Mexico (Mexico City)

This article identified agroecological practices in 10 urban gardens (hu) in Mexico City and their relationship with the construction of food citizenship. Data was collected through interviews with garden managers and users, and participant observation. The study found a tendency to prioritize responsibilities over rights within these urban gardens.

Liling Huang · Sustainability · Taiwan (Taipei City)

This study analyzed the practice of community gardens and their relevance to urban health and human well-being, using the development process of Jiuzhuang Community Garden in Taipei City as a case study. Using qualitative methods such as participatory observation, focus group discussions, and semi-structured interviews, the study demonstrated co-beneficial relationships and synergistic effects on physical and mental health. This research presents a pathway for community gardens to support place-based health concepts and respond to urban complexity.

Amartya Deb · · Global

This chapter examines the multi-layered social construction of "ambivalent landscapes" in wild green spaces, connecting them to concepts like age-value in heritage conservation and guerrilla gardening. It argues that plant-built assemblages offer novel imaginations of urban nature and contribute to environmental justice. The chapter also explains that the isolation of spontaneous nature on buildings from a city's metabolic processes makes it difficult to value as green infrastructure, yet microsites of wild vegetation hold potential for greening resource-scarce neighborhoods.

Sari Perwita Rahmanti Ignatia, Sunik · ASAWIKA Media Sosialisasi Abdimas Widya Karya · Indonesia

Dissemination activities, demonstrations, and training on organic urban farming were conducted for PKK members in RT 01, RW 04, Balearjosari Village, Blimbing District, Malang City, Indonesia. The initiative aimed to support homemakers in cultivating organic vegetables in their yards to achieve household-level food safety and security. The activities resulted in an increase in participants' knowledge, skills, and ability to apply organic cultivation practices in their respective yards, contributing to family food safety and security.

Valentina Cattivelli · Sustainability · Global

This paper examined people's motives for urban gardening during the pandemic waves of 2020 and 2021 through a literature review. Analyzing relevant articles published from early 2020 to mid-2022, findings revealed that the most widespread motivations were related to personal and community wellbeing, as well as food supply security, including the opportunity to spend time having fun outside the home. Additionally, community resilience emerged as a new motivation not previously detected.

Ibnu Bangkit Bioshina Suryadi, Zahidah Zahidah, Lantun Paradhita Dewanti, Herman Hamdani, Rioaldi Sugandhy · Dharmakarya · Indonesia (Sumedang)

In Tanjungsari Village, Sumedang Regency, Indonesia, the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for affordable, nutritious food. This community service activity introduced an aquaponics system through education and training, aiming to serve as a model for urban farming utilizing limited land. The system, which combines fish and vegetable cultivation, intends to provide villagers with an organic and affordable source of high-protein food.

Charles Achcar Chelala, Cláudia Maria do Socôrro Cruz Fernandes Chelala · DELOS Desarrollo Local Sostenible · Brazil

This article analyzes the urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in Macapá, Amapá, Brazil, focusing on existing commercialization channels to identify the relationship between urban food production and city supply. The study aimed to pinpoint difficulties, limitations, and expansion capacity of UPA. It concludes that despite a diversity of accessible channels for UPA, short commercialization channels like direct sales and open-air markets remain the primary outlets for production, indicating challenges in expanding commercialization beyond these traditional methods.

Agung Prasetyo, Suswadi, Mahananto, Kusriani Prasetyowati, Norbertus Citra Irawan, Teguh Supriyadi, Nadian Nur Aulia, Mustaqim Mustaqim · GANESHA Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia

This community service program in Triyagan Village, Mojolaban District, Sukoharjo Regency, Indonesia, aimed to develop and enhance horticulture cultivation in narrow urban spaces. Using extension, training, and economic analysis, the program found that narrow-land urban agriculture can meet household food needs and reduce food expenses, thereby improving household food security. Participants were able to practice cultivation at home.

Laura Amelia López, Juan Pablo Ayala, Nicoll Yeliltza Parra, Adriana Alejandra Vargas, Juan Sebastián González, John Manuel Silva · Encuentro de Ciencias Básicas · Colombia (Bogotá)

This study presents a project by students from the Catholic University of Colombia, focusing on community-oriented urban agriculture to promote food security in vulnerable populations. An experimental strategy was used, employing a vertical module with an ESP 32 board and sensors to observe variables such as temperature, humidity, and pH. Prototype development, device design, and the production and growth of Batavia lettuce seedlings were achieved, followed by field piloting of the sensor application in community urban farming modules.