Research & reports

Brînduşa Bîrhală, Judith Möllers, Bîrhală, Brînduşa, Möllers, Judith · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Romania

This study investigated Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Romania, focusing on costs and benefits for both farmers and consumers in three pioneering CSA groups offering organic vegetables to contracted consumers in the western part of the country. It found that consumers are typically urban dwellers with higher education and income, prioritizing organic-quality fresh products over solidarity, which is a value aspired by the initiating NGO. Farmers' main motivation for CSA involvement is the need for a stable market with fair prices, indicating that both parties use CSA to compensate for market failures.

Ávila Martínez, Yury Carolina · · Global

The Women Entrepreneurs Marie Poussepin Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes entrepreneur training in both product and service lines, currently supporting women through courses and workshops to develop as entrepreneurs in the urban agriculture and ecological art lines (2014). This project focused on creating a cost structure that would be easy to understand, complete and workable for both the foundation and the women entrepreneurs, addressing a latent and visible need, since it had been unclear how much value vegetable production actually generated.

이숙미, Kim In Ho · · Global

Aiming to develop approaches for enhancing the self-support capability of vulnerable groups, this study analyzed foreign cases in which urban agriculture activities were used for self-support. The analysis classified urban agriculture activities into four types depending on participants' level of self-support capability and employment status: a healing type that helps mind and body recover through engagement, a self-consumption type that supports healthy eating and cuts food expenses, a social-relation type built around interaction with the community, and an occupation type providing jobs and income through production activities.

Annika Carlsson‐Kanyama, Eva-Lotta Thunqvist, Tore J Larsson · KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) · Sweden

A report from a project called "The sustainable greenhouse as a complement to buildings," funded by Sweden's Delegation for Sustainable Cities, describes solutions for cultivating under roofs in or close to dwellings that researchers, consultants, and students developed, tested, and evaluated during 2013. These included a plot in a rooftop greenhouse, a circular cultivation balcony, and kitchen or living-room cultivation using combined fish-and-vegetable furniture, a green wall, a green lamp, or a wall-mounted green frame, preceded by a literature survey of examples from cities worldwide. The results show many inspiring international examples of cultivating under roofs and some momentum behind the practice, but the practical trials found that while urban agriculture seemed challenging and appealing to many, the tested solutions tended to be too expensive and too time-consuming; people who liked cultivating did so because it was enjoyable and produced good-quality crops, and while reducing environmental impact was also cited as a motivation, the trials indicated productivity would need to be higher than what was achieved for the products to be considered "climate-friendly." Growing fish at home proved unpopular, with many participants finding the idea of slaughtering the fish themselves unpleasant. Other project outputs included four prototype water-cooled LED lamps installed in a fish-and-vegetable production unit and drawings and cost estimates for a cultivation bench; further study is proposed on light and nutrient requirements and productivity measurements for under-roof cultivation, along with lower-cost glass-cultivation solutions.

William Gustave · Issue Lab (Candid) · Haiti

An Oxfam Effectiveness Review (2013/14 series), conducted in February–March 2014, assessing how well a small-scale urban farming project in Port-au-Prince, Haiti met Oxfam's own accountability standards. The project operated in three urban districts within Carrefour Feuilles, one of Port-au-Prince's most densely populated areas and one severely affected by the 2010 earthquake, which killed many residents and destroyed most inhabitants' income sources; it aimed to improve food security for vulnerable households there. The review examined accountability to partners and communities along three dimensions—transparency, feedback/listening, and participation—and also asked about partnership practices, staff attitudes, and satisfaction with the project's usefulness and use of funds.

Saverio Miccoli, Fabrizio Finucci, Rocco Murro · Sustainability · Global

Focused on cities such as Detroit, Seattle, San Francisco, London, and Paris that have undergone regeneration since the 2007 economic crisis, this paper proposes planning methods for an organized, multifunctional "agro-urban system" incorporating urban agriculture (UA). It presents a "deliberative monetary appraisal" methodology combining economic valuation based on hypothetical scenarios with direct, inclusive, dialogic approaches, offering an overview of UA's characteristics and problems, methodological elements for planning an agro-urban system, and guidelines for a deliberative appraisal procedure; the paper does not report an empirical application of the method.

Sotamenou J., Parrot L. · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Cameroon (Yaoundé, Bafoussam)

A survey of 242 urban farmers in Yaoundé and Bafoussam found that 36% adopted compost (alone or mixed with inorganic fertilizers), with compost uptake driven by fertilizer expenditure, vegetable production scale, land ownership, and farm distance. The study provides policy insights for sustainable soil management in Cameroonian urban agriculture.

Soraya Pourjavid, Hassan Sadighi, Hossein Shabanali Fami · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Iran (Tehran)

This study identified constraints affecting urban agriculture in Tehran, Iran, by surveying 320 city dwellers across 22 municipal districts. The most important constraints identified were "high start-up costs" and "lack of knowledge among managers and authorities." Factor analysis revealed seven factors explaining 67.36% of the variance, including financial-economic and technical aspects.

Wakuru Magigi · Journal of Environmental Protection · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

This paper explores Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, demonstrating that urban agriculture provides urban ecosystem services and contributes to environmental sustainability. The study highlights the interconnections of environmental justice, urban ecosystem services, and climate change, which influence land governance and productivity. It suggests that with increasing population, a clear spatial land use planning and management strategy is required to enhance food systems and urban environmental sustainability in rapidly urbanizing cities.

“Biopolis” Biopolicy for Greener and More Livable Cities · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global

This article proposes a "biopolis" model, supported by biopolicy principles, for sustainable urban management. It suggests that this model can lead to coordinated actions that limit emissions, expand green spaces, protect waterways, and encourage urban farming. The biopolis model aims to enhance cultural development, create green jobs, and promote educational opportunities, contributing to healthier and more livable cities.

Robert Garey Stewart, Marcel Korth, Laurenz Langer, Shannon Rafferty, N Rebelo Da Silva · · Global

This paper is a protocol for a systematic review on the impacts of urban agriculture programs on food security and nutrition in low and middle-income countries. It notes potential disadvantages of urban agriculture, including contamination, spread of diseases, depletion of water supplies, soil erosion, and health risks from pesticides. The review aims to identify, appraise, and synthesize evidence on these impacts comprehensively and transparently, given that the existing evidence-base is not well understood.

Josiah Taru, Hardlife Stephen Basure · Russian Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences · Zimbabwe (Harare)

This study applied Norman Long's interface analysis to understand the causes of conflicts and struggles among urban agriculture (UA) actors in Kuwadzana Extension, Harare. Intensified competition for scarce land and water escalated conflicts, particularly in off-plot agriculture due to its contentious nature outside institutional frameworks. Actors with different power bases used them to dispossess and marginalize others. Conflict resolution mechanisms (mediation, litigation, conciliation) often lacked legal binding or institutional backing, tending to generate more disputes.

Duncan Hilchey · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global

This open call edition of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development features diverse topics including beef origin traceability, cultural sustainability, rural food deserts, climate variability and adaptations, food safety regulations, urban agriculture, and food waste. These topics reflect the enormous diversity of the nascent field of food systems.

Christine Aubry · Bulletin de l Association de géographes français · Global

This article explores the specificities and convergences of urban agriculture's food functions in both Northern and Southern contexts. It presents a general multi-criteria reflection on urban farming operations, considering their operating systems, cultivation systems, and locations. Examples from Antananarivo, Madagascar, and Île-de-France illustrate these differences and convergences in practice.

Md. Habibur Rahman, Mizanur Rahman, Md. Mostafa Kamal, Md. Jasim Uddin, Most. Jannatul Fardusi, Bishwajit Roy · Journal of Forest and Environmental Science · Bangladesh

This study analyzed rooftop gardening in Sylhet City Corporation, Bangladesh, from July-September 2010, collecting data from 450 gardeners. Findings showed rooftop gardening was primarily for mental satisfaction (95.3%) and leisure (87.8%), with middle-income classes most interested (43.78%). The survey recorded 53 plant species, and while few gardeners considered it commercial, cost-return analysis suggested economic viability with proper management.

R. van Veenhuizen, G. de Bruijne, Miriam Otoo · Documents & Reports (World Bank) · Global

This paper explores sustainable financing for urban agriculture, particularly as part of the sanitation value chain. Financing is considered from two perspectives: an adequate mix of public, private, and local finance to avoid external funding dependency, and the purpose of investment focusing on value chains in the sanitation and (peri)urban agricultural sectors. The emphasis is on exploring financing options for urban agriculture through the valorization of urban waste, aiming for clear beneficial impacts on the urban and peri-urban agricultural sector.

Rodrigo Paúl Cabrera Verdezoto, María Oyarzún, Rodrigo A Echeverría Pezoa, Carlos A. Amtmann Moyano · Idesia · Chile (Valdivia)

This research identified factors influencing the settlement of urban agricultural enterprises in Valdivia, Chile, and characterized the profile of these entrepreneurs. A sample of 28 urban farmers, identified via snowball sampling, was surveyed. The most significant factor in the settlement process was the inclusion of previously rural areas now at the urban limits (53.57%). The average age of urban farmers was 54 years, and 61% were women.

Hamid El Bilali, Siniša Berjan, Jasmina Simic, Aleksandra Despotović, Sabrija Čadro, M. Kulina · Journal of Central European Agriculture · Bosnia

This study investigated urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in the Sarajevo region of Bosnia, focusing on its legal and regulatory framework, governance, and advisory services. Information was gathered through a literature review and semi-structured interviews with 30 urban gardeners, extension agents, and municipal officers. The analysis covered UPA references in agricultural policies, extension agent focus, and urban planning regulations, concluding that UPA development requires improvements in regulatory frameworks and multi-stakeholder governance.

Camilo Villagrán Oyarzún, Ken Yan Qiu Sun · Revista de Urbanismo · Chile (Santiago de Chile)

This 2013 study investigated the challenges of integrating urban agriculture into Communal Regulatory Plans in Santiago de Chile. Analyzing two case studies in different metropolitan communes, the research inferred the general state of urban agriculture's inclusion in urban planning. The findings implicitly suggest difficulties in its integration, highlighting the need for improved governance in urban planning to effectively incorporate urban agriculture.

Miguel Lorente · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Global

This paper describes the recent social movement promoting urban gardens as sources of leisure, social interaction, and healthy self-consumption food. Factors such as environmental awareness, increased unemployment, physical exercise for retirees, the pleasure of producing one's own food, and trends are contributing to the creation of small vegetable gardens in and around cities. This small-scale activity allows urban populations to discover and understand the role of agriculture.

Terri Evans, Christiana Miewald · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global

Community gardens and other local food initiatives are insufficient strategies to replace the quantity and efficiency provided by contemporary globalized food systems for supplying cheap food to urban populations.

Jana Adamková · Brno University of Technology Digital Library (Brno University of Technology) · Global

This article discusses how productive gardens, historically integral to cities, have been disappearing from urban structures in recent years. As urban agglomerations and their resource uses become dominant, cities increasingly depend on external food supplies. The article highlights the importance of gardens for humans and the role of productive urban space in creating a viable urban environment. It states that as the world urbanizes, urban agriculture plays an important role in contributing to the sustainability of cities in spatial, socio-economic, and environmental ways.

Jeong Im Hwang, Yoon Ji Choi, Bo Gyung Jang · The Korean Journal of Community Living Science · Global

This study segmented urban farming patterns and analyzed preferences using two-step cluster analysis, chi-square analysis, and ANOVA, based on face-to-face surveys from 9 urban farms. Three clusters were identified: 'hobby-oriented farming', 'producing-oriented farming', and 'multipurpose farming'. Significant differences were found among these groups regarding age, presence of children under 14, household income, and housing type, indicating that urbanites' farming patterns vary with socio-demographic profiles.

Adrian Atkinson · City · Global

This paper analyzes the background to the rapid growth of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) globally over the past three decades. It notes that while food security is a primary consideration in many cities, UPA initiatives are driven by many other concerns, motivations, starting points, and organizational means.

Jana Adamková · Brno University of Technology Digital Library (Brno University of Technology) · Global

This paper discusses urban agriculture as an indisputable part of cities throughout history. It highlights urban agriculture as an important subject for improving city sustainability, enhancing food security, and reducing urban poverty. The study suggests that understanding its evolution could yield valuable information.