Research & reports

Andrew Butt · Economic Papers A journal of applied economics and policy · Australia

This article reviews changes in farm output and structure in peri-urban regions around Australia's cities. It concludes that farming in these regions is changing differently from other agricultural regions, with productivity centered on a few high-value activities. The majority of peri-urban farming, while potentially providing landscape services, is unable to adjust to changing productivity regimes, creating vulnerabilities for these farming systems.

Shoaib Ur Rehman, Martina Předotová, Iqar Ahmad Khan, Eva Schlecht, Buerkert, Andreas · GoeScholar The Publication Server of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen) · Pakistan

A baseline survey conducted in Faisalabad, Pakistan, from 2009–2010 studied 140 households to characterize urban and peri-urban agricultural (UPA) systems. Findings showed 96% of households relied on agriculture, with 70% of heads having primary education. Farmers cultivated 35 species, predominantly vegetables (65%), and faced major problems including scarcity of high-quality irrigation water and inadequate mineral fertilizers. Half of the respondents earned less than US$1.25 daily.

Benjamin Kerrick · The Knowledge Bank (The Ohio State University) · Global

This research aimed to understand how vacant land resources vary by ownership and urbanization, studying over one hundred sites in seven central Ohio counties around Columbus. GIS-based classification identified publicly and privately owned vacant land suitable for vegetable production. No appreciable differences were found between publicly and privately owned land in terms of parcel size, perimeter-area ratio, or quality; however, privately owned land was more prevalent and, when present, tended to occur in greater quantities.

Lindsey Sarann Hallock · · Global

This paper examines the rise of vertical farms, arguing that they advance the corporate food regime and promote urban elite consumption. It differentiates vertical farms as local food projects that reproduce the capitalist industrial system rather than challenging it, facilitated by devalued built environments and labor surplus in neoliberal cities. The study concludes that these farms reproduce troubling trends in the corporate food regime, signifying capital's ability to standardize food cultivation and incorporate it into factory-like production systems.

Atănăsoaie George Sebastian · Annals - Economy Series · Global

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms are an alternative to conventional agriculture but face numerous policy issues related to product, price, distribution, and promotion. A literature review indicated that farmers need to offer more flexible basket content in terms of quantity and product type, and consumers require information on product preparation and preservation. To offset the negative impact of high prices, measures such as cost reduction, flexible payment rescheduling, and compensation for financial resource deficits are necessary.

Anushiya Shrestha, Rajesh Sada · · Nepal (Kathmandu)

Climate change and its impacts on peri-urban agriculture were investigated in four peri-urban villages in the Kathmandu valley, Nepal. Temperature showed an increasing trend, while rainfall was erratic with no distinct pattern. These changes primarily had negative impacts on agriculture, leading to increased crop pests and diseases and a decline in crop production.

Catherine Closson · · Belgium (Brussels)

A study assessed the job creation potential of urban agriculture in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. Etterbeek residents are struggling to transition from theory to practice. While professional integration has not yet been achieved, the social dynamic around the vegetable gardens is proving effective.

Alec Thornton · · South Pacific

This abstract links urban agriculture and local food production to food security and development in the South Pacific.

Zhu Qi-jiu · Anhui nongye kexue · Global

This paper discusses the fusion of urban agriculture, ecotourism, and cultural innovation as a necessary approach for industrial upgrading, value creation, and income improvement in suburban areas. It outlines four methods for this fusion: government-led corporate development, market-guided corporate management with government support, market and policy-guided collective development, and individual development with villager participation based on government-provided infrastructure. The paper suggests that different villages and towns should adopt the most suitable route based on local conditions.

Kynda R. Curtis, Voravee Chakreeyarat, J. Dominique Gumirakiza · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · Global

The concept of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, also known as Subscription Farming, first originated in Japan in the 1960s. This concept was later introduced to the U.S. in the 1980s.

M Cate Christ · · Singapore

This paper presents Singapore as a case study for the increasing importance of taking a commons perspective on food supply and security, as Singapore is a net-food importing country, importing 90% of its food from limited sources. The paper focuses on actions to diversify food sources, increase local food production, and promote food and agro-based industry, research, and development. In the context of a highly urbanized population with limited land and natural resources, it traces the recent history of food security policies and actions in Singapore regarding increased local production and examines several case studies demonstrating the development of research, technology, and community resources for urban agricultural production.

Benjamin Carl Kerrick · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · Global

Urban growth in the 20th and 21st centuries has increased urban food demand while diminishing agricultural production areas around cities. Urban agriculture can expand food access, engage urban dwellers in food production, and utilize unused urban lots. Idle or vacant land, both public and private, represents an important resource for this purpose.

Hamidreza Pourkhabbaz, Javanmardi Saeedeh, Yavari Ahmad Reza, H A Faraji Sabokbar · · Iran

This paper presented an integrated DEMATEL and ANP technique to evaluate land for peri-urban agriculture in the Qazvin Plain, Iran. Ecological word model, slope, climatic soil properties, water resources, and vegetation density were chosen as major factors and evaluated using a Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) model. Results confirmed six classes of agricultural land use, indicating that northern parts are not suitable for agriculture development. However, 98,598.20 hectares of polygons were determined to be extremely to medium suitable for agriculture.

Pian Pian Wang, John G. Nevius · Environmental Claims Journal · Global

This article discusses the role of insurance in promoting urban agriculture, which is increasingly important due to population density and climate change. It suggests that insurance, public policy, and land use law must be combined with financial support to help urban agricultural initiatives flourish. The article proposes adjusting existing insurance, establishing local programs, and incorporating risk analysis into urban land use planning to encourage urban agriculture.

Corey James Majeika, Raymond P Stockwell, Shawn A Czerniak · Digital WPI · Global

This study conducted 13 in-depth interviews with farmers to assess their perceptions of Freight Farms, a company growing leafy greens and basil in adapted shipping containers. Most farmers doubted the economic feasibility of Freight Farms, questioned its technologies, and noted the lack of organic certification.

Philani Moyo · Journal of Human Ecology · Zimbabwe

This study qualitatively examined the role and contribution of urban agriculture to household food security, employment creation, and income generation among low-income working-class and urban poor households in Bulawayo townships, Zimbabwe. It was found that urban food production significantly contributes to household food access and security, improving dietary diversity and nutritional intake. However, the potential of urban agriculture is constrained by factors including land tenure insecurity, erratic water access, small plot sizes, inadequate capital for optimizing plot productivity, and ambivalent application of urban land-use laws.

Priyanie Amerasinghe, Vajira Hettige, K. V. A. H. P. Wijenayake · Documents & Reports (World Bank) · Sri Lanka

Agricultural development for food, nutrition, and livelihood security is a high political priority in Sri Lanka. National priorities include developing food-secure and resilient cities, with the Western Province initiating its urban agriculture campaign in 2000.

Danfeng Huang · Journal of Changjiang Vegetables · Global

This paper discussed the importance of intensive vegetable production in urban agriculture, highlighting its role in guaranteeing the supply, quality, and safety of fresh vegetables. It summarized key aspects of intensive production, including industrialized seedling production, facility production, efficient cultivation, postharvest processing, and commercial management, but also presented environmental problems and restricting factors in the development of intensive vegetable production.

Michael R. Hoadley · Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) · Global

A talk by Michael Hoadley, founder of Chicago firm Fewzion, discussed challenges in vertical farming and controlled environment agriculture. The presentation emphasized the importance of framing discussions within the context of economically self-sustainable models, free of dependence on policy subsidy and philanthropy. This highlights concerns about policymakers' over-zealous view of urban agriculture as a panacea for social ills.

Heather Mackay Niittylä · · Ghana

This thesis mapped and investigated the form and function of urban agriculture in two intermediate-sized cities in Ghana. It examined the contribution to farming households' food security.

Carol Posthumus · SABI Magazine - Tydskrif · Global

Discussions about providing nutritious food for a growing population often include agricultural growth, focusing on both the quantity and quality of food produced. An emphasis is also placed on the growth of smallholder farmers, particularly women farmers, as a solution for future food provision.

Ivan Sarjanović · Geoadria · Croatia

An online questionnaire was administered to 46 group members and 5 farmers to investigate the functioning of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups in Croatia and the socio-economic characteristics of their members and collaborating farmers. The survey confirmed that CSA group members are younger, highly educated individuals living in large cities or urbanized regions (Zagreb, Kvarner, Istria), driven by eco-social motives such as ecological consciousness, healthy food, and cooperation. Farmers collaborating with CSA groups practice ecological agriculture on farms smaller than the Croatian average, and they cooperate due to easier product sales and the positive effect on their income and local community involvement.

Krešimir Škuljević · · Croatia

This study addresses the topic of student economy and school gardens in Croatia between 1848 and 1880. With a special focus on the school in Sibinj, the effects of legal changes and problems in their implementation were examined. It is noted that existing literature rarely elaborates on related concepts such as teachers' obligations and rights, characteristics of school gardens, the role of local political administration, and the purpose of gardens.

Andrew Flachs · Journal of Ecological Anthropology · Global

This paper demonstrates that ethnographers can gain a more effective qualitative understanding of community gardens by volunteering as gardeners. Volunteering helps researchers access various aspects of the garden community. It also offers an anthropological perspective on the common idea that many individuals join community gardens solely for economic benefits.

Simon Underhill, Underhill, Simon · Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development · Cambodia

This paper reported on trends in urban agriculture (rice, vegetables, cattle, swine, and poultry) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, since 1993. Approximately 20% (125 square kilometers) of the municipal area of Phnom Penh is used for agriculture, supporting nearly 300,000 livestock. Between 1993 and 2011, livestock populations declined but increased in 2011, while vegetable production and cultivated area decreased, and rice production increased.