Research & reports

E.N. Sabiiti · · Uganda

This paper reviews how agricultural wastes can be utilized to enhance food security and conserve the environment, focusing on developing countries like Uganda. In Kampala, over 1000mt of waste accumulate daily, with only 30% collected. The study highlights that these organic wastes, rich in nutrients, can serve as a bio-resource for smallholder farmers to improve soil nutrient status and crop yields, such as vegetables and maize, and enhance milk production. This approach also reduces environmental pollution and poverty.

Abdullah Adam-Bradford, Duncan McGregor, Dávid Simon · · Ghana (Kumasi)

Rapid urbanization in Kumasi, Ghana, and its peri-urban areas leads to significant pollution and waste disposal problems, exacerbated by rapid growth, poverty, and weak local governance. Waste management services are rarely provided in these peri-urban areas despite increasing settlement densities. Community-based strategies promoting nutrient recycling, such as converting organic waste into compost for urban and peri-urban agriculture, offer opportunities to address these issues.

Nan Wang, Liang Mao, Huang Hai-bo, Jinzhong Zhang, Zhou Pei · PubMed · China (Shanghai)

A study in Orchard Village, Nanhui District, Shanghai, China, continuously monitored total nitrogen and inorganic nitrogen species in surface water to understand temporal and spatial variations. Findings showed that nitrogen spatial distribution is influenced by hydrological periods and land use, with nitrate nitrogen high in orchard-affected water during wet seasons and dissolved organic nitrogen being the main species in May.

Kristen McIvor, Craig Cogger, Sally Brown · Compost Science & Utilization · United States (Tacoma)

A study in Tacoma, Washington, evaluated the effects of two biosolids-based soil products, Tagro and GroCo, on soil physical and chemical properties in three urban community gardens over two growing seasons. Amendments were applied at 200 Mg ha−1 dry weight in the first year, with half receiving an additional 200 Mg ha−1 in the second year. Biosolids did not significantly affect total soil metal concentrations, but increased water infiltration rates from 10.1 ± 0.95 ml min−1 to 51–212 ml min−1, decreased bulk density from 1.07 ± 0.01 g cm−3 to 0.51–0.77 g cm−3, and increased total carbon, nitrogen, and available phosphorus. Biosolids addition also decreased soil pH from 6.43 to 5.35–5.75.

Lucien Armel Awah Manga, D. Kovačević · · Cameroon

Using survey data collected by the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) among urban-farming households in the lowland area of Yaounde, Cameroon, a multinomial logit model analyzed the factors affecting choice of solid waste disposal method. Household size and accessibility of the residential area increased the probability of choosing municipal infrastructure (bins and garbage trucks) over recycling or illegal dumping, while longer years of residence, more agricultural experience, and greater distance to communal containers promoted illegal dumping or recycling instead. Given low waste-collection rates in the area, the study recommends building waste transfer stations in or near the lowland areas to support both household waste management and farming activities.

Rolando León Aguilar, Ramón Liriano González, Dania Bárbara Núñez Sosa · Centro agrícola · Cuba

A study at the intensive garden of the Universidad de Matanzas in Cuba evaluated the effect of organic matter and vegetative ground cover on water resource sustainability for urban agriculture, growing lettuce and cucumber. Using a randomized block design with six treatments and five replicates, soil moisture content and yield components were measured and analyzed with Tukey's test at 95% confidence; organic matter and vegetative cover increased soil water content and retention by more than 10% compared with bare soil, and both applied singly or combined produced a positive response in the yield components of lettuce and cucumber.

P. W. Mashela, K. M. Pofu, B. Nzanza · Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica Section B - Soil & Plant Science · Global

To test whether cabbage (Brassica oleracea) leaves -- widely available as market waste in peri-urban agriculture -- could be used in a ground leaching technology (GLT) system to manage root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) and improve tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) growth, researchers ran a 2x2x2 factorial experiment combining Bacillus species, Brassica leaf extract, and nematode presence across two seasons under microplot conditions. At harvest, the Bacillus x Brassica x nematode interaction reduced final nematode population density, fresh fruit yield, dry shoot mass, plant height, and stem diameter, while the Bacillus x Brassica interaction increased tomato growth variables; Brassica alone reduced tomato productivity, and overall the extract's efficacy depended on microbial activity, leading the authors to conclude the material was not suitable for use in GLT systems.

Muhammad Ali Memon · Apple Academic Press eBooks · Global

A book chapter (2012, no specific region) on Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) based on the 3R approach (reduce, reuse, recycle) discusses optimizing waste management across all waste-generating sectors — municipal, construction and demolition, industrial, urban agriculture, and healthcare facilities — and all stakeholders, including generators, service providers, regulators, government, and communities. It traces solid waste management (SWM) from an original focus on reducing public health risk, to a later environmental focus, to a more recent emphasis on resource conservation and recovery under the 3R approach, and describes the ISWM concept — streamlining source separation, collection and transport, transfer/material recovery, treatment/resource recovery, and final disposal — as expanding under UN Environment Programme promotion from its original municipal solid waste management (MSWM) scope to cover all waste-generating sectors.

Chinedu Agbakoba, Funmilayo Olayiwala · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Nigeria

A paper framed as addressing a research gap on eco-friendly pesticide use strategies among urban farmers in Lagos State, Nigeria, health impacts, and environmental protection (2012) states that it conducted a structured literature review with thematic synthesis of key findings. However, the abstract's actual content is limited to generic mathematical-formalism language — establishing "bounded error under perturbation," a "convergent estimation process under stated assumptions," a "stable link between the proposed metric and observed outcomes," and an empirical specification described as a linear regression form (Y expressed as a linear function of X plus an error term) — and does not report specific data or results on actual pesticide practices, measured health impacts, or environmental protection outcomes among Lagos urban farmers. It closes by calling on stakeholders to prioritize inclusive, locally grounded strategies and improve data transparency.

Euclides Reuter de Oliveira, Luiz Menini Neto · Revista Brasileira de Plantas Medicinais · Brazil

An ethnobotanical survey in the Manejo settlement of Lima Duarte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, interviewed residents about medicinal plants they cultivate or use. Across 41 household visits, residents cited 100 different medicinal plant species, mostly grown in home yards along with some native to the region; specimens were deposited in the CESJ herbarium at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora. The most frequently cited species included Mentha sp., Lippia alba, and Foeniculum vulgare, used mainly for colds, stomach ailments, menstrual cramps, uterine infections, intestinal worms, kidney problems, and anxiety/stress, with leaves the most-used plant part and infusion teas the most common preparation. The study suggests that establishing a community garden in the settlement could help valorize medicinal plant knowledge, particularly its transmission to younger generations.

Oranjezicht City Farm · Oranjezicht City Farm (OZCF) · South Africa

Founded in 2012, Oranjezicht City Farm (OZCF) is an organic urban farm and market in Cape Town, South Africa. Alongside a weekend market selling certified organic produce, it runs volunteer programmes, workshops and farm tours to build local food culture and community. In December 2025 the market relocated to the V&A Waterfront.

Koont S. · University Press of Florida (Contemporary Cuba series) · Cuba

This book provides a comprehensive account of Cuba's world-leading sustainable urban agriculture program, documenting a thousand-fold increase in urban agricultural output since 1994 and analyzing how government organizational infrastructure and human capital investment enabled this transformation.

Simon Mariwah, Jan-Olof Drangert · Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy · Ghana

A study in a peri-urban agricultural community in Ghana explored attitudes towards sanitized human excreta as fertilizer, collecting data from 154 households. It found a general negative attitude towards fresh excreta and its handling. While residents accepted excreta could be used as fertilizer, they were unwilling to use it on their own crops or consume such fertilized crops.

Zikrullah Safi, Martina Předotová, Eva Schlecht, Andreas Buerkert · Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science · Afghanistan (Kabul)

A two-year study in Kabul, Afghanistan, measured horizontal flows of C, N, P, and K, and leaching losses of N and P in 21 vegetable gardens, 18 cereal fields, and vineyards. The findings suggest that soils in extensive cereal fields are at risk of N and K depletion, vegetable gardens face K depletion, and vineyards may be oversupplied with nutrients, potentially contributing to groundwater contamination. These results merit verification.

Richard Oram · Stirling Online Research Repository (University of Stirling) · United Kingdom

This paper reviews geoarchaeological evidence and analyzes documentary records from 17 Scottish burghs to explore waste management and peri-urban agriculture in early modern Scotland. The study illustrates the central role of urban waste as manure in burgess agriculture. Burgh regulations revealed changing cultural attitudes towards waste in the 17th and 18th centuries, but urban waste remained in demand as fertilizer in the hinterland of many Scottish towns until the late 19th century.

Ácacio Figueirêdo Neto, Silvana Belém de Oliveira, Marcos Santos Lima, Mariana Rocha Amorim, Raquel Mota Figueiredo · Revista Semiárido De Visu · Brazil (Petrolina)

This study evaluated the effect of organic compost on the cultivation of "Brasília" carrots and their post-harvest characteristics in a community garden in Petrolina, Brazil. Experiments used compost made from 40% cured goat manure and 60% plant residues. Carrots were harvested 92 days after sowing and analyzed for moisture, soluble solids, titratable acidity, carotenoids, and pulp firmness. Statistical analysis showed significant differences in key physicochemical characteristics between treatments, suggesting organic compost is a promising tool for maintaining carrot quality and nutritional content post-harvest.

Zhou Pei · Acta Scientiae Circumstantiae · China (Shanghai)

This study analyzed surface soil samples (0-20 cm depth) from a peach orchard in Nanhui, Shanghai, to understand the spatial distribution of soil nitrogen (TN, NO3-N, NH4-N). It found that NH4-N content varied more than NO3-N and TN, with TN and NH4-N variations being higher than NO3-N. Spatial correlation for these elements was moderately interdependent up to approximately 740 meters, with NO3-N and NH4-N showing patchy distributions and higher concentrations near the village, while TN had distinct high concentration areas in the east.

Eckhard Hein, TW Kabore, A. Bilgo, SN Sall, Dominique Massé · International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)

This study evaluated the impact of untreated municipal solid waste (MSW) on soil properties in peri-urban agricultural fields near Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Soils receiving MSW for 7 to 20 years showed up to a two-fold increase in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content, with older fields having higher increases. While microbial biomass was significantly higher in MSW-fertilized soils, microbial activity and catabolic diversity were not significantly different.

Tim Pannkuk, Jacqueline A. Aitkenhead‐Peterson, Kurt Steinke, James C. Thomas, David R. Chalmers, Richard H. White · HortScience · United States (Texas)

This experiment quantified nutrient concentrations and fluxes in leachate from single- and mixed-species urban landscapes at two Texas sites with different irrigation water chemistry. Plant species significantly affected phosphate flux, and irrigation chemistry significantly affected all nutrient fluxes. An interaction between plant species and irrigation chemistry was found for phosphate flux.

Nafiu Abdu, John O. Agbenin, Andreas Buerkert · Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science · Nigeria (Kano)

A study evaluated the distribution and origin of trace elements (Ti, Fe, Nb, Pb, Rb, Sr, Y, and Zr) in five long-term wastewater-irrigated urban vegetable gardens in Kano, Nigeria. Surface soil concentrations of Ti, Fe, Pb, and Y were high compared to comparable soils elsewhere, but soil pollution assessment yielded no evidence of anthropogenic input of the studied trace elements. Enrichment factor, contamination factor, and geoaccumulation index (Igeo) revealed little to no contamination with trace elements.

L Ndiaye M, Y Dieng, S. Niang, Rak H, Mauro Tonolla, Raffaele Peduzzi · African Journal of Microbiology Research · Senegal (Dakar)

A survey in Dakar, Senegal, assessed the effect of irrigation water quality on Salmonella spp. incidence in lettuce. Microbiological analysis revealed that 35% of irrigation water was contaminated by Salmonella spp., with no significant difference between groundwater and wastewater. Lettuce from Dalifort and Grand-Yoff markets showed significantly higher contamination rates than those from Sham and Zinc markets. The study concluded that irrigation water and manure are potential sources of contamination, and lettuce may serve as a vector for pathogen transmission to consumers.

Marie-Christine Zélem, Zelem, Marie-Christine · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Senegal (Dakar)

This study identifies numerous constraints hindering the widespread adoption of organic waste utilization in agriculture in the peri-urban area of Dakar, Senegal. These constraints include the nature, availability, and accessibility of organic waste, poorly controlled urbanization, effects of seasonal variation, resistance to changes, and medical risks. The project, which combines agriculture with city waste management, faces these challenges.

Mikhaela Mullins · Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · United States (Lincoln)

This case study at Saratoga Elementary School in Lincoln, Nebraska, aimed to identify children's desires for a garden space. A school garden was constructed, and an after-school garden club was implemented, where participating students drew their ideal gardens. Elements from these drawings were categorized as 'highly desired' or 'somewhat desired' and subsequently integrated into a proposed garden design plan for Saratoga, which utilizes Permaculture design methods for sustainability.

Renato Teixeira de Oliveira · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil (Fortaleza)

This experiment, conducted at the Urban Agriculture Teaching and Research Center of the Federal University of Ceará in Fortaleza, Brazil, evaluated the influence of different container sizes and substrates on andiroba seedling development. Seedlings grown in 24.6 L polyethylene bags showed statistically superior aerial part height, collar diameter, main root length, and dry mass of aerial part and root system compared to those produced in smaller bags after 190 days. Dry masses of the aerial part and roots were also greater for seedlings developed in the substrate containing earthworm humus.

Bayani M. Espiritu · Journal of the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences · Asia

This study investigated the effects of microbially inoculated compost on mungbean and pechay growth in container media. Compost from coconut coir dust and chicken manure was inoculated with nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Azotobacter sp.) and/or cellulolytic fungi (Trichoderma harzianum). Mungbean plants supplied with uninoculated compost showed the lowest fresh biomass and nodule count, while compost with combined Azotobacter sp. and T. harzianum inoculation significantly increased fresh biomass and nodule numbers in mungbean, and showed similar positive results for pechay.