Research & reports

NUR HUZEIMA MOHD HUSSAIN, HUGH BYRD · Jurnal Antarabangsa Alam dan Tamadun Melayu · Malaysia

This paper questions whether Malaysia is experiencing de-urbanization, or a return to a new form of rural life, following rapid urbanization and a shift from an agricultural to a manufacturing-dependent society. It notes that urban growth has increased demand for resources, while recent debates on oil depletion and economic decline have prompted discussions about urban and peri-urban food production. The study explores the emerging decentralization of cities and population in Malaysia.

Isbat Uzzin Nadhori, Ahmad Ahsan · JAICT · Global

This paper proposes an information technology system to manage the supply chain of perishable products in urban farming. The system aims to increase the availability of fruits and vegetables for urban residents by shortening the distance between farmers and consumers. It enables all supply chain members, including producers, distribution centers, administrators, retailers, and consumers, to access and manage relevant information, thereby facilitating easier and faster planning of planting schedules, product selection, harvest schedules, and request fulfillment.

Ellen Kohl, John A. Knox · Weather Climate and Society · United States (Georgia)

This paper examines the relationship between scientific definitions of drought and water management politics, using a case study of the 2007–09 drought in Georgia, USA. Data from archival research, direct observation, and interviews with urban agricultural sector members, environmental regulators, and government officials revealed how stakeholders produced and utilized multiple understandings of drought. The study found that stakeholders can leverage drought complexity to achieve political goals and alter water management, as demonstrated by the green industry in Georgia in 2009.

P. Antwi Agyei, Jeroen H. J. Ensink · Journal of Science and Technology (Ghana) · Ghana (Accra)

A study in Accra, Ghana, from September 2012 to August 2013, analyzed 323 soil and irrigation water samples and 501 produce samples for E. coli, and interviewed 693 participants. It found irrigation water was significantly more contaminated than farm soil, and over 80% of produce samples were contaminated with E. coli, with street food salad being the most contaminated. Key risk factors included farm soil, wastewater use, and poor hygiene, while consumers did not prioritize health indicators despite high risk awareness.

雷靖, 陈斯钰, 刘煜 · 农村经济与科技 · China (Zhoushan)

This study examines Zhoushan City's "Vegetable Basket" project, which established production bases in urban and rural areas to ensure vegetable supply and stabilize prices. Despite significant achievements, the project is noted to have problems such as incomplete vegetable supply varieties, imperfect infrastructure, low industrialization, and a lack of quality assurance. The study suggests addressing these issues by diversifying product supply, strengthening infrastructure, improving industrialization, and enhancing quality and safety supervision.

楚杰 · 武汉宣传 · China (Wuhan)

Wuhan City promoted the development of modern urban agriculture to solve the four major challenges of "Sannong" issues (funding, human resources, land, and public sentiment). By the end of 2015, the city's total agricultural output value and agricultural added value reached 62.028 billion yuan and 37.004 billion yuan respectively, doubling since 2010. The disposable income of rural permanent residents was 17,722 yuan.

肇 石原, Hajime Ishihara · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan (Osaka)

This study analyzed changes in green space components (parks, agricultural land, forests) across Osaka Prefecture, Japan, from 1970 to 2010. While forest area decreased slightly and park area increased, the increase in park area was insufficient to offset the significant reduction in agricultural land. Consequently, the overall green space ratio in Osaka Prefecture showed a declining trend, particularly noticeable in Osaka City and its surrounding areas.

Gundula Proksch · · Global

This chapter discusses urban agriculture as a holistic approach to nutrient resource management in cities, aiming to reestablish closed-loop systems for nutrient recycling. It provides knowledge on aligning plant nutrient needs with efficient growing systems and recycling strategies like composting and anaerobic digestion. The chapter also illustrates the potential integration of these systems into building designs and their impact on building performance.

Anbuchchelvi Kalaiarasan · Indian Journal of Science and Technology · Global

This study aimed to strengthen urban landscapes with green infrastructure using passive sustainable practices to improve urban health and safety. It identified 30 micro-level passive techniques, such as xeriscaping and green roofs, which utilize natural processes and limit active energy use. The research compared the environmental effects of these techniques for existing and proposed urban landscapes, concluding that conserving soil, water, air, energy, and species is key to connecting fragmented landscapes into a unified urban green mass.

Monika Larasati P E, M.Eng. Ir. Sudaryono · · Spain (Madrid)

This study describes the planning of the Manzanares River area in Madrid, Spain, focusing on its philosophy, concepts, and principles. It notes that the river, once overlooked due to the M-30 highway, is now part of efforts to restore urban ecological elements. The research used a deductive qualitative method with content analysis of relevant literature and texts.

Zhenzhong Si, Steffanie Scott, Cameron McCordic · Scholars Commons (Wilfrid Laurier University) · China

This paper analyzed food purchasing patterns among 1,200 households in Nanjing, China, to understand the use of various food sources including supermarkets, wet markets, online markets, and urban agriculture. Findings indicate that while supermarkets are primary for staple grains, dairy, and processed foods, wet markets remain dominant for fresh produce and meat. The study highlights high food accessibility in Nanjing and the importance of diverse food sources beyond conventional retail.

Cécile Faliès · Problèmes d Amérique latine · Chile (Santiago)

This article provides an overview of agriculture around Santiago, Chile, based on fieldwork conducted since 2005. Despite the presence of agriculture linked to Santiago and Valparaiso, and the emergence of some forms like organic farming, it is difficult to classify this as urban agriculture due to the peripheral location and limited number of plots. The study indicates that urban agriculture, as commonly defined, has a limited presence in the Santiago metropolitan area.

P. Kanmani, Karthikeyan Parthasarathy · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global

This paper reviews contemporary thinking on urbanization, food insecurity, and agriculture, identifying urbanization and population increase as key drivers of growing food insecurity. It presents ideas and practices for agricultural sustainability, addressing agro-environmental sources, input systems, socio-economic systems, and farming systems. The paper also explores urban sustainability, including urban social sustainability and urban ecology, highlighting urban farming's role in enhancing urban food security.

Stephan Barthel, Johan Colding, Erik Andersson, Maria Schewenius · Diva portal (Dalarna University Library) · Sweden (Stockholm)

Campus Albano, the newest addition to Stockholm University, began production on November 30, 2015, following a five-year planning and design process. This project is notable for its participatory planning and strong focus on integrating ecosystem services, such as wetlands and allotment gardens, into the final campus design. Student and researcher accommodations are expected by 2018, and university buildings by 2019.

Redazione · ECONOMIA E SOCIETÀ REGIONALE · Europe

This paper analyzed the characteristics of organizations that can best convey the cultural benefits of urban agriculture to the city. Through case studies in the cities of Seville and Milan, it examined the relationship between the presence of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and the ways communities are organized to transmit the value of that heritage.

Diogo José Amorim de Almeida, Dilamar Dallemole, Arturo Alejandro Zavala Zavala · Revista Ibero-Americana de Ciências Ambientais · Brazil (Varzea Grande)

This study analyzed the urban and peri-urban horticultural production structure in Varzea Grande, Mato Grosso, Brazil, using an exploratory empirical and bibliographic approach followed by Cluster Analysis of primary data from local producers. Despite contributing to food production and maintaining disease-vector-free land, the research found that this activity is in decline. Its low profitability and challenging commercialization process make it unattractive or merely a supplementary income, as small productive forces struggle to sustain themselves against the current market structure and unfavorable social policies.

Albert Ayorinde Abegunde, Daniel Oluwasola Olaleye · · Nigeria (Lagos)

This study identified vacant land used for urban agriculture in Lagos, Nigeria, and assessed the socio-economic characteristics of 78 farmers in the Ojo Local Government Area. It examined the contributions of urban agriculture to community economic development. Findings showed that most farmers were married males aged 21-50, with about half lacking formal education and earning N6,000-8,999 per month.

José Antônio Segrelles Serrano · Revistes Científiques de la University of Barcelona (University of Barcelona) · Spain

This study discusses peri-urban agriculture, Agricultural Natural Parks, and local markets in Spain as a response to the subordination of rural areas to urban expansion. Peri-urban areas suffer negative impacts from urban functions, marginalizing family farming, yet peri-urban agriculture generates valuable environmental and cultural heritage. Agricultural Natural Parks are presented as a means to ensure sustainable agricultural activity and promote efficient, profitable farming with high added value in these areas, supporting local and seasonal food consumption and increased food security.

丁少华 · 杭州农业与科技 · China (Hangzhou)

In recent years, the input structure of agricultural production factors has significantly changed due to market conditions and agricultural labor shifts. Yuhang District has focused on modern agricultural park construction as a key platform for developing modern urban agriculture, continuously strengthening intensive investment in capital and land. Currently, the district has successfully established one provincial-level modern agricultural comprehensive zone and five leading industry demonstration zones.

Kento Takano, Noriko Akita · Journal of The Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture · Japan

This study clarified requirements for community-based allotment gardens as a land use management strategy in urbanization control areas in Japan. A questionnaire survey of metropolitan area municipalities revealed over 60% established allotment gardens in these areas to utilize farmland. An interview study of "Genki Nouen" in Ushiku City, Ibaraki Prefecture, found it was proactively managed by neighborhood associations, promoting effective use of abandoned cultivated land and bamboo forest management. The study concluded that creating an environment for social capital formation is necessary for land use management by community-based allotment gardens.

Joseph H. Hersh · Clark Digital Commons (Clark University) · United States (Worcester, MA)

This report assesses the needs, potential uses, and feasibility for a community bioshelter in Worcester, MA, for Worcester Common Ground, Inc. Approximately twenty-five stakeholder interviews were conducted to gather insights. The findings highlight themes such as prospective partnerships, long-term sustainability, and broader project impacts, recommending an educational orientation for the bioshelter.

Andrea Burr · Consilience · United States (St. Louis, Missouri)

This interdisciplinary pilot study in St. Louis, Missouri, USA (2013-2015) investigated relationships between pollinator health and urban land-uses. Wild bees were sampled weekly at urban farms, community gardens, and prairie pockets, and ethnographic interviews were conducted with 30 decision-makers in summer 2015. Informants described bees' role in crop yield and reported planting to attract pollinators, suggesting the city is viable for pollinator habitat.

Marie Wellner, Ludwig Theuvsen · · Global

This paper provides an overview of the current state of research on Alternative Food Networks (ALN) and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) through a literature analysis. It aims to clearly define the research area by differentiating individual ALNs and presents the core elements of the CSA concept in the context of regional marketing.

Sevinç Bahar Yenigül · MEGARON / Yıldız Technical University Faculty of Architecture E-Journal · Turkey

This abstract states that as rural areas become intertwined with urban areas, new concepts related to rurality, agriculture, and agricultural production are developing.

Rusida Rusida · Plano Madani : Jurnal Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota · Indonesia (Belopa)

A study in the urban area of Belopa, Indonesia, assessed the potential for urban agriculture, identifying suitable land for various crop types and key commodities. However, the research found that extensive housing development, particularly on the outskirts, and limited land availability mean not all land can be developed for urban agriculture. Urban agriculture supports food security, and public and government perceptions influence future land plans.