Research & reports

Hongqiang Chen · OALib · Global

This paper summarizes the concept of productive agricultural landscape and analyzes the feasibility and advantages of its design in urban residential areas. Productive agricultural landscape integrates agricultural products and activities as design elements, addressing urban residents' needs to participate in planting, enjoy organic food, and build harmonious neighborhood relationships. This promotes the localization of urban food production and plays an important role in the sustainable development of cities.

Jennifer Jevons · · New Zealand (Wellington)

The work of Kaicycle, an urban farming initiative located on Wellington City Council land in New Zealand, was spotlighted. This initiative aims to help the community by improving awareness of soil health, advocating for food waste minimization, growing produce, and practicing regenerative composting. Kaicycle recycles food scraps from the community, composts using anaerobic microbes, and produces vegetable boxes for sale.

Paulo Germán García Murillo, Laura Belkis Parada Romero, Julio Ernesto Rojas Mesa, Bernardo Garibello Suan · · Colombia (Bogotá)

A research project on urban agriculture was implemented for fifth-grade primary students and their families at El Carmelo school in Teusaquillo locality, Bogotá D.C., Colombia. The project aimed to raise awareness about STEAM competencies (environmental, technological, pedagogical, and artistic), designing two experimental practices for home development using bean seeds. The project led to important reflections on educational work regarding STEAM competencies for strengthening the relationship between sustainability, technology, learning, and arts, addressing specific issues such as food security, nutritional culture, prototyping culture, and strengthening scientific citizenship.

Salvatore Engel‐Di Mauro, George Martin · · Global

This chapter examines the global relationship between food growing and capitalism over 500 years, identifying three profit-seeking formats: mercantilism, industrialism, and global financialization. It argues that capitalism has led to a de-industrialization of cities and a commodification of agricultural products by corporate megafarms, contributing to green gentrification in urban redevelopment. This has incited a food resistance trend, leading to the emergence of community gardens and farms.

Jasmine Lorenzini · · Global

This chapter discusses political consumerism and market-based activism, defining the latter to include political consumerism, food collectives like community-supported agriculture, and lifestyle activism such as veganism. It then examines different conceptions of social change in relation to these modes of action. Finally, the chapter presents transformative actions within the environmental movement, highlighting how political consumerism and food activism embody varied understandings and ideals of democracy.

Haryuni Haryuni, Sapto Priyadi, Suswadi Suswadi, Mrih Rahayu, Achmad Fatchul Aziez · PROSIDING SEMINAR NASIONAL DIES NATALIS 41 UTP SURAKARTA · Global

This article reviews types and management of urban farming, concluding that vertical farming is widely adopted due to its adaptability to limited urban land. Plant management typically involves planned and regular practices, utilizing household waste for fertilization and pest control. Common plant disturbances are caused by insects, fungi, bacteria, and viruses.

Roberta Moraes Curan, Paulo Eduardo Moruzzi Marques · Estudos Avançados · Global

This article presents a systematic literature review on the multifunctionality of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA), conducted using Science Direct, Scielo, and Capes databases. Fourteen articles were selected, and their data were analyzed to identify UPA typologies and functions. The study classified UPA functions into sociocultural, economic, and environmental dimensions, concluding that UPA offers benefits and can be a tool for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Isabel Fife-Cook, Becca Franks · Animals · Global

This study investigated human-fish interactions with seven adult koi at a community garden/aquaponics learning-center from July to October 2019. Video data showed that koi spent more time than expected within reach of the researcher, both before and after feeding. The research also found substantial individual differences in the koi's propensity for physical interaction.

Stefanie Albrecht, Arnim Wiek · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global

This study compiled evidence from over 200 food forests worldwide, with detailed insights from 14 exemplary food forests in Europe, North America, and South America, gained through site visits and interviews. Findings indicate that most food forests perform well on social-cultural and environmental criteria, such as building capacity, providing food, enhancing biodiversity, and regenerating soil. However, for broader impact, food forests need to enhance their economic viability, as they currently show a deficit in this area.

Ana Poštek, Ivica Kisić, Marija Cerjak, Luka Brezinščak · Journal of Central European Agriculture · Croatia

This paper analyzes various social aspects of urban agriculture and presents examples from Croatia where social benefits are the primary purpose. Urban agriculture can have social effects such as fostering activism, gender equality, social cohesion and inclusion, education, and cultural heritage preservation. However, policymakers struggle to implement urban agriculture within city planning.

Maria Elena Peralta-Culcay, Hugo Alberto Cedillo-Tapia, Alfonso Suárez-Tapia · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Ecuador (Cuenca)

This research characterized the technological use among small (500-1000 m2) and medium (1000-3000 m2) peri-urban horticultural producers in San Joaquín, Baños, and Sayausí, Cuenca, Ecuador, using a survey. The survey found that most production is sold in local markets, following an ancestral system with some additional technology. The identified technological efficiency was at a medium level (3 on a scale of 1 to 5), indicating a technological deficit.

S Priyadharshina, V. Sumitra Devi, Sheeba Chander · · Global

This paper explores urban agriculture as a solution to the increasing urban population's reliance on rural areas for food. It defines urban agriculture as developing, processing, and distributing food in or around metropolitan areas, including various practices like animal cultivation and agroforestry. The paper suggests that urban agriculture can enable cities to implement sustainable practices, reduce carbon footprints, and foster self-sustainability.

Ilham Eka Putra, Wiwin Styorini · ABEC Indonesia · Global

This research developed a Smart Farming Robot (SF-BOT) for urban agriculture, designed for automated watering, seed planting, and plant monitoring using IoT applications. SF-BOT utilizes soil moisture sensors with Arduino and Raspberry Pi, offering real-time monitoring and video streaming via a web server interface. The DHT sensor achieved 98.69% accuracy, and the magnetic sensor achieved 100% accuracy.

Christina Ergas · · Global

This concluding chapter summarizes lessons from urban agriculture and ecovillages, defining radical sustainability as socially and ecologically transformative and regenerative. It identifies tools for radical sustainability, including community care and skill sharing. The chapter offers practical, community-oriented solutions for socioecological crises, particularly for those unable to implement urban farming, and discusses the potential for large-scale structural change or collapse.

Ramón Antonio Mosquera Mena, Yolvi Prada Millán · Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia eBooks · Colombia

Urban and peri-urban agriculture in Colombia offers benefits such as alleviating food insecurity and creating jobs, but currently lacks government policies to support these processes. This paper contextualizes relevant experiences and technical tools for implementing agroecological orchards, emphasizing environmental and social sensitivity. It also notes that agricultural research in Colombia is still emerging, requiring more applied research for technological development to benefit communities and farmers.

Doaa K. Hassan, Mohammed Hewidy, Mohamed A. El Fayoumi · Ain Shams Engineering Journal · Egypt (Greater Cairo Region)

This study explored the correlation between quality of life (QOL), urban agriculture, and landscape architecture practices in gated communities in the Greater Cairo Region, Egypt. It utilized theoretical correlation, two questionnaire models targeting residents and practitioners, field visits, and observation. The study concluded with recommendations to enhance QOL domains through productive urban landscapes.

Renata Michelli Ferretti, Reis Friede, Maria Geralda de Miranda · Revista da Seção Judiciária do Rio de Janeiro · Global

This study, part of the AMBENAP project, discusses environmental education implemented through school gardens in basic education schools. Using problematization theory, the research concluded that school gardens enable students to learn practical environmental care and influence their actions.

Halie Kampman, Shun-Nan Chiang, Salam Sawadogo · Gastronomica The Journal of Food and Culture · Philippines; Senegal

This study compares the surge in household and community gardening in the Philippines and Senegal during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on urban and peri-urban areas. It analyzes how government policies and community responses shaped this increased interest, noting that Philippine policy promotes citizen food growing for national self-sufficiency, while Senegalese policy favors large-scale, commercially oriented modernization. The research highlights contrasting visions for future food systems in these two Global South countries.

Varvara V. Ponomareva · Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta Seria XXIII Antropologia) · Russia

This study, using a historical typological method, examined the gardens of girls' boarding schools within the Mariinsky Establishment in 18th-century Russia as a vehicle for children's healthy physical upbringing. Influenced by scholars like John Locke, innovative physical education principles, supported by the Russian state, were integrated into the daily life of boarding schools. By the end of the 19th century, doctors oversaw school outdoor spaces, noting the positive effects of fresh air exercise and swimming on children.

Fadly Umar · Journal of Health Literacy and Qualitative Research · Global

A systematic review of studies from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar explored family-based interventions for stunting prevention globally. The review found that maternal education, paternal involvement, and household food security, including urban farming, significantly influence child nutrition and growth outcomes. Challenges to implementation include caregiver time constraints, inconsistent nutritional knowledge, and cultural barriers.

Mennatallah Hamdy, Rovena Plaku · Civil Engineering and Architecture · Global

This paper frames pocket parks as a potential first step towards both sustainable urban regeneration and equal access to public spaces in dense cities. It hypothesizes pocket parks as a solution to economic crisis, food production pressure, run-down communities, and the lack of development land for communal spaces, highlighting their key implementation challenges. The study also investigated the influence of communities' contextual needs on pocket parks' size, design, activities, and funding by comparing selected international projects.

Christina Gugerell, Takeshi Sato, Christine Hvitsand, Daichi Toriyama, Nobuhiro Suzuki, Marianne Penker · Agriculture · Global

This study proposed a framework to distinguish and quantitatively evaluate multiple dimensions of proximity in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Using principal component analysis on a multinational survey, various proximity items were aggregated, and their relationship with CSA attractiveness was examined via multiple regression analysis. Findings indicated that relational proximity, encompassing trust, collaboration, and shared values/knowledge, is more important than spatial proximity for supporting alternative food networks like CSA.

Véronique Saint-Gès · Innovations Technology Governance Globalization · Global

This study aimed to identify, understand, and analyze the business models (BM) that ensure viability for market and productive organizations of urban agriculture (MPOUA). A survey of twenty-five MPOUA revealed their originality and diversity in terms of activities, and identified keys to success. These include partnerships with communities, funders, or education, the integration of appropriate technical skills, and activities offering sustainability values.

Noémie Maughan, Nathalie Pipart, Barbara Van Dyck, Marjolein Visser · · Belgium (Brussels)

This chapter shares insights from the establishment of the Brussels-based Cycle Farm, a reflexive research process involving various stakeholders. It highlights the need for small, local food producers to develop competitive advantages in the context of organic food sector industrialization, as emphasized by Eliot Coleman. The research involved workshops and focused on enhancing the resilience of the Brussels Region, with SPIN Farming concentrating on high-value crops.

Olga Domené-Painenao, Francisco Herrera · Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente · Venezuela

In Venezuela, the Bolivarian Revolution since 1999 has seen the unfolding of harsh class and food system contradictions. While the Program Degree in Agroecology (PDA) at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela has trained over a thousand graduates who contribute to agroecological scaling and urban agriculture, the abstract highlights the persistent "harsh class and food system contradictions" within the country. This indicates ongoing equity challenges despite agroecological efforts.