Research & reports

Antônio Cordeiro de Santana, Gisela Romariz Sequeira, Cyntia Meireles de Oliveira, Sérgio Castro Gomes · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil

This study examined how government institutional food-purchasing programs support urban and peri-urban agriculture in Curuçambá, one of the oldest agricultural areas of Ananindeua municipality in Brazil's Belém metropolitan region, based on secondary data plus interviews, direct observation and a questionnaire administered in 2013 to 50 producers of the Cooperativa dos Produtores da Gleba Guajará-Pará. Results showed 48% of production went to the Food Acquisition Program, but the research also found gaps in municipal and state support, particularly technical assistance and promotion, with much production still sold to middlemen because producers lacked real knowledge of prices, scale and markets; the study concludes the institutional market can sustain producer income but should serve as a step toward broader markets for urban and peri-urban family agriculture.

Vicente Chiaramonte Pires · Pesquisa & Debate. Revista do Programa de Estudos Pós-Graduados em Economia Política. ISSN 1806-9029 · Brazil (Maringá)

A qualitative study in community gardens within Brazil's Maringá Metropolitan Region revealed that urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) offers significant contributions to the economic and social development of participating farmers and their families. This project has been in place since 2008, providing technical assistance and urban extension.

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.

Sérgio Luiz de Oliveira Vilela, Maria Dione Carvalho de Moraes · Revista Econômica do Nordeste · Brazil (Teresina)

This article discusses the importance of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA) and the challenges of its management, particularly the need to institutionalize a Localized Agri-Food System (SAL) in Teresina, Brazil. The concentration of 46 gardens, occupying almost 140 hectares within Teresina, meets the basic requirements for establishing a SAL. Based on bibliographic research and empirical knowledge, the study concluded that adopting a SAL is a fruitful measure for Teresina to address necessary transformations in UPA, making it a significant part of the municipal planning agenda.

Rosicléia Silva, Mauricio Ricardo De Paula Dias, Flávio Sampaio Mendes, Hevelyn Soares das Chagas, Roberta de Fátima Rodrigues Coelho · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil

This study evaluated the contribution of urban agriculture to the socioeconomic development of the Areia Branca community in Santa Izabel do Pará, Brazil, by profiling families and understanding the influence of agricultural activity. Through on-site observations and socioeconomic questionnaires, it was found that agriculture is the main source of income for most families, primarily involving leafy vegetable cultivation with family labor. Despite being low-tech, the agriculture is not organic due to the recurrent use of chemical fertilizers.

Marco Antonio Toral Juárez, Catalino Jorge López Collado, Felipe Gallardo-López · · Mexico (Veracruz)

This study identified cultural, socioeconomic, and environmental factors influencing women's disposition to practice home horticulture and the financial profits of container vegetable production. Using non-probabilistic sampling, 114 women were selected in the peri-urban zone of Cardel City, Veracruz, Mexico, and interviewed with a Likert scale survey. The disposition to practice peri-urban horticulture was favorable, and four out of six containers had a positive cost/benefit ratio. Multiple factors affect this disposition, while the environmental factor determines which vegetables can grow.

Christopher Bryant, Ghalia Chahine · Geographical Research · Canada (Montreal)

This 2015 case study from the Montreal Region, Canada, analyzed an action research project initiated in 2008 to reduce the vulnerability of peri-urban agriculture. Despite initiatives since the mid-1960s, significant pressures continue to increase the vulnerability of peri-urban farming, with farmland often removed from agricultural reserves. The project in Senneville involved farmers, non-farm actors, and municipal presentations over three years, aiming to integrate conservation and leisure activities.

Haoluan Wang, Brent Swallow · 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California · Canada (Edmonton)

This research aims to assess the multiple values of agricultural land in the Alberta Capital Region, Canada, where significant agricultural land conversion has occurred. The study's objectives are to estimate residents' values for conserving land in different agricultural uses, explore links between these values and residents' affinity for ecosystem goods and services, and identify public interest areas for agricultural conservation. The methodology began with focus group discussions.

Alejandra S. Coronel, 1 Climatología, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias Universidad Nacional de Rosario (FCA-UNR), Rosario, Argentina;, Susana R. Feldman, Emliano Jozami, Kehoe Facundo, Rubén D. Piacentini, Marielle Dubbeling, Francisco J. Escobedo · AIMS environmental science · Brazil

Using digital sensors at eight sites in Rosario, Argentina, from September 2013 to August 2014 — three unvegetated sites in the city center, one city-center site with street trees, one urban agriculture site, one public park, and two peri-urban agricultural sites — this study measured air temperature and, defining a comfort range of 18–24°C, analyzed how different green areas used for urban and peri-urban agriculture and forestry (UPAF) affect daily temperature and cooling/heating requirements. Air temperature in the unvegetated city center was higher than at other vegetated sites during both day and night, except at the city-center site with street trees. Temperature effects in the roughly 0.2-hectare urban agriculture garden were similar to those of the larger, 2–3-hectare parks and gardens. Based on cooling degree days, three UPAF types were classified with progressively lower cooling demand — (1) treeless city center, (2) city center with street trees and public parks, and (3) urban and peri-urban agriculture areas — with the opposite ranking found for heating degree days. The authors state the results can inform the integration of UPAF measures into climate-change mitigation and urban planning policy in medium-sized cities in the developing world.

de Vries, Arianna · · United States (New Jersey)

This study investigated three large-format suburban community gardens, each with over one hundred plots, in Central New Jersey, United States. Using geospatial mapping, on-site observation, and interviews with coordinators and gardeners, the research explored participation reasons and the suburban conditions fostering these gardens. It found that suburban gardeners participate for reasons similar to their urban counterparts, but the suburban context significantly shapes how these motivations are defined and described.

Márcio Aleksandro Daniel, Ednaldo Michellon, Aline Midori Takemura, Jéssica Brasau da Silva, Willian Scanacapra · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil

The Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Reference Center (CERAUP) in Brazil implements a school garden project for students aged 6 to 12, funded by MEC/Proext. This project teaches vegetable cultivation and the importance of agroecological foods, fostering teamwork and learning in subjects like mathematics, chemistry, and geography. The project has been ongoing for over a year, with agronomy and pedagogy interns participating under the guidance of agronomists.

Laure Emperaire, Ludivine Eloy · Bulletin of Latin American Research · Brazil (Rio Negro)

Indigenous agricultural systems in the periurban Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil, have transposed from forest contexts to periurban areas, maintaining multi-plot cultivation and traditional knowledge. However, this agriculture faces challenges from modern urban agriculture values. Its ecological and cultural relevance relies on new market integration and partnerships.

Nicole M Reese · USF Scholarship Repository (University of San Francisco) · United States (California)

This study assessed the feasibility of rooftop farming in the Small Business Mix Zone of West Oakland, California. The area has more than one million square feet of untapped rooftop space, and selling produce grown there at local farmers markets, produce stands, grocery stores, businesses, and restaurants could generate up to $4 million in revenue. Rooftop production would help the City of Oakland meet its goal of 30% locally sourced food and supply fresh fruits and vegetables to West Oakland, a food desert currently lacking access to them.

Misha Leong, Claire Kremen, George Roderick · PLoS ONE · United States (California)

This study investigated pollinator-plant interactions in a periurban landscape on the outskirts of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, where urban, agricultural, and natural land uses interface. Using standardized observations of floral visitation and measurement of seed set in yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis), a common grassland invasive, it tested the hypothesis that increasing urbanization would decrease bee visitation rates, viable seed set, and pollination efficiency (the relationship between bee visitation and seed set). Contrary to expectation, bee visitation was found to be highest in urban and agricultural land use contexts. However, seed set rates in these human-altered landscapes were lower than in natural sites. The study attributes this mismatch between visitation and seed set to higher plant diversity in urban and agricultural areas — driven by more introduced species — which reduces pollinator efficiency. If consistent across other plant species, the novel plant communities and generalist bee species favored by human-altered landscapes would reduce pollination services.

Sheila Castillo, Curtis R. Winkle, Stephen Krauss, Amalia Turkewitz, Cristina L.M. Silva, Edie Heinemann · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Chicago)

This study identifies seven perceived barriers to urban and peri-urban agriculture in the greater Chicago metropolitan area through interviews with urban planners and farmers. All seven barriers involve unclear or agriculture-unfriendly regulations. Results suggest that urban and peri-urban farmers are commonly forced to operate within a legal limbo or petition for exceptions to current regulations.

Camila Tavares Ferreira, Silvia Coelho do Nascimento, Marlene Evangelista Vieira, R. F. de M. Tavares, Lucélia Rosa de Jesus · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil (Marituba)

This study evaluated the socioeconomic aspects of agriculture in the Uriboca community of Marituba, Pará, Brazil, by applying questionnaires to 13 local producers. The main commercial products were foliage, medicinal plants, and flowers, sold primarily in Belém and Marituba, while cassava, beans, and small animals were produced for consumption. Most producers had production costs between R$250.00 and R$500.00, with variable net incomes mostly ranging from R$250.00 to R$500.00 and R$500.00 to R$1000.00. Leafy greens were the main commercialized crops due to their ease of adaptation, management, and demand.

Charles E. Hess · HortScience · United States

Reflecting on horticultural science over the past 60 years, it is evident that it is in a period of great opportunity. Recognition of the role of fruits and vegetables in a healthful diet has led to food for health initiatives that encourage diets rich in horticultural crops. The 'locavore movement' fosters the popularity of purchasing locally, spurring increased interest in farmers' markets and urban gardening. Internationally, the idea of peri-urban gardening recognizes the value of horticultural crops in improving nutrition and income on relatively small areas of land in developing nations.

Ana Carolina Paiva Rodrigues · VII CONNEPI - Congresso Norte Nordeste de Pesquisa e Inovação · Brazil (Natal)

In the Gramorezinho region of Natal-RN, Brazil, an exploratory study analyzed the socioeconomic and productive characteristics of urban and peri-urban agriculture. The methodology involved examining farmers' socioeconomic profiles, adopted production systems, and commercialization methods for key vegetable species. The study concluded that the legitimization of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Natal-RN is flawed, not only concerning municipal legislation but also regarding the guarantee of support and technical assistance for agricultural activities.

Luciano Deiques Minozzo · · Brazil

This study characterized urban and peri-urban agriculture practiced by nine producers belonging to the Associação Pedritense dos Produtores de Hortifrutigranjeiros (APPH) in Dom Pedrito/RS, Brazil, between September 2011 and March 2012. Findings showed that 67% of producers practiced peri-urban agriculture (10-26 km from the city), while three practiced urban agriculture. Producers had low schooling (78% incomplete elementary education) and 55% earned 2.5 to 4 minimum wages. Family labor accounted for 88% of the workforce, and personal satisfaction was the main motivation. Water availability and quality were identified as limiting factors for production.

Marco Antonio Toral Juárez, A. Montes Pérez, Catalino Jorge Lopez Collado, Felipe Gallardo-López · Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems · Mexico

A study of peri-urban families in Ciudad Cardel, Veracruz, Mexico, measured dietary diversity using a staple-foods scoring method and assessed eating habits and willingness to practice home horticulture using a Likert-scale survey. Thirty-five percent of households showed good eating habits, 19% regular, and 46% poor eating habits. Dietary diversity scored 29.4 ± 8.7 for staple foods. The general Likert index for willingness to practice horticulture was 2.9, indicating average availability. Dietary diversity varied with household economic capacity, while eating habits and socioeconomic status showed no association, and multiple factors were found to positively influence mothers' willingness to practice peri-urban horticulture.

Pedro Paulo Videiro Rosa · Revista Geográfica de América Central · Brazil

This paper provides a preliminary analysis of a document by FAO and Brazil's MDS, which identified and characterized urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) initiatives in Brazilian Metropolitan Regions. The article relates this document to existing Brazilian legislation and public policies, discussing the refunctionalization of urban spaces to integrate economic, sociocultural, and environmental factors. It also reports on contemporary UPA experiences aligned with agroecology principles and discusses the definition of urban agriculture to identify bottlenecks in its promotion.

Héctor Ávila-Sánchez · Norois · Mexico

This paper discusses socio-territorial changes in peri-urban food production spaces in Central Mexico, focusing on the impacts of urbanization on old rural areas. It highlights that peri-urban poor populations often face marginalization, degradation of their agricultural activities, and conflict over space with other social groups. The development of peri-urban agriculture has led to significant transformations in land use, production structures, and social and cultural aspects.

Matheus Sehn Korting, Marlo do Nascimento, Lúcia Nobre, Adriana Mattos de Carvalho, E. Costa · Americanae (AECID Library) · Brazil

This study aimed to present the experience of the Social and Economic Development Center (NUDESE/FURG) as a protagonist in an Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture extension project linked to Brazil's Ministry of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger (MDS). The project directly contributed to institutions such as CAIC, CCMAR, Assis Brasil School, Rio Grande State Penitentiary, therapeutic communities, family farmers in São José do Norte and Rio Grande, and the Ecological Producers Group, through training, awareness, technical production support, and sales strengthening.

Todd H. Kuethe, Jennifer Ifft, Mitch Morehart · Choices Magazine (Agricultural & Applied Economics Association) · United States

Using USDA/NASS survey data from 1999–2010, this article examines how urban proximity affects U.S. cropland values. Cropland in urban-influenced areas commanded an average premium of $1,820 per acre over rural areas, though its annual growth rate (1.5%) lagged rural cropland (4.8%). Values in urban-influenced areas peaked at $4,400 per acre at the end of 2007.

J. David Clark, Douglas B. Jackson‐Smith, Darla K. Munroe, Jeff S. Sharp, Shoshanah Inwood · Indian Journal of Experimental Biology · United States

This study characterized diverse trajectories of agricultural change in US peri-urban areas, where broader agri-food system changes are compounded by land use pressures. Utilizing farmer and landowner surveys from five distinct peri-urban farming regions across the United States, the research examined different theories of agricultural structural change. The results provide an empirical profile of the types and geography of US peri-urban agriculture and the most common adaptive strategies employed by farmers at the urban-rural interface.