Research & reports

Salwa Yasyifa Azzahrah, Lies Sulistyowati · MIMBAR AGRIBISNIS Jurnal Pemikiran Masyarakat Ilmiah Berwawasan Agribisnis · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This study analyzed the financial and economic feasibility of urban farming projects and their role in women's empowerment in Cengkareng Barat and Duri Kosambi sub-districts, Jakarta. Using descriptive analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and the Likert scale, the research found that urban agriculture programs are financially and economically viable, showing positive Net Present Value and a Benefit-Cost Ratio greater than one. Socially, these programs contribute to women's empowerment through additional income, skill enhancement, self-confidence building, and community participation.

Ding X., Li W., Sun X., Peng Y. · Journal of Environmental Management · China

Proposes a method for assessing urban-agriculture potential at the residential-community scale, combining cluster analysis, 3D model reconstruction, multi-criteria decision-making and GIS. Low-density high-rise communities showed the strongest spatial suitability, while high-density low-rise communities scored highest on sustainable potential; overall ranking was low-density high-rise > high-density low-rise > large-footprint pitched-roof > old communities. Construction year was the key factor, with building density, gross floor area and roof slope shaping potential via sunlight, planting area and accessibility.

A Muh Alwilah Akbar, Jairin Jairin, B Sumarni, Ratnawati Tahir, Hasriani Lukman, Muh Al Aswar Rusman · Tekirdağ Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi · Indonesia

A study of Tello Urban Village, Makassar City, Indonesia, conducted from July to September 2024, analysing the influence of social capital and women farmers' institutions on the development of urban farming. Using purposive sampling, the study involved 20 active members of women farmer groups, analysed with descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. Results showed that social capital - characterised by information sharing, activity coordination, and collective decision-making - and women farmer institutions functioning as units of cooperation, learning, and production both played a significant role in supporting urban farming development. However, both factors were found to have only a moderate, not decisive, influence on urban farming's growth, indicating that additional external support such as government facilitation, resource access, technological innovation, and policy strengthening is still required.

Tao Shi, Ian MacLachlan · Urban Geography · China

A qualitative case study combining observation and interview data on an informal urban garden in Shenzhen, China. In contrast to formal urban horticulture practices in neighboring areas, grower-squatters were found to claim usufructuary rights through informal transactions, sustaining active urban horticulture for the past decade through non-confrontational land claims, social networks governed by tacit understandings, and self-motivated recycling of resources. Notably, these informal arrangements not only endured but consistently outperformed adjacent formal community gardens, which fell into neglect despite official sanction and investment. The authors argue that such informal practices can contribute to the development of sustainable, self-organizing urban gardens in megacities.

Resa Ramadhan, Fatimah Azzahra, Syifa Fauziah · JURNAL ILMIAH MAHASISWA AGROINFO GALUH · Indonesia

A quantitative study of Karangmukti Village, Bungursari District, Purwakarta Regency, Indonesia, analyzing the influence of livelihood capital on the livelihood resilience of farming households. The village has been undergoing agricultural land conversion: the agricultural land area was about 206 hectares before the change, roughly 30 hectares were converted in 2025 (mainly for industrial and residential development), leaving about 176 hectares, and further conversion is planned for 2026-2027, which may further reduce the amount of productive agricultural land. Samples of farming households were drawn using the Slovin formula and cluster sampling, with data collected via questionnaires, interviews, observation and documentation, and analyzed using quantitative descriptive analysis and Smart-PLS. The results show that livelihood capital among farming households was at a moderate level, with natural capital as the most dominant component, and livelihood resilience was also categorized as moderate; livelihood capital was found to have a statistically significant positive influence on livelihood resilience.

Siti Hadianti, Nurhasanah Nurhasanah, Teguh Prakoso, Hidayah Hidayah, Siti Hadianti · Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia

A community-service report on a community-based organic waste management program in Kurungkambing Village, Banten Province, Indonesia, aimed at improving environmental quality and supporting sustainable rural tourism. Despite the village's agricultural and tourism potential, unmanaged household and agricultural organic waste had been contributing to environmental degradation and limited community awareness of sustainable waste practices. Using a participatory, empowerment-oriented approach, the program was implemented in three stages: (1) community needs assessment and stakeholder consultation, (2) training and mentoring on composting and herbal plant cultivation, and (3) environmental improvement through school garden development and compost use. The program reported increased community awareness of organic waste management, improved practical composting skills, and active participation in greening activities involving residents and schools, as well as strengthened collaboration among the university, local government and community groups that contributed to cleaner public spaces and more sustainable village conditions.

Warvan Barzani · REAL CORP Repository (University of Southampton) · Asia

This paper examines Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, as a case of medium-sized-city urban transformation, using planning documentation, project descriptions and spatial development interpretation to ask whether green infrastructure elements such as Sami Abdulrahman Park and the Orbital Green Belt Project function only as environmental enhancement or also as instruments of spatial governance within Erbil's updated master-planning framework, which introduces growth boundaries, zoning reforms, density regulation and environmental overlays amid pressure on peri-urban agricultural land from two decades of demographic and spatial expansion.

Kulesh Bhandari · Open MIND · India

This first entry in a species documentation series on wild food forests in tribal Jharkhand, India, part of a Pollination Project-funded initiative, presents a field-based profile of Clerodendrum viscosum, a shrub of the Santhal Pargana uplands, recorded on a semi-open granite-laterite rise at 210 m elevation under conditions of 27°C, 30% relative humidity, a 15°C night low and wind gusts to about 35 kph. The profile documents microhabitat characteristics, morphology (bud, calyx, corolla, stamens), ethnobotanical use among Santhal-Paharia communities, and the species' ecological role as a pollinator-supporting, upland-stabilizing plant.

Asra Jabeen, Vaijanatha ., Kiran Lakshmikant Kadam, Kalyan . · International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development · India

A study in Medchal-Malkajgiri District, Telangana, India examined ICT utilization among urban farmers, the relationship between farmer profile characteristics and ICT use, farmers' attitudes toward ICT tools, and constraints on their use. It found smartphones, WhatsApp, YouTube and agricultural mobile applications were the commonly used information sources, with education, age, digital literacy, income and training exposure significantly influencing usage, while constraints including lack of technical knowledge, poor internet connectivity and inadequate training limited effective use of ICT tools.

K. C. Sahu · Open MIND · India

This study surveyed urban farmers in Bhubaneswar, a planned smart city in India, using direct-contact interviews and questionnaires. It covers forms of urban agriculture practiced according to building position, including rooftop gardens, balcony gardens, terrace gardens, vertical farming, Z-farming, aquaponics, hydroponics, and aeroponics. Data were collected from respondents through semi-structured interviews and tabulated for analysis. Regarding the distribution of family members involved in urban agriculture, the study found that female participation was greater than male participation.

Rakindra Putri Ardhini, Jasmine Tifani Claudia Arisayu, Ida Syamsu Roida, Adi Candra · Jurnal Abdi Masyarakat Indonesia · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This community outreach report describes a four-month support program for KWT Kedurus Asri, a women's farmer group operating an urban-agriculture-based production business in the Kedurus neighborhood of Surabaya, Indonesia, aimed at developing a visual identity (logo, color palette, typography), improving product packaging, and building digital marketing capacity through social media and online marketplaces. Methods included observation, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, participatory design workshops, and ongoing mentoring. The program reports that the group achieved a more cohesive brand identity, packaging meeting food labeling standards, and active social media accounts with planned promotional content, with sales volume increasing by 35% during the support period.

Guanxin Du, Yu Sun, Hongyan WangShenggao Lu, Baiquan Yan, Huimin Dai, Kai Liu, Keke Xu · PLoS ONE · China

In the urban-agricultural transition zone of Arongqi in China's black soil region, researchers analyzed 32 topsoil samples (0-20 cm) from three subzones — urbanizing zone, peri-urban arable land, and urban zone — for 16 trace metals including Cd, Pb, Zn, As, Hg and Cr, plus soil organic matter. Urbanization did not worsen soil acidification but significantly reduced organic matter, and Cd, Pb, Zn, Ba, Co, Mo, Sr, V and Ag were significantly enriched above background levels, with peri-urban arable land contaminated by Cd, Mo, Sr, V and Ag and the urban zone by Cd, Pb, Ba and Sr. Carcinogenic risk was higher for adults in peri-urban arable land and for children in the urban zone, with oral ingestion and dermal contact as the dominant exposure pathways and Cr and As as the main carcinogenic factors for children; source apportionment attributed the contamination to traffic emissions (27.46%), soil parent material (24.77%), contemporary agriculture (24.54%), urban combustion (11.22%) and historical agriculture (11.22%).

Fitri Mahyudi, Husinsyah, Yarna Hasiani · INSPIRASI JURNAL PENGABDIAN KEPADA MASYARAKAT · Indonesia

A community activity in Desa Sungai Batang, Martapura sub-district, Banjar regency, South Kalimantan, aimed at building a self-sufficient food village by integrating urban farming with budikdamber (catfish farming in buckets). The method used fieldwork, direct observation, and interviews. The resulting budikdamber setup could supply local residents with animal protein from self-managed cultivation, while a simultaneously applied aquaponic technique for growing water spinach (kangkung) produced a vegetable supply that could become a long-term source for residents.

Ivonne M. Leiwakabessy, Novalien Syauta, Lili Sarce Joi Sapari, Joni Penda, Denny Petta, Dormauli Br Gultom, Dwi Indah Widya Yanti, Melisa Masengi · Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat dan Riset Pendidikan · Indonesia

A community-service report from Pulau Soop, a small island in Indonesia, aimed at strengthening household food security by using home yards and plastic bottles as planting media in response to limited land and increasing plastic waste. Students at SMP Negeri 9 Pulau Soop were trained to convert plastic bottles into planting containers and to cultivate vegetables, gaining knowledge and practical skills in recycling, appropriate technology and simple cultivation methods. The program resulted in improved student understanding and active participation, and led to the establishment of a school mini garden as an urban farming model, supporting environmental education, reduced plastic waste, and yard-based food security in the small island community.

Wei-Chun Chuang, Ching‐Pin Tung, Wan-Yu Shih, Wen-Ray Su · 網際網路技術學刊 · China

This study examines the spatial equity and socio-spatial implications of urban agriculture by analysing the distribution of community gardens under Taipei's Garden City Program (TGCP) in relation to neighborhood-level income growth, using unsupervised machine learning (DBSCAN) combined with spatial statistics (Moran's I and LISA). It finds that garden service density is highly concentrated in central districts with significant service gaps in peripheral areas, while at the citywide scale no significant correlation is found between garden density and income growth -- consistent with the "just green enough" view that low-cost, small-scale, decentralized community gardens are less likely to trigger conventional green gentrification -- though several local areas do show potential spatial coupling between garden presence and income change, pointing to a need for policy attention to distributional equity.

Yus Alvar Saabighoot, Yusrafidin Yusrafidin, Rakhmini Juwita, Rizka Nurhalija, Rory Fitriani Larasati, Annisa Raudhatul Jannah, Lulu Ilma'nunah · Jurnal SOLMA · Indonesia

This case study examines a community-based program, "Waringin Sehat," delivered through an early childhood education center (PAUD Ibnu Umbara) in Waringin village, Indonesia, to address stunting and malnutrition in young children through a five-stage intervention combining education, participatory training and active mentoring. The program improved parents' and PAUD educators' understanding of balanced nutrition, equipped educators to integrate nutrition material into their curriculum, and formed active community learning groups that promoted use of local food through simple urban farming initiatives.

Ane Novianty, Agus Fernando · MAHATANI Jurnal Agribisnis (Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics Journal) · Indonesia

A qualitative literature study examined forms of environmental damage caused by industrial activity in Cikarang, Indonesia—where industrial sector growth has contributed significantly to the economy while also bringing serious environmental degradation—and assessed the role sustainable agriculture can play in environmental recovery. Analysis of national and international scientific literature found that sustainable agriculture, particularly urban agriculture and environmentally friendly farming around industrial areas, has strategic potential as part of green infrastructure, functioning not only as a food source but also contributing to pollutant absorption, rainwater management, temperature control in the area, and improved soil quality and biodiversity.

Azzahra Imairel Putri Diyati Mulyono, Herlina Fitrihidajati, Adi Candra, Nurcholis Nurcholis, Aseyan Aseyan · Journal of Community Service and Empowerment · Indonesia

A study examined adding Eco Enzyme to liquid organic fertilizer (LOF) made from garlic and onion skin waste as a potential replacement for chemical AB Mix fertilizer in growing curly lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in a vertical garden system. Conducted from September to November 2025 at the Oase Tembok Gede Smart Village in Surabaya, Indonesia, nutrient testing per Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture Decree No. 261/KPTS/SR.310/M/4/2019 found the LOF's K2O content at 2.03%, meeting the minimum standard. In a Completely Randomized Design with four treatments and three replications, ANOVA showed no significant difference between treatments (p > 0.05), though the 60 mL treatment (P3) produced the best growth—11 cm height, 7 leaves, and 11 g fresh weight—with the study noting that growth remained good despite suboptimal fertilizer nutrient quality, supported by favorable environmental conditions.

Dewi Ratna Nurhayati, Efi Nikmatu Sholihah, Andini Desi Sawitri · Jurnal Masyarakat Madani Indonesia · Indonesia

A community service (PkM) program in Gulon, RT 01/RW 19, Jebres sub-district, Surakarta, Indonesia, worked with residents facing limited yard space and low use of household space for food self-sufficiency, aiming to raise knowledge, attitudes and skills in fruit and ornamental plant urban farming. Methods comprised outreach sessions, hands-on planting training and participatory community mentoring. As a result, resident participation in yard use increased, with 17 participating households beginning to independently grow fruit and ornamental plants, and new planting habits formed that support household food resilience and environmental quality.

Pesi Suryani, Ratna Marta Dhewi, Vivi Oktari, Demi Primavera · Mejuajua Jurnal Pengabdian pada Masyarakat · Indonesia (Jakarta)

A 2026 community service program based at RPTRA Payung Tunas Teratai in Cipayung sub-district, Indonesia, sought to build resident capacity through technology-based urban farming. Key problems addressed were limited knowledge of modern agricultural technology, low urban farming literacy, and underuse of the RPTRA's function as an education center. Participatory training — including material delivery, hands-on hydroponic and aeroponic practice, group discussion and ongoing mentoring — improved participants' understanding and skills in urban farming techniques, with a harvest success rate exceeding 80% in the first cycle. The Edufarm area was put to use as a community learning center, and a small farmer group was formed to support the program's continuation.

Kadek Ayu Natalia, Kadek Wulandari Laksmi P · KAIBON ABHINAYA JURNAL PENGABDIAN MASYARAKAT · Indonesia (Bali)

A community-service report on a university KKN (Kuliah Kerja Nyata) program that taught urban farming at SD Negeri 04 Sesetan, an elementary school in Bali, Indonesia. Students used experiential learning, combining lessons on urban farming basics with hands-on planting practice using pots and polybags, and involved teachers to sustain the activity as an extracurricular or subject component in science and environmental education. Reported effects included increased environmental awareness, school food security, and economic potential from using the harvest.

Hedwig Ajeng Grahani · GeoEco · Indonesia

A 2024 systematic survey of 217 urban farming households in Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, used Stata 19 for hypothesis testing and SPSS 27 for descriptive statistics, running a multiple linear regression of net urban farming income against 22 variables covering sociodemographics, farm structure, input management, biotic stress and institutional support (R2 = 0.7448). Eleven variables had a significant effect, with farm size the most favorable factor, followed by financial support, seed subsidies and technical aid; gender and family size also showed positive effects. Crop type correlated negatively with income, and biotic stress — particularly pest type and severity — substantially reduced income, while training and market access were not statistically significant.

Abdullah Abdullah, Abdul Haris, Andi Wisneni, Annas Boceng, Maemuna Nontji, Anwar Robbo, Muhammad Munawir Syarif · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Indonesia (Makassar)

A study in Makassar City, Indonesia, evaluated the multidimensional sustainability of urban agriculture (UA) through expert discussions and semi-structured interviews with 23 purposively selected stakeholders including academics, practitioners, urban planners, legislators and government officials. A Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) approach compared sustainability indices from two previous studies, supplemented by prospective and interdependence analyses to identify key leverage factors. Results showed the overall sustainability status of UA in Makassar during 2016-2020 remained "less sustainable," with a multidimensional sustainability index of 43.02%; the ecological (51.84%) and technological (65.09%) dimensions improved to moderately sustainable status, while the economic (46.15%), social (49.81%) and institutional (39.20%) dimensions showed declining sustainability performance. The study proposes three policy directions: strengthening UA planning and management systems, improving institutional coordination among stakeholders, and expanding UA's socio-economic and environmental functions.

Kulesh Bhandari · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · India

In the Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand, India (the districts of Dumka, Godda, Sahebganj, Pakur, Jamtara and Deoghar), community surveys, field walks and ethnobotanical interviews with Santhal and other tribal communities documented 54 species of wild edible and medicinal plants. Each species is recorded with local names in Santali and Hindi, plant parts used and field observation notes, and classified as wild food, medicinal, or both. The work was carried out under the Wild Food Forests Tribal in Jharkhand project, supported by The Pollination Project (USA), and states that the region's ethnobotanical diversity remains underrepresented in formal scientific literature.

Wibowo Heru Prasetiyo, Dasim Budimansyah · jurnal pendidikan humaniora · Indonesia

A qualitative case study of the citizen gardening community Bandung Berkebun in Bandung, Indonesia, examined the development of environmentally conscious citizens through programs including urban farming, an urban farming school, street urban farming, and urban campus initiatives. Based on interviews, observation, and document study with community members, the community succeeded in intensifying urban farming as an environmentally conscious lifestyle in Bandung, and from a civic education standpoint this built civic virtue through participation in environmental conservation.