Research & reports

Agung Prabowo, Muhammad Ikhsan Alif · PengabdianMu Jurnal Ilmiah Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat · Indonesia

In Gunung Samarinda Baru Village, Indonesia, a community service activity addressed limited green open space through urban farming and waste management. The initiative involved training and practical sessions on hydroponic vegetable cultivation and compost processing from household waste, following initial socialization. Monitoring results showed that the community utilized their green open space for hydroponic vegetable growing, evidenced by a first harvest, and engaged in compost processing.

Dewi Kurniasih, Indri Santiasih, Wiwik Dwi Pratiwi · Kumawula Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat · Indonesia (Surabaya)

In Kalijudan, Surabaya, a community service program provided training to local women on creating "vertipots" for urban farming in limited spaces. The training covered making planting containers from used plastic paint cans, preparing growing media, and plant care. These vertipots utilize PVC pipes inside to hold organic kitchen waste, with leachate providing nutrients like Nitrogen and Phosphorus to the plants.

Ferziana Nurmeilinda Dzikrika, Sitawati Sitawati, Nurul Aini, Dewi Ratih Rizki Damaiyanti · International Journal of Environment Agriculture and Biotechnology · Indonesia (Malang)

A study conducted in Malang, Indonesia, from February to June 2023, investigated the effect of eco enzyme concentration and NPK fertilizer dosage on the growth and yield of sweet potatoes in urban farming systems. Using a factorial randomized block design repeated three times, combinations of eco enzyme concentrations and NPK fertilizer doses were tested. Results showed that eco enzyme concentration affected the NPK fertilizer dose on sweet potato plants, with the highest fresh tuber weight at an NPK fertilizer dose of 3.75 g per plant produced at an eco enzyme concentration of 30 ml per liter. Eco enzyme concentrations and NPK doses were found to increase the growth and yield of sweet potato plants across variables such as leaf area, plant dry weight, tuber fresh weight, and harvest index.

Yosefina Mangera, Jamaludin Jamaludin · ABDIKAN Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Bidang Sains dan Teknologi · Indonesia

A community service program in Tambat Village, Merauke Regency, Indonesia, provided socialization and training to the Dwitrap farmer group on utilizing sago processing waste for organic fertilizer using black soldier fly larvae bioreactors. The program successfully transferred knowledge and skills, with participants demonstrating increased understanding of sago waste processing.

Andra Jihan Prasetyo, Mira Azizah · Indonesian Journal of Elementary School · Indonesia (Semarang)

This study described character values integrated into urban farming activities at SDN Ngemplak Simongan 01 Semarang, Indonesia, during the 2023/2024 academic year. The research found positive attitudes towards character values such as responsibility, independence, discipline, hard work, curiosity, cooperation, and environmental care among students participating in urban farming. The findings highlight the importance of integrating character values into the school curriculum through practical learning approaches like urban farming.

Ane Novianty, Muhamad Nurdin Yusuf, Muhamad Arif Rizki Mauladi · MAHATANI Jurnal Agribisnis (Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics Journal) · Indonesia (Tasikmalaya)

This qualitative study explored the economic and environmental aspects of urban farming activities among 12 farmers in Kelompok Tani Taruna Tani Muara Hurip, Tasikmalaya City, Indonesia. The findings indicate that urban farming activities have not significantly contributed to the income of farmers or landowners, based on the investment ratio. However, environmentally, most farmers practice eco-friendly farming using organic fertilizers.

Inanpi Hidayati Sumiasih · Jurdimas (Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat) Royal · Indonesia (Jakarta)

In Jatinegara Baru Housing, East Jakarta, Indonesia, an urban farming program was conducted from March to December 2022 for residents and santri of the Al Jabar community. The program included cultivating vegetables in narrow yards, utilizing green spaces, and training in compost and POC production. Evaluation showed that participant understanding increased from an initial 10% to 100%, the activity was rated "very beneficial," and the combined theory and practice method was considered highly suitable for participants.

Tirto Wahyu Widodo, Damanhuri Damanhuri, Ilham Muhklisin, Sonia Budiarti, Dian Agustina · Jurnal Ilmu Pertanian Indonesia · Indonesia

An experiment examining the response of rice plants to non-soil planting media based on alternate wetting-drying irrigation, aimed at soilless rice cultivation as an urban farming method for subsistence food production. Conducted at a screen house in Sumberjeruk Village, Jember Regency, Indonesia, from January to May 2022, the study used a two-factor, fully randomized factorial design with three replications: husk-to-water ratio (0:1, 1:4, 1:6, and 1:8, total media volume 25 L) as the first factor, and rice variety (Inpari 46 and IR 64) as the second. The combination of a 1:6 husk:water ratio with the Inpari 46 variety had a significant effect on the number of productive tillers (25.17 stems) and grain weight per hill (34.07 g); the 1:6 ratio showed no significant difference from 1:4 in total grain number (124.21) or full grain number (83.52). The Inpari 46 variety showed the highest values for total grain number (133.07), full grain number (84.88), and 1000-seed weight (22.43 g). The study concludes that husk-and-water media at the right ratio is an ideal medium for landless rice cultivation because it can supply oxygen to the media.

Suman Kumar Sourav, C. T. Subbarayappa, D. C. Hanumanthappa, Mudalagiriyappa, Prem José Vazhacharickal, Andrea Mock, Mariko Ingold, Andreas Buerkert · Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems · India

This study investigated how three rates of mineral nitrogen addition combined with rainfed versus irrigated conditions affected CO2 emissions from typical crops during the wet (Kharif) and dry (Rabi) seasons on a Nitisol in Bengaluru, South India. Two two-factorial split-plot experiments were conducted under rainfed and irrigated conditions from 2017 to 2021, using maize, finger millet, and lablab, and the vegetables cabbage, eggplant, and tomato or chili. CO2 emissions were measured with a Los Gatos Research multi-gas analyzer from 7:00-11:30 a.m. and 12:30-6:00 p.m., with CH4, NH3, and N2O found negligible. Regardless of irrigation, season, crop, or nitrogen level, afternoon CO2 emission rates were 2-128% higher than morning rates. Diurnal differences ranged from 0.04-1.61 kg CO2-C/ha/h in the irrigated field and 0.20-1.78 kg CO2-C/ha/h in the rainfed field. In the rainfed field, high-nitrogen plots emitted 56.4% more CO2 than low-nitrogen plots, versus only 12.1% more in the irrigated field. A linear mixed model showed nitrogen fertilization enhanced CO2 emissions, most strongly in rainfed crops; soil moisture enhanced emissions in rainfed crops but decreased them under irrigation, while soil temperature at 5 cm depth enhanced emissions in both fields.

Muhammad Fawwaz, Muhammad Fikri Akbar, Madziatul Churiyah, Sholikhan · PRIMA PORTAL RISET DAN INOVASI PENGABDIAN MASYARAKAT · Indonesia

A community-engagement report on establishing a "Waste Bank Gallery" in Kampung Mergosono, led by PKK (Family Welfare Movement) mothers, to address urban waste management. The program provided counseling on waste issues, management solutions, the Waste Bank Gallery scheme, handling procedures, task delegation, schedules, and stakeholders, and taught practical recycling of valuable waste plus using organic waste as fertilizer for urban farming. The outcome was described as effective dissemination of the Waste Bank Gallery program, contributing to improved waste management in the area.

Reginawanti Hindersah, A. Marthin Kalay, Rion Suaib Salman, Wilhelmina Paays, Saon Banerjee · Current Research in Agricultural Sciences · Indonesia

A study of leafy vegetable cultivation (cabbage, water spinach, spinach) in urban farming areas along Ambon Bay in Ambon City, Indonesia, used 11 years of weather data verification combined with qualitative interviews with farmers to examine adaptation to disease and yield loss caused by excess wet-season rainfall. Annual rainfall varied, ranging from 3,950-5,264 mm in 2010-2013 and 2017-2020 versus 2,017-2,995 mm in 2014-2016; farmers adapted by installing plastic rain shelters, shortening planting distance from 20 cm to 10 cm, and changing their planting calendar.

Poonam Bewtra · Current Agriculture Research Journal · India

Food forests involve planned agroforestry. The abstract states that, like a real forest, a food forest requires no pesticides, herbicides, weeding, crop rotation, mowing, or digging, and ensures the sustainability of flora, fauna, birds, animals, and particularly bees. This is a case study of one such food forest, Vanya Organic, realized by one of its owners, Mr. Patanjali Jha, who grew native trees, creepers, and shrubs in combination with symbiotic vegetation to maximize carbon sequestration, forest cover, and usable by-products. A key component is Vetiver grass, and Jha argues that food forests and vetiver plantations should be planned and established together, terming the combination a "Regenerative Food Forest." The abstract states that Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) or Renewable Natural Gas (RNG), described as a "green fuel," can be derived from the agricultural waste and other biomass that regenerative food forests produce in abundance; a CBG plant produces sulphur-stripped, automotive-grade methane along with a high-quality organic fertilizer by-product approved for regular use by the Ministry of Agriculture, and the abstract argues for linking CBG plants with regenerative food forests to provide jobs, increase farm incomes, and bring sustainable changes to air, water, and soil quality over time. The case study is stated to have been prepared with the owner's consent and approval.

Nimas Sekarlangit, Prasasto Satwiko · MODUL · Indonesia

This paper addresses how the COVID-19 pandemic forced people worldwide, including in Indonesia, into new living habits. It notes that experts link recurring zoonotic pandemics closely to human consumption of wild animals and livestock, and states that plant-based food sources have already been shown to meet humans' complete nutritional needs. The "arsitektur nabati" (plant-based architecture) discussed here combines human activity spaces with food plants within a local context, and is presented as an integrated solution to the challenges of preventing recurring zoonotic pandemics, nutritional sufficiency, biodiversity, and urban living-environment quality. Using recent COVID-19-related information, the paper discusses the connection between the pandemic and plant-based architectural design, studying student and professional architects' works that respond to the idea of urban agriculture. It concludes that plant-based architecture can serve as an early mitigation effort against pandemic disasters by providing good air quality and lighting for spaces, promoting occupant health, and providing food security under conditions of limited land.

Jiajia Zhang, Zishuang Li, XiaoLin Zhou, Wencheng Ding, Xuexia Wang, Meng Zhao, Hongjie Li, Guoyuan Zou, Yanhua Chen · Science of the Total Environment · China

A 2023 study using an 11-year wheat–maize rotation field trial in China to test how long-term application of pig- and cow-manure compost affects soil microplastics (MPs). The composts themselves contained 3,547 and 4,520 items/kg respectively; soils under long-term application held 144–287 and 140–316 items/kg, significantly more than unamended soil, and abundance rose with application rate. Compost-derived accumulation reached 1.73 × 10⁸ to 7.22 × 10⁸ items per hectare, accounting for 43.0–75.9% of total soil MPs, with the contribution doubling when the application rate doubled. Particles under 1 mm made up 31.0% of MPs in the composts but 43.8% in amended soils, size and abundance fell with depth, and particle surfaces showed complex weathering with attached soil mineral colloids — evidence, the authors conclude, that compost-derived MPs are progressively fragmented and degraded in soil after application. Polyethylene and polypropylene fragments and polyethylene terephthalate fibres dominated.

Jing R., Liu J., Zhang H., Zhong F., Liu Y., Lin J. · Energy (Elsevier), 256:124626 · China (Shenzhen)

Integrating GIS, biogeochemical and solar simulation to quantify how much food and energy urban rooftop agrivoltaics (lettuce grown under PV panels) can produce. For Shenzhen's 854,000 rooftops (~105 km²) it estimates ~0.98 Mt/year of lettuce (meeting the whole city's demand) and ~2,106 MW of PV generating ~1,899 GWh/year, while flagging ~4.11 Mt/year of extra irrigation water as a key water trade-off.

Asian research network · ResearchGate · Asia

Research on organic waste composting and its application in urban agriculture across emerging Asian cities, integrating circular agriculture with waste reduction.

Myeong Suck Jeong, Mina Lee, Chaw Su Lwin, Kwon-Rae Kim · 한국토양비료학회지 · South Korea

This study investigated heavy metal contamination in urban agricultural soils near railway tracks and an industrial complex in Jinju, South Korea, to ensure food safety. While the average heavy metal values did not exceed soil contamination guidelines, some individual soil samples showed concentrations higher than the guidelines. Furthermore, the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) indicated that several soils were contaminated compared to background levels, with Cu, Pb, Zn, and Sb showing the highest contamination. Long-term monitoring of urban vegetable garden soils is recommended.

Jianyun Nie, Akira Kiminami, Hironori Yagi · Sustainability · China (Shanghai)

This study analyzed the sustainability status of 22 urban leisure farms in Shanghai using the IDEA method. Farms' average sustainability scores were 25.72 on the agroecological scale, 32.5 on the socioterritorial scale, and 46.5 on the economic scale. This analysis revealed that while urban leisure agriculture in Shanghai has high sustainability at the economic scale, its overall sustainability was low, indicating a need for further strengthening.

Dwi Haryanta, Tatuk Tojibatus Sa’adah, Mochamad Thohiron · Indonesian Journal of Engagement Community Services Empowerment and Development · Indonesia (Surabaya)

Community empowerment activities at the "Satu Padu" farmer group in Jambangan Village, Surabaya, Indonesia, aimed to disseminate knowledge on processing urban organic waste into compost and liquid organic fertilizer for urban farming. Using Participatory Rapid Rural Appraisal methods, the program involved residents and the farmer group in directly practicing the technology. Participants learned to make compost from tree stumps and liquid organic fertilizer from fruit and vegetable waste, and to use these in planting.

Indah Nurhidayati, Joko Sutrisno, Agustono Agustono, Refa’ul Khairiyakh, Amalia Nadifta Ulfa, Rhina Uchyani F · RESONA Jurnal Ilmiah Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia (Surakarta)

From August to October 2020, an urban farming-based activity was conducted in Jebres District, Surakarta City, Indonesia. This activity involved training and demonstrations on processing urban agricultural waste and household waste into liquid organic fertilizer (POC) using the stacked bucket technique. Participants were able to harvest POC after two months, and this POC was stated to be usable as plant fertilizer, contributing to improving the local economy and ecological environment.

Dwi Haryanta, Tatuk Tojibatus Sa’adah, Ristani Widya Inti · Indonesian Collaboration Journal of Community Services (ICJCS) · Indonesia (Surabaya)

In RW 02 Kalirungkut, Surabaya, Indonesia, a community empowerment activity provided knowledge on managing tree pruning waste into useful compost for urban farming practices. The program utilized Participatory Rapid Rural Appraisal and Rapid and Rural Appraisal methods. The community resolved tree pruning waste disposal issues within 3 months and harvested 15 cubic meters of compost, recognizing its economic value.

Wahidyanti Rahayu Hastutiningtyas, Yanti Rosdiana, Fathul Qorib, Murtiyah Murtiyah · Jurnal LENTERA · Indonesia

A project at SDN Tulusrejo 3 in Malang city, Indonesia, aimed to organize the school environment and provide understanding of the Adiwiyata program by arranging the school yard into a waste treatment area to support environmental health. Methods included mapping productive land, counseling, and school garden planning. The project achieved nearly 80% of its goal, resulting in a more organized and comfortable school environment compared to its state before the arrangement.

Ni Putu Kinsa Destias Wirawan, Frysa Wiriantari, Anak Agung Ayu Sri Ratih Yulianasari · Jurnal Teknik Gradien · Indonesia (Badung)

This qualitative descriptive study explored the design concept for an urban farming training center in Badung Regency, Indonesia. The center adopts an education and tourism concept with a Green Architecture theme, incorporating eco-friendly materials, renewable energy, and water conservation. It aims to promote urban farming methods like hydroponics, biofloc catfish farming, maggot cultivation, and organic waste processing into eco-enzymes.

Yayat Sujatna, Widi Hastomo, Ambardi Ambardi · Community Empowerment · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This Community Service program aimed to educate residents of PCM Cengkareng Barat, Jakarta, Indonesia, about plastic waste, recycle plastic waste for microgreens planting media, and encourage urban farming of microgreens to meet family nutrition during the pandemic. The program utilized the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) method. The outcome was an increased ability and knowledge among partners regarding plastic waste utilization and new methods for urban farming microgreens.

Muhammad Sarjan, M. Taufik Fauzi, Ruth Stella P. Thei · Unram Journal of Community Service · Indonesia (Mataram City)

This action research in Mataram City during the COVID-19 pandemic introduced Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices to urban farming groups. Group discussions revealed that while participants were interested in developing fresh vegetables and fruits and found benefits in meeting family food needs, most members were unfamiliar with environmentally friendly cultivation techniques, particularly IPM.