Research & reports

Ada Górna · · Singapore

This chapter discusses a case study of urban agriculture in Singapore, a rapidly developing metropolis almost completely reliant on food imports. Authorities are promoting modern technology-based food production solutions to improve food self-sufficiency. Research demonstrated that top-down administrative decisions are particularly crucial to the spatial distribution of urban farming, and due to dynamic changes in the city's spatial and functional structure, urban agriculture, especially instances not matching promoted development directions, faces challenges and will undergo spatial and qualitative changes in the coming years.

Triantya Wahyu Wirati, Allya Sofiana Assyifa, Mochamad Fakhriy Afif · Journal of Digital Business and Innovation Management · Global

This research aims to analyze the design of an e-commerce website system for urban farming to optimize its potential through appropriate information technology application. Urban farming, particularly hydroponics, is presented as a solution for limited land in urban areas, offering efficient water use and faster growth. It is hoped that this research will support the growth and sustainability of urban agriculture and open new opportunities in marketing, inventory management, and efficient operational management.

Kamalanathan Shanmugam, Muhammad Ehsan Rana, Ainun Sara Binti Nasri · The Journal of Applied Technology and Innovation · Malaysia

Malaysia is actively using internet-based technologies such as cloud computing, big data analytics, IoT, and AI to enhance its GDP and living standards, particularly through Smart Agriculture initiatives. These initiatives prioritize sustainable practices and urban agricultural solutions. Despite the promise of ubiquitous computing for Malaysia's agricultural industry, the country faces obstacles that must be overcome to realize its full potential.

Eleni Oikonomaki, Ilektra Papadaki, Christina Kakderi · Land · Global

This paper examined 100 citizen-led urban greening projects globally, categorizing them by greenery type, stakeholders, implementation mode, and smart technology use. Fully citizen-led initiatives often focused on urban farms and food growing, while scaling projects frequently received support from public authorities or NGOs. Websites and social media facilitated participation and knowledge sharing, but advanced digital technologies for real-time monitoring and evidence-based decision-making were rarely integrated.

Sonia Gatchair · · Jamaica (Kingston)

In Kingston, Jamaica's largest urban space, systematic efforts to stimulate the adoption of commercially viable urban agriculture have lagged. This study examines the facilitators and impediments to commercially viable urban agriculture, arguing that knowledge transfer and the adoption of innovative, technology-driven approaches to farming, financing, and marketing are needed for success.

Bikram Pratim Bhuyan, Ravi Tomar, Thipendra P. Singh, Amar Ramdane-Chérif · Open Agriculture · Global

This study outlines the creation of UrbanAgriKG, a comprehensive knowledge graph for urban agriculture, by acquiring and synthesizing information from various sources. The graph depicts interrelationships among entities like urban farms, crops, and farming methods. The research also investigates the efficacy of different graph embedding methodologies to extract representations of entities and their relationships, aiming to improve decision-making in urban agriculture.

Monsuru Adekunle Salisu, Yusuf Opeyemi Oyebamiji, Omowunmi Kayode Ahmed, Noraziyah Abd Aziz Shamsudin, Yusoff Siti Fairuz, Yusuff Oladosu, Mohd Rafii Yusop, Zulkefly Sulaiman, Fatai Arolu · AIMS Agriculture and Food · Global

This systematic review, utilizing the PRISMA framework, focused on emerging trends in soilless technologies for urban agriculture in the post-pandemic era. It examined the environmental impact, resource efficiency, and water usage of soilless farming techniques such as aeroponics, hydroponics, and aquaponics, evaluating their advantages and disadvantages compared to conventional soil-based farming. The review suggests that these innovative strategies hold promise in fostering sustainable urban agriculture and ensuring food security.

Ewa Duda · PLoS ONE · Global

This qualitative research analyzed 7,980 Google Play Store reviews for fourteen mobile gardening applications to understand their potential for digital education in developing green cities. The study identified user motivations for downloading these apps and the features that either facilitate or hinder their use. The findings are relevant for app developers and urban educators.

Amanullah, Urooj Khan · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global

This commentary explores modern agronomy concepts such as precision agriculture, urban agriculture, and agroecology. It aims to demonstrate their potential to enhance public health by improving food quality, enhancing nutrition, and safeguarding the well-being of individuals and communities worldwide. The commentary discusses the implications of these practices for public health.

G. Ananth Kumar, A. Supriya, G. Soumya, B. Thriveni, Dr. Sandhya C, H. Sai Kumar Reddy · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

The Innovative Water Management Protocol introduces a strategy for sustainable urban agriculture in smart cities. This approach optimizes irrigation water usage by integrating intelligent sensors, data analysis, and automated processes, utilizing real-time information on soil moisture, weather, and plant needs. It also incorporates IoT-enabled devices for remote monitoring via mobile applications, aiming to conserve water, foster environmental sustainability, and enhance food security.

Bin Fang · Art and Design · Singapore

This paper explores the spatial design of urban vertical farms, using a case study of an interwoven residential complex in Singapore. It analyzes the design points of urban vertical farms to expand new functions and design inspiration for urban agricultural architecture. The study aims to address the conflict between urban and agricultural land by integrating agricultural planting buildings into residential complexes.

Maria Fernanda Coghi, Duarcides Ferreira Mariosa, Orandi Mina Falsarella · · Portugal

This project aimed to develop and install an optimized aquaponics system at the School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto (ISEP). The three-floor vertical garden includes two tanks with approximately 2,000 liters of water for fish, three flower boxes, and over 120 positions for growing vegetables. Pedagogical activities involving students from various ISEP courses were also developed in conjunction with this project.

Suwa Lal Yadav, Manish Yadav, Devilal Birla, Indra Raj Yadav · · Global

Organic farming is evolving by integrating regenerative techniques, agroecological principles, precision agriculture, and urban farming concepts to meet growing demand for organic products. This approach aims to improve agricultural output, address climate change, manage pests, and optimize resource use, contributing to a sustainable and ethically sound food ecology. The organic industry is projected to grow due to increased consumer awareness and education.

Maicol Negrello · TECHNE - Journal of Technology for Architecture and Environment · Global

This paper outlines the state of the art in technological innovation and how it, along with design, has reshaped norms in indoor urban agriculture, driven by the need to reconfigure supply models for future climate and demographic scenarios. Technological acceleration over the past decade has led to the emergence of new urban architectures and metabolisms, often created within regulatory gaps and constraints from obsolete zoning plans or building regulations.

MVV Satyaveni · South Asian Journal of Agricultural Sciences · Global

This article explores how AI technologies are reshaping urban green infrastructure and optimizing horticultural planning to address challenges from urbanization and climate change. Using a mixed-methods approach including a literature review (2010-2024), meta-analysis, and case studies, the research found that AI integration improves plant health monitoring, precision irrigation, predictive biodiversity modeling, and spatial planning of green zones. AI also enables real-time responses to climatic shifts, strengthening ecosystem services like carbon sequestration and cooling effects.

Paul Teng · Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development · Global

This paper examines urban agriculture's role in national planning, particularly concerning global food security challenges as urban populations grow. It notes that urban and peri-urban agriculture, ranging from community gardens to commercial farms, has seen rapid technological development and private investment, especially since the early 2020s. Beyond economic and food security benefits, urban agriculture also offers environmental and social advantages for cities aiming to reduce their carbon footprints.

Nyayu Khodijah, Ratna Santi, Riwan Kusmiadi, Ivan Rismunandar · Jurnal Agritech · Global

This research investigated the effect of nutrient type and lead (Pb) absorption on water spinach growth in a Kratky hydroponic system over 30 days. Plants were exposed to PbSO4 concentrations of 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg/L, with standard hydroponic (ABmix) and alternative nutrients. The study found that nutrient type significantly affected most growth parameters, with ABmix performing better than alternative nutrients. Crucially, no growth disturbance was observed due to PbSO4 contamination, and the combination of Pb concentration and nutrient type did not significantly affect growth or production, except for the number of leaves.

J. V., Juan M. Corchado, Diana M. Giraldo, Sara Rodríguez-González, Fernando De la Prieta · Internet of Things · Global

This paper presents an Internet of Things (IoT) platform for monitoring urban gardens, aiming to mitigate hunger and promote food sovereignty. The platform includes a social design layer for knowledge transfer and a recommendation system based on evolutionary computation to optimize urban orchard productivity. Experiments in urban gardens validated the models, showing an increase in urban lettuce orchard productivity between 25% and 45%.

Amirul Asyraf Zhahir, Mohd Ilias M Shuhud, Siti Munirah Mohd, S.K. Kamarudin, Azuan Ahmad, Rossly Salleh, Norita Md Norwawi · Computer Science and Information Technologies · Global

This study proposes a conceptual model for technology adoption in smart urban farming, building upon a previous systematic literature review. The model is founded on Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) and incorporates factors from other technology adoption models. The research aims to provide insights into the components influencing technology adoption in smart urban farming, offering a framework for future studies and applications.

Erin Ingram, Patricia Wonch Hill, Dena Harshbarger, Jenny Keshwani · Education Sciences · Global

A 2024 study examines the impact of the "Garden TOOLS" garden-based technology integration program on science teaching self-efficacy among 39 elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs) enrolled in a 300-level science methods course in the rural Midwest, US. Using the STEBI-B instrument to measure change in personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) and science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE) before and after the intervention, it found that participants in the Garden TOOLS professional development workshops showed a statistically significant increase in PSTE from pre- to post-workshop, and that participants who also implemented the Garden TOOLS lesson in practicum showed increases in both PSTE and STOE.

Arturs Kempelis, Inese Poļaka, Andrejs Romānovs, Antons Patļins · Future Internet · Global

A study on microclimate monitoring for urban agriculture (region unspecified) evaluated convolutional neural networks (CNNs) forecasting relative air humidity, soil moisture, and light intensity sensor readings from thermal images. Forecasts for relative humidity and soil moisture achieved higher accuracy, with Mean Absolute Percentage Errors of 10-12%, attributed to their strong dependency on thermal patterns captured by the CNNs, while light intensity forecasting was less accurate due to more complex and variable urban factors. The authors acknowledge that implementing these technologies in urban agricultural models still poses challenges.

Suhardi Suhardi, Bambang Marhaenanto, Bayu Taruna Widjaja Putra · Pertanika journal of science & technology · Malaysia

Aimed at making urban water-resource management more efficient, this Malaysian study applied and evaluated a soil-moisture-sensor and IoT-based drip irrigation system for urban agriculture. The results showed fair distribution uniformity, with a Coefficient of Uniformity (CU) of 90.15% and 86.58% respectively. An IoT-assisted drip irrigation system that used a Deep Neural Network (DNN) model to meet water requirements produced higher peanut yields than a control irrigation system based on soil moisture alone.

Pei-Yuan Chen, Chuan-Ching Pang, Guan-Yi Sung · Heliyon · Global

This study analyzes how evapotranspiration and substrate moisture variations affect indoor temperature reduction from a green roof, developing two multiple linear regression models: an operation-stage model based on field observations and an integrated planning-stage model combining hydrological and building energy simulations. The operation model achieved RMSE 0.64C and adjusted R2 0.55, the planning model RMSE 1.02C and adjusted R2 0.80, with maximum summer indoor temperature reduction reaching 10.65C and an average of 5-6C.

· Wikipedia · Singapore

According to the English Wikipedia article 'Vertical farming', Sky Greens Farms opened the world's first commercial vertical farm in Singapore in 2012. It is three stories high and currently has over 100 nine-metre-tall towers. It is cited as the starting point of commercialized urban vertical farming.

Annie Drottberger, Yizhi Zhang, Jean Wan Hong Yong, Marie-Claude Dubois · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · Global

This systematic literature review, based on 45 articles, examined the benefits and challenges of rooftop greenhouse technology. While benefits include optimized land use, increased profitability, good yields, and resource efficiency, the review identified significant challenges. These challenges include additional investment and operational costs, limited availability of flat roofs, and various regulations, which hinder the widespread adoption of rooftop greenhouses.