Research & reports

Sung-Ho Gil, Byeong-Hwa Song, Byoung-E Yang · KIEAE Journal · South Korea (Seoul)

A study of 30 green roofs created by the Seoul Metropolitan Government between 2002 and 2004, using cluster analysis to reclassify them into three types. The prior classification, based on structural safety diagnosis and on-site visual judgment by experts, was found to need correction. The study redefines the concepts of rooftop garden (intensive green roof) and green roof differently from earlier studies, positioning rooftop gardens as closer to integrated management and green roofs as closer to low management. Categorical regression analysis was also used to extract the factors influencing greening type, with an R-squared of 95.2% for the regression's explanatory power. The results indicate that rooftop gardens are spaces expected to support high levels of human activity.

이응직, 이형숙, 윤은주, 칼루 엑페게어, 고성철 · · South Korea

A South Korean study examined the functions and roles of a Green Community Rediscovery Center (GCRC) in terms of community integration, designed a GCRC incorporating various green roof types, and investigated applying a renewable energy system (e.g., PV) to building greenery. Four functional modules were proposed: an ecopark and community gardens with environmental education programs, a green housing model with education programs, a Discover Science Center, and a green business model with education programs. In design terms, three main functions were presented: community garden functions; establishment of a green business model, community composting system, and urban farming system; and the role of community gardens in social interaction within the GCRC. Air temperature on the green roof (using Sedum sarmentosum as cover) was about 3°C lower than on a non-green roof, indicating potential efficiency gains for PV systems. The study concludes that the proposed GCRC would raise neighborhood satisfaction and quality of life and contribute to social integration and community regeneration.

陈波, 杨卫丽, 苏原 · 华中建筑 · China

A design essay (Huazhong Architecture, 2011) presents the "3G-Box" composite eco-architecture concept, using the design of a university architecture-department complex building that incorporates urban agriculture elements as its case example. The paper frames the design around low-carbon, energy-saving, ecological sustainability principles, aiming to create an inclusive, open, interactive, energy-efficient, green building that blends traditional and modern architectural imagery; it is a design proposal rather than a study reporting measured outcomes.

Zhu Ke-xian · Shanxi Architecture · China

This paper analyzes the functions and development status of urban garden greening/reforestation in Taiyuan, China, sets out principles and allocation methods for urban afforestation parks, and discusses considerations and design directions for future greening in Taiyuan in terms of lawn planning, forest ecological reforestation, and legal-system development for greening.

شعبانعلی فمی شعبانعلی فمی, قاسمی قاسمی, سرور امینی سرور امینی, سعادتزاده سعادتزاده · پژوهش های اقتصاد و توسعه کشاورزی · Asia

A correlational survey of farmers' attitudes toward participating in community-supported agriculture (CSA) in the Markazi district of Karaj, Iran. Out of a population of 1,598 farmers, a sample of 130 was drawn by simple random sampling (initially 117 via Cochran's formula, later expanded), using a questionnaire validated by expert judgment and showing Cronbach's alpha reliability of 0.7–0.9. Farmers' main motivation for CSA participation was securing financial resources and marketing their produce. Interest in receiving citizens' financial support correlated significantly and positively with annual income, family labor use, and number of citizen visits to farms (p<0.01), and with dependency on the residential area and education level (p<0.05). A Kruskal-Wallis test found significant differences among farmers from different residential areas in interest in citizen financial support, willingness to cooperate with citizens across income levels, satisfaction with farming income, and length of cultivation (p<0.05).

美華 朱, 莉莉 木南 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · China (Shanghai, Harbin)

This study used an internet survey to clarify urban residents' expectations for urban agriculture functions and discuss its sustainability through a comparative analysis of resident assessments in Shanghai and Harbin, China. It notes that expectations for urban agriculture functions and the relative importance of economic efficiency, sociality, and environmental protection vary by location.

Deng Qing-nan · Economic Research Guide · China

This paper explores the transformation of traditional ecological agriculture tourism to urban agriculture tourism in Pi County, China. It suggests that Pi County, a birthplace of "Farm Fun" tourism, needs to upgrade its traditional ecological agriculture tourism to urban agriculture to ensure sustainable development and compete in the Chengdu suburban leisure agriculture tourism market. The paper presents initial thoughts based on the county's agricultural tourism development practices.

금성근 · BDI 정책포커스 · South Korea (Busan)

This policy focus paper states that urban agriculture in Busan, South Korea, is in its initial stages and requires significant activation efforts from local governments. It identifies key roles for local governments in promotion, resource discovery, program support, organizational networking, and policy development. To activate urban agriculture in Busan, the paper recommends establishing institutional and policy support, strengthening education, providing experiential opportunities, fostering partnerships among public, private, and academic sectors, and linking with local industries for regional revitalization.

김태곤, 박문호, 허주녕 · 한국농촌경제연구원 기본연구보고서 · South Korea

This study aims to identify the current status and challenges of urban agriculture and propose solutions. Urban agriculture faces chronic problems including securing farming land due to rising land prices, management insecurity resulting from farmland diversion or lease, and increased production costs due to environmental regulations. These issues restrict the range of agricultural management.

이양주, 김태현 · · South Korea

This study proposes management system alternatives for Gyeonggi Province's provincial parks in South Korea, including Namhansanseong, Yeoninsan, and Surisan. Namhansanseong is directly managed by Gyeonggi Province, while Yeoninsan is managed by a public foundation, experimenting with private consignment. Four alternatives are presented: establishing a new business office, unified management by the Korea National Park Service, private consignment, or consignment to local environmental groups, with a recommendation for a new business office and active consideration of private consignment, especially for urban parks. It also suggests managing certain urban park areas as "Community Gardens."

황정임, 최윤지, 장보경, 이상영 · · South Korea

This study segmented and examined urban farmers' behavior in South Korea using a two-step cluster analysis and multi-nominal logit model. Data from a telephone survey of 381 urban agriculture participants out of 2,000 respondents revealed four distinct clusters based on motive, place, companion, area, and hours. Significant differences were found among these groups in terms of age, city size, and housing type, suggesting urbanites select farming types based on socio-demographic profiles.

Junping Liu · System Sciences and Comprehensive Studies in Agriculture · China (Beijing)

This paper constructed an evaluation index system for urban agricultural multi-functionality using factor analysis and analytic hierarchy process for 13 agriculture-related districts in Beijing. Based on GIS spatial analysis of function, Beijing was divided into three urban agricultural subareas according to production economy function, social service function, and ecological protection function. The results indicate that Beijing urban agriculture has an obvious 'core-periphery' spatial structure but with different function-orientation, locational tendency, and development patterns.

이양주 · · South Korea

This paper proposes a promotion plan for urban agriculture in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, in response to increasing interest and existing initiatives in other cities like Seoul, Incheon, Gwangmyeong, and Suwon. While Seoul has an ordinance, its implementation system is underdeveloped, and Incheon's private sector-led efforts face land acquisition limits. The plan suggests establishing a public-private network centered around the Gyeonggi Agricultural Research & Extension Services' urban agriculture team, collaborating with other regional organizations to conduct research, technology development, education, and pilot projects, with specific roles and timelines for 2010.

김진환 · 대한건축학회지회연합회 학술발표대회논문집 · South Korea

A literature review and questionnaire survey were conducted to analyze the implementation of urban agriculture utilizing idle land in cities. It was found that citizens use various types of urban agriculture for healthy hobbies and small-scale food production, and the demand for urban agriculture using idle land is increasing. Both public sectors, centered on local governments, and private sectors are implementing various urban agriculture projects, and it was concluded that the government needs to provide administrative assistance for further utilization of idle land.

Jung‐Min Choi · Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning · South Korea

This study conducted basic research for the development of a Korean-style community garden (Kleingarten) model, referencing Japanese Kleingarten, in response to increased demand for green tourism. Theoretical research and interviews with site surveys of Kleingarten in Japan were carried out. Results indicated that, from a hardware perspective, facilities and size should be adapted to Korean conditions and long-term green tourism demands, including adequate lodging facilities. From a software perspective, administration needs to make efforts to obtain understanding and cooperation from local residents.

QU Xue-shu · Anhui nongye kexue · China

A Chinese paper frames Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), a risk- and benefit-sharing arrangement between farms and their supporting communities, as an outgrowth of food-security concerns and land interest during urbanization, and explores its potential extension into tourism. Analyzing the feasibility and conditions for combining CSA with tourism, the paper proposes a new tourism form under the CSA model, termed 'TCSA tourism.'

Ratnawati Yuni Suryandari · · Indonesia

An essay arguing that in developing countries, including Indonesia, the fastest urban growth is occurring in city centers, and that unequal income, poverty, poorly functioning food distribution systems and shrinking farmland make food sources especially critical for the urban poor. It cites World Bank figures stating that 360 million urban residents in developing countries suffer chronic malnutrition, that five of six urban households in India spend 70% of income on food, and that in Kuala Lumpur 45–50% of residents' income goes to food, twice the share in the UK. The article frames urban agriculture as a holistic approach to meeting urban poor residents' needs and improving urban environmental quality, discussing urban agriculture's issues and challenges in Indonesia through the case of Jakarta and its surroundings.

Priyanie Amerasinghe · CGSPace A Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) · Asia

A chapter in the edited volume "Cities, poverty and food: multi-stakeholder policy and planning in urban agriculture" (Dubbeling, de Zeeuw and van Veenhuizen, eds., Practical Action Publishing), addressing efforts to build stakeholder synergies for urban agriculture in Gampaha, Sri Lanka. The available record consists only of this bibliographic citation; no further findings or methods are given in the abstract.

Tianyi Zhang · Anhui nongye kexue · China

A paper examining the connotation and development of circular economy and circular agriculture from a circular-economy perspective. It uses the replicable Sino-Singapore Eco-City in Tianjin as a case study, analyzing the background, significance, and features of its construction, and identifies a sustainable development orientation of "harmony and three capabilities," along with implications for Tianjin's urban agriculture development in terms of water-saving, land-saving, and energy-saving. Under circular economy theory, enhancing the economical use of agricultural resources and the resource utilization of agricultural waste is said to have positive effects on improving the urban environment, including decentralizing organic solid waste from the sewage cycle system, further studying the physiological and biochemical mechanisms behind increasing yield and income in ecological agriculture, and incorporating urban agriculture into city land-use and development planning.

蔡元杰 · 浙江现代农业 · China

This survey report covers Yinzhou district, China, which borders central Ningbo and benefits from a favorable location and strong overall economic capacity, describing local efforts to transform and upgrade agriculture around reliance on the city, service to urban areas, and increasing farmer income. It states the district has built modern industrial and support systems and achieved positive results while maintaining rapid, healthy agricultural development, but presents no specific quantitative data.

Nyuk Hien Wong, Steve Kardinal Jusuf · Architectural Science Review · Asia

A study measured microclimate conditions and thermal effects along two pedestrian canyons with different greenery and building-distribution conditions in Singapore, addressing the previously unexamined cooling effects of different green canyon forms in the tropics. Results showed cooling effects inside the canyons varied with vegetation cover and the shading provided by trees and buildings, and that planting vegetation within a canyon is an effective passive measure for improving microclimate. Calculated mean radiant temperature and physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) further showed that mature trees provide pedestrian thermal comfort through their shading capacity.

W.-L. Rao, Z.-K. Zhang, Runzhong Li · Plant Disease · China (Kunming)

In June 2007, sweet cherry trees with mottling and mosaic symptoms were observed in a private garden near Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. Twenty-four samples from sweet cherry, sour cherry, flowering cherry, and peach trees in private and community gardens were tested for eight viruses by RT-PCR. Cherry virus A (CVA) was detected in two symptomatic sweet cherry trees, marking the first report of CVA in sweet cherry in China.

Wei‐Chao Jiang · Anhui nongye kexue · China (Hefei City)

This study investigated the urban agriculture park of Dawei Town in Baohe District of Hefei City, China, using site investigation, observation, and questionnaires. It expounded on the park's strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and opportunities through SWOT analysis and analyzed new problems under eco-tourism, proposing suggestions.

刘宛 · Acta Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Sunyatseni · China

Based on practical observations and a literature review on new rural construction in China, this article explores the concept of modern urban agriculture and its value and role in new rural construction. It points out that the development of urban agriculture can be a driving force and opportunity for new rural construction, but it is not equivalent to new rural construction itself. Government-led new rural construction should focus on farmer participation and achieving healthy urban-rural interaction.

Wang Wen-zhen · Journal of Huangshi Institute of Technology · China (Huangshi)

Due to economic development, Huangshi, China, located along the Yangtze River, has shifted its agriculture from a production-centered peri-urban pattern to a multi-functional urban pattern encompassing production, ecology, and landscape. Integrating urban agriculture with Huangshi's notable location along the Yangtze River is believed to give its modern agriculture distinct features and a promising future.