Research & reports

Astrid Mendez, Paulo Cseri Ricardo, P Jeny Pérez, Callejas Hernández, Osvaldo Campos · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Cuba

This introductory study in Arroyo Naranjo municipality, Cuba, examined the use of Luyanó effluent wastewater for irrigation in urban agriculture. The wastewater was classified as low contamination based on BOD5 and COD values and posed no toxic contamination risk to soil or environment. However, it should not be used without prior treatment for direct consumption crops due to its microbial load. Experimental plots with carrot, radish, and marigold showed high agricultural yields, and radish harvests had no bacterial contamination.

Halidou Koanda · Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) · Sub-Saharan Africa

In Sub-Saharan Africa, faecal sludge management practices are often financially unviable due to widespread lack of municipal involvement, paucity of legal provisions, and absence of stakeholder coordination. This leads to indiscriminate dumping of faecal sludge in urban areas or its untreated use in urban agriculture. These practices pose permanent and serious health risks and contaminate scarce ground and surface water. This research aims to develop an innovative strategic planning approach for sustainable urban faecal sludge management to minimize public health and environmental risks.

John A. Biernbaum · Crop Management · United States

This presentation was part of a USDA conference session exploring the expansion of education infrastructure in organic agriculture. The student-oriented presentation described target student audiences, outlined example curricular content for organic farming, identified K-12 education programs benefiting from organic farming content, listed sources of organic farming information, and detailed university student farming programs, specifically the Michigan State University Student Organic Farm (MSU-SOF) CSA program.

Edilene Lagedo Teixeira, Janailton Coutinho, Adriano Costa da Silva, Andréa Soares, Camila Silva de Oliveira, Carla Gomes dos Santos, Beatriz Ribeiro Guimarães · REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE AGROECOLOGIA · Brazil

This study, conducted in 2003 by UNISOL REGIONAL and UFRRJ, aimed to develop an organic, condiment, and medicinal garden through social education activities. A socioeconomic survey of the community revealed urgent problems with water scarcity, mosquitoes, and rodents. While two garden beds and 12 planters were built to encourage self-sustaining urban agriculture, the abstract does not explicitly state the success or failure of achieving self-sustainability or addressing the identified community problems beyond the construction itself.

Ramón Liriano González · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Cuba (Matanzas)

This study evaluated the effect of organic matter and biofertilizers (Azospirillum sp and Mycorrhizae) on horticultural crops and their economic effectiveness in Matanzas, Cuba. Two experiments were conducted: one at the University of Matanzas and another at the 'La Dignidad' urban garden, both using 13 treatments including varying organic matter doses and biofertilizer combinations. The study details the application methods and experimental design, but the abstract does not state the findings.

Mathieu Ngouajio, Kathleen Delate, Edward E. Carey, Anita N. Azarenko, James J. Ferguson, William Sciarappa · HortTechnology · United States

A US report on the growth of organic agriculture and resulting pressure from students and the public for new curricula tailored to the sector. It notes that more students from cities with limited production-agriculture backgrounds are enrolling in agricultural programs and demanding curricula grounded in agroecology principles and experiential training, and summarizes a workshop that brought together experts from universities across the country working on different organic and sustainable agriculture curricula to share experiences and lessons learned. Most curricula combine traditional classroom teaching, a major experiential component, a student farm for hands-on training and internships, and in some cases a marketing component typically built around Community Supported Agriculture (CSA); other programs are more extension-oriented, offering applied training to growers outside the university curriculum.

Laura Avila, Johannes Scholberg, Nancy E. Roe, C. M. Cherr · HortScience · United States (Florida)

Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) was tested as a summer cover crop in a Community Supported Agriculture vegetable operation in Southeast Florida, United States, from 2003 to 2005. The farm system compared sunn hemp (SH) with a conventional summer fallow, followed by winter/spring tomato and pepper and then sweet corn. Tomato and pepper received 0, 67, 133 or 200 kg N/ha in 2003, and 0, 100 or 200 kg N/ha in 2004/05; sweet corn received 133 or 200 kg N/ha in 2003 and 100 kg N/ha in 2004/05. Average SH biomass was 3.7 Mg/ha. In 2003, tomato yields following SH without supplemental nitrogen were similar to the fallow treatment fertilized with 200 kg N/ha. By the third year, tomato and pepper yields in SH plots were 25% and 26% higher, respectively, than conventional plots, while conventional pepper fertilized with 200 kg N/ha showed only 8% higher yield than plots given 100 kg N/ha plus cover crop. Sweet corn yields were low overall but increased when the preceding tomato/pepper crop received higher nitrogen rates: in 2003, sweet corn fertilized with 200 kg N/ha following an SH-fall vegetable rotation produced 17% higher marketable yield than the fallow treatment, and in 2004–2005, sweet corn within the SH–unfertilized tomato system produced 29% higher yields than a comparable conventional system. The results indicate that in this rotation, both fall vegetable crops and sweet corn benefit from residual nitrogen, with SH mineralization affecting not only the immediately following crop but also yields later in the year.

Carol Posthumus · SA Irrigation = SA Besproeiing · South Africa

An extracted text describing an Agricultural Research Council (ARC) project in South Africa that brings lower-cost alternative irrigation technologies, including drip irrigation, to smallholder farmers and community gardens. The project targets areas where water is scarce but irrigation access exists, aiming to establish best management and operation practices that lower costs and save water, with drip irrigation also framed as a way of ensuring food security.

Myreide Marinez Da Silva, J. L. P. Araujo, Aryon de Almeida Barbosa, Ariana Ferreira da Silva, Leyla Menezes de Santana, C. R. R. S. França · · Brazil

This study assessed the economic viability of an agroecological system for growing vegetables in the Nova Descoberta community, in the interior of Petrolina, Pernambuco state, Brazil. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) was the economically dominant crop, accounting for nearly 85% of the garden's total monetary income, followed by lettuce (Lactuca sativa) at over 13%, while all remaining crops together reached only 2.3% of total sales value, though the study notes their cultivation was expected to expand with the continuing agroecological conversion process to diversify species grown.

East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority · East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority, Government of West Bengal · India

The East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) span 12,500 hectares on the eastern edge of Kolkata city, forming the world's largest wastewater-fed aquaculture system built around about 254 sewage-fed fish ponds. Designated a Ramsar site of international importance in 2002, the wetlands are conserved and managed by EKWMA, established under the East Kolkata Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Act, 2006. The site faces growing threats from urbanization.

Olufunke Cofie, Gordana Kranjac-Berisavljevic, Pay Drechsel · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · Ghana

This study investigated the use of faecal sludge (FS) for crop production in Tamale and Bolgatanga, Ghana, involving 90 farmers and sanitation officials. 64% of farmers used FS to improve soil fertility and increase maize and sorghum yields. While perceived to reduce pathogens, 22% of farmers reported itching feet and foot rot after working with FS without protective footwear. Constraints included foul smell, transport issues, and public mockery, yet competition for FS existed due to its benefits.

O. A. Oke, C. O. Adejuyigbe, O.A. Ajede · · Nigeria

A survey of soil micro-arthropods was conducted at selected farm locations in Ogun State, Nigeria, including a university farm, a school garden, a farmland, and a rubber plantation. The study identified micro-arthropods from Class Arachnida (orders Acarina, suborders Oribatida, Actinedida, Gamasida) and Class Insecta (order Collembola). The rubber plantation had the highest population (x = 24.75), while the university farm had the least (x = 1.75, Oribatida only). Physico-chemical soil analysis indicated that soil properties and farm practices influenced micro-arthropod distribution.

B. Jankiewicz, B. Ptaszyński · Polish Journal of Environmental Studies · Poland

This study determined the levels of bioavailable and total chromium (III) and chromium (VI) in the soil of an allotment garden located in the center of Łódź, Poland. Chromium was measured using the spectrophotometric method and atomic absorption spectrometry. The research also examined the effects of iron and copper ions on the determination results.

Ron Sawyer, Anne Delmaire, Andrés A. Buenfil · · Mexico

A study shares initial experiences from TepozEco, a pilot program for holistic ecological sanitation planning in Tepoztlan, Mexico, which includes promoting ecological toilets, water demand and greywater management, rainwater harvesting, organic waste recycling, urban agriculture, and environmental education. The project's initial phase is described as encouraging, attributed mainly to an iterative, flexible, and responsive design process—adaptive planning—and a close network of partners and collaborators; while the local context is in some respects unique, particularly regarding institutional resources, local environmental awareness, and local government commitment, the municipality's socioeconomic conditions reflect those of much of Latin America, suggesting TepozEco could serve as an ecological sanitation model for a significant part of Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Vicente de Paula, Mário T. Kato, Lourdinha Florêncio · Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental · Brazil

A study evaluated the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of water used to irrigate vegetables in an urban agriculture area along the BR-101 southern ring road in Recife, Brazil. Water samples were collected from six existing wells in the agricultural area during the dry season, October to December 2003, and analyzed for physicochemical parameters (electrical conductivity, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl-, HCO3-, nitrate-N, ammonium-N, pH, and sodium adsorption ratio) and fecal coliform. The physicochemical quality of the irrigation water showed no risk of soil salinization or alkalinization, nor of specific toxicity to plants.

Constance L. Falk, Pauline Pao, Christopher S. Cramer · HortScience · United States (New Mexico)

In January 2002, the OASIS organic vegetable garden was initiated on the New Mexico State University campus as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) venture. The project aims to provide students with experiential education in organic production and business management, investigate the feasibility of small-scale organic drip irrigation in the Chihuahuan desert, and demonstrate the CSA model. In its first two years, the 2/3-acre project grew about 230 varieties and generated $32,000 in revenue, with 32 members in the first year and 69 in 2003.

James R. Allen, Allen, James R. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · United States

This study compared the feasibility of using composted yard waste and cow manure versus commercial fertilizer (10-10-10) as soil amendments for cool and warm season vegetable crops in urban gardens. Composted materials were applied at 44,800 kg/ha and fertilizer at 336 kg/ha. Most varieties produced yields equal to or greater in compost-amended plots than in fertilizer-treated plots, with significant varietal differences observed. For example, onion yields were 24% higher and tomato yields were 44% higher in compost-amended plots in specific experiments.

R. B. Singh · IAHS-AISH publication · India

A study on wastewater management in 300 class-I cities and 23 metropolitan cities in India found that the total wastewater generated is approximately 158x10^8 l/day, with treatment capacity being only 375x10^7 l/day. In metropolitan cities, only 30% of wastewater is treated before disposal, and most cities only have primary treatment facilities. Untreated water is being used for urban agriculture, posing risks to public health and potential surface and groundwater pollution.

V. de M. Benites, F. B. Bezerra, R. O. Mouta, I. R. Assis, R. C. P. Santos, Mário Marcos Moreira da Conceição, Arthur Guerra de Andrade · · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

The composting process of grass clippings resulting from the maintenance of Rio de Janeiro International Airport's lawns was evaluated. This process was conducted in a protected environment, using grass clippings as the sole organic matter source, with treatments involving urea, natural phosphate, and pyroligneous acid. After 82 days, the compost was deemed mature, and results indicated the possibility of producing good quality organic fertilizers from grass clippings.

Xiaoling Wang · Urban Environment & Urban Ecology · China

This paper introduced comprehensive wastewater treatment technology and reclaimed water utilization in the Xiedao urban eco-agricultural system in China. Test results indicated that the removal of COD(Cr), BOD5, turbidity, and TN were all over 90%. The reclaimed water quality was very stable and met state requirements for irrigation and scenic water, and using reclaimed water reduced groundwater exploitation by 50% annually in the holiday village system.

Arjan van Timmeren, Wiek Röling, Marleen Kaptein · · Netherlands (Culemborg)

This paper focuses on an innovation in urban development in the Lanxmeer district of Culemborg, Netherlands. A "Sustainable Implant (SI)" based on permaculture and organic design principles will be built in conjunction with the EVA-Center and an ecological city-farm. The SI functions as an interconnector for three "essential" flows in urban planning, such as wastewater management and energy generation, facilitating both vertical and horizontal integration. It is considered a sustainable hub operating at three scales: the Culemborg region, the Lanxmeer urban district, and the nearby EVA Center.

Jean-Noël Consalès · Mélanges de l École française de Rome Italie et Méditerranée · France (Marseille), Italy (Genoa), Spain (Barcelona)

This comparative analysis traces one hundred years of urban agriculture in the Mediterranean arc, focusing on family gardens in Marseille (France), Genoa (Italy), and Barcelona (Spain). It identifies three major stages: from the 19th century to post-WWII, family gardens developed in France; during the Trente Glorieuses, they declined in France but emerged in Italy and Spain; and since the mid-1970s, the diffusion of ecological values has conferred important territorial functions upon family gardens.

James M. Wolf, M S van Wijk, X Cheng, Yuanhao Hu, C.A. van Diepen, A.W. Jongbloed, H van Keulen, C H Lu, R.P. Roetter · Environment and Urbanization · China (Beijing)

This paper reviews agricultural production trends in Beijing Municipality and their impact on water quality. Rapid urbanization and agricultural intensification have led to concerns regarding water resource quantity and quality. The agricultural sector, while supplying food, is a major water user and has contributed to significant water supply-demand gaps and high levels of water pollution, particularly from intensive crop, vegetable, and livestock production.

Derek Eaton, Thea Hilhorst · Environment and Urbanization · Africa

A 2003 paper examined the links between urban solid waste management and peri-urban agriculture in Bamako and Ouagadougou. Farmers near both cities value urban waste as an organic matter source and are willing to pay for it, but uncertain land tenure provides little incentive for safe disposal of dangerous elements in solid waste. Current plans to eliminate this recycling practice and promote large-scale composting are noted to be too costly for farmers, creating an incentive for illicit waste acquisition.

Jitsuo Saito · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Global

This article explores the concept of green community tourism for urban citizens, discussing the ambivalence towards community and the role of green money in fostering green prosumerism. It suggests that green tourism can build communities that integrate both market and non-market economies, strengthening relationships between urban and rural communities and supporting Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). The article also references the Japanese Organic Certification Rule announced in 2000.