Research & reports

Lorenzo Montero S., Reinaldo Cun, A. Dal Lago · · Cuba (Havana)

A study conducted at the Camilo Cienfuegos Basic Unit of Cooperative Production, an urban farm in San Miguel del Padron, Havana, Cuba, from June to September 2006, investigated the yield response of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor, variety V-4) cultivated under dry conditions for animal feeding. Total rainfall during this period was 326.9 mm, and the yield was 4.86 t/ha. The rainfall provided optimal soil moisture for the crop's entire biological cycle, leading to a recommendation for sowing in wet months without supplementary irrigation.

Helen M. Byamugisha, Robert Ikoja-Odongo, George William Nasinyama, Shuaib Lwasa · · Uganda

In Kampala, Uganda, urban farmers lack access to adequate information on innovative agricultural technologies, inputs, and balancing productivity with environmental requirements. This information deficit results in low urban farming production despite supportive legal frameworks. This paper presents preliminary findings on information search and acquisition mechanisms among urban farmers in Kampala District, exploring their contribution to reducing or exacerbating urban food insecurity, and plans to design an information seeking and use model for them.

何秀荣 · 蔬菜 · Global

This article discusses the rapid development of urban agriculture in China and globally, covering its origins, characteristics, and current status. It aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of urban agriculture, from theory to modern sightseeing vegetable cultivation techniques, with insights from agricultural economic experts and grassroots agricultural staff.

Camillus J. Sawio · · Global

This paper, based on existing literature, discusses the increasing international, regional, and local recognition of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) over the past three decades. It highlights UPA's contributions to feeding urban populations, poverty alleviation, food security, and sustainable urban management, attributing this recognition to efforts by various international organizations and resulting municipal declarations.

John Schischka, Paul Dalziel, Caroline M. Saunders · Journal of Human Development · New Zealand

This research investigated the application of Sen's Capability Approach to two human development programs: a community garden-based poverty alleviation program in a New Zealand city and a self-help project for women in Samoa. Sixteen focus groups of participants described significant changes in their capabilities, including learning new skills and discovering existing valuable capabilities. This finding aligns with Sen's emphasis on participant agency.

Cristin B. Forbes, Alison H. Harmon · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · Global

This article examines strategies employed by Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms to help limited-resource consumers overcome income barriers to membership. Due to the typical lump sum membership fee, CSA can be inaccessible. Identified strategies include accepting government food assistance, offering payment plans, working shares, subsidized or low-cost shares, transportation assistance, bartering, outreach, and connections to emergency food assistance.

Shujun Li · · Global

This article analyzes the economic nature and basic function of urban horticulture, based on market orientation and the aim of establishing a green regional economy and harmonious society. It discusses strategies for developing urban horticulture and provides countermeasures to enhance its function and establish a green regional economy.

R. Machiridza, Emmanuel Manzungu · University of Zimbabwe Institutional Repository (University of Zimbabwe) · Zimbabwe (Harare)

Perceptions of urban agriculture in Harare, Zimbabwe, shifted from prohibition before 1980 due to environmental concerns to de facto government policy after independence due to increasing urban poverty. Land was initially allocated to co-operatives primarily for political support, creating tension between political patronage and environmental protection. Critics argue that authorities only accepted urban agriculture's reality two decades post-independence, driven by its potential for poverty reduction and economic development.

Lenore Newman · · Global

This 2008 paper examines barriers to urban agriculture expansion in North America—poor urban soils, lack of knowledge, zoning restrictions, and personal time constraints—through two case studies of assisted urban small-plot intensive farming in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia. In both cases, entrepreneurs installed and tended small plots on participants' land, selling the harvest at local farmers' markets or sharing it directly with the landowners. The paper notes that both projects had strong educational components and engaged a diverse demographic, and that having one farmer tend multiple plots could help address concerns about the carbon footprint of small-plot farming raised elsewhere in the literature.

Irenio Curbelo Tribicio · OBSERVATÓRIO DE LA ECONOMÍA LATINOAMERICANA · Cuba

Set against Cuba's demographic backdrop of accelerating urbanization, declining birth rates, gradual population aging and an uneven distribution of the workforce, this reference paper argues for the need to understand imbalances between labor supply and demand in urban agriculture and to establish measures to improve its use. It states that wage and incentive systems must align with the rational use of human resources in order to secure workers' fair compensation under the principle of socialist distribution. No specific survey findings or figures are presented.

Olufunke Cofie, Larbi, Theophilus Otchere, George Danso, Ernest Mensah Abraham, S.K. Kufogbe, N. Obiri-Opareh · CGSPace A Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) · Ghana

A book chapter addressing urban agriculture in the Accra metropolitan area, Ghana, included in Parrot et al. (eds.), "Agriculture and Urban Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Environment and Health Issues" (Paris: L'Harmattan). The available abstract consists only of this bibliographic citation; no study methods or findings are given.

Irenio Curbelo Tribicio · OBSERVATÓRIO DE LA ECONOMÍA LATINOAMERICANA · Cuba

A research project conducted at the Granja Urbana (Urban Farm) of Sancti Spíritus municipality, Cuba, aiming to apply and evaluate a set of economic and financial analysis tools within the category of "labor force and wages," in order to determine the factors influencing the interrelationship and variation of gross value added (VAB), labor productivity, and average wage. The abstract states only the study's aim and object of analysis; it does not report specific findings or figures from the evaluation.

Pallot J., Nefedova T. · Oxford University Press (Oxford Geographical and Environmental Studies Series) · Russia

A monograph based on four years of fieldwork across European Russia examining the scale, geography, and socioeconomic significance of household plot production in post-socialist rural Russia.

Jayakody P., Gunawardana I., Guneratne S., Clemett A., Dissanayake P. · IWMI Research Reports (WASPA Asia Project Report 8), International Water Management Institute · Sri Lanka (Kurunegala)

This IWMI report documents peri-urban paddy cultivation using diverted municipal wastewater around Kurunegala city, highlighting the practice as representative of urbanization impacts on Sri Lankan agriculture while identifying significant public health risks from untreated effluent irrigation.

Jim Godfrey · The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology · Global

This article, titled "Urban Horticulture and Agriculture in the Developing World," was published in The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 82(1), p. 1. The abstract provides only the publication details and title of the article.

Anna Eklund, Camilla Björk · · Nicaragua (Managua)

This diploma work, a case study in Managua, Nicaragua, explored how urban agriculture can improve the life situation of urban populations. The study found evidence that urban agriculture can be a key strategy for the urban poor, securing food access, improving public health and the environment, increasing income possibilities, and strengthening social belonging.

Huang Ying · · Global

This paper compares the origins and functions of urban agriculture (UA) in various countries. It notes that UA is flourishing globally, with its origins, evolution, and modalities differing across nations due to diverse natural, economic, and social conditions. The study aims to better develop UA by examining these characteristics in typical countries.

Virginia Hamdan, Paula Natinzon · REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE AGROECOLOGIA · Argentina

This study quantified the organizational sustainability of 41 agroecological urban gardens within the UNMdP Food Autoproduction Program in Argentina. It developed a Socio-Organizational Sustainability Index (ISO) based on Group Potential, Capacity of Automanagement, and Organizational Practices. Most gardens showed a "Middle" degree of ISO, primarily due to Capacity of Automanagement and Organizational Practices.

Craig J. Thompson, Gökçen Coskuner-Balli · Journal of Consumer Research · Global

This paper argues that the corporatization of the organic food movement, typically seen as co-optation, can instead generate a countervailing market response. This response actively promotes the oppositional aspects of a counterculture that are attenuated by commercial mainstreaming. The study analyzes community-supported agriculture (CSA) as an example of this response to corporate co-optation.

S Fjell · Rainwater and Urban Design · Global

This paper presents the concepts of "Cool Streets," "Green Streets," and "Water Wise Streets" to mitigate urban heat islands and create sustainable urban environments. Cool Streets reduce heat absorption, Green Streets promote improved air quality, stormwater management, and urban agriculture through vegetation. These multidisciplinary design approaches can achieve cost-effective Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) outcomes, and the concept has been implemented in Pentridge Village, Coburg, Victoria, Australia.

David W. Hughes, Daniel Eades, Kenneth L. Robinson, Carlos E. Carpio, Isengildina, Olga, Cheryl Brown, Hughes, David W., Eades, Daniel C., Robinson, Kenneth L., Carpio, Carlos E., Isengildina, Olga, Brown, Cheryl · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Global

This paper critiques the current literature on local food systems, which are promoted for local economic growth and reduced environmental impact, but often lack rigorous analysis from a regional science perspective. Using the Porter Diamond framework, it discusses how regional science can analyze local food systems as an economic development tool and assesses their potential environmental benefits.

Hussein Sharafat, Ahmed El-Sayed, Abdelaziz Ahmed Abdelhafez · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Egypt

A quantitative study surveyed farmers in urban agriculture innovation hubs (UAHs) across Cairo, Alexandria, and Port Said, Egypt. It found that vegetable production in UAHs was 25% more efficient than traditional methods, with advanced irrigation and community management enhancing yields and market access. The study suggests government policies should incentivize UAH development through subsidies and training.

Viola Devasirvatham, P. S. Cornish · International Journal of Water · Australia

Peri-urban horticulture in Australia requires irrigation for year-round vegetable production. Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) offers higher water use efficiency and crop yields, with the potential to reduce environmental risks from drainage and runoff. However, SDI has potential disadvantages, including poor germination or crop establishment and uneven wetting patterns. Research is needed to solve these problems and enable environmentally acceptable vegetable production.

Craig J. Thompson, Gökçen Coskuner-Balli · Journal of Consumer Culture · Global

This article analyzes Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) as a form of ethical consumerism. The analysis explicates how CSA's aspects allow consumers to perceive its practical inconveniences and choice restrictions as moral virtues. The article concludes by assessing the societal implications of these localized marketplace relationships.

Toure Sylla Mamadou, Mamoudou Diop · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Senegal (Dakar)

This three-year study in Dakar, Senegal, investigated urban food security systems through surveys and interviews with community garden participants. It found that 75% of participants reported increased engagement in urban agriculture, driven by government subsidies for materials and equipment. The study validates previous findings on community garden participation, noting a significant increase due to subsidized resources, and highlights the effectiveness of targeted interventions.