Research & reports

Rachel Carey, Fanny Krumholz, Kena Duignan, Kathy McConell, Jessica L. Browne, Catherine Burns, Mark Lawrence · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Australia (Victoria)

This policy analysis examined fruit and vegetable production in peri-urban areas of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It highlights that environmental pressures, the loss and cost of peri-urban agricultural land, and a cost-price squeeze due to rising input costs and low farm-gate prices combine to threaten the viability of the Victorian fruit and vegetable industries. These pressures suggest that the availability and affordability of fruit and vegetable supplies cannot be taken for granted.

Leonie J. Pearson, Linda Pearson, Craig J. Pearson · Urban agriculture · Global

This paper reviews research on urban agriculture in relation to its social, economic, and environmental sustainability dimensions. It proposes that urban agriculture comprises three elements: isolated practice, its interface with people and environment, and its contribution to built form design, considering micro, meso, and macro scales. The analysis highlights legal, social, and economic constraints and opportunities, suggesting future research priorities include identifying principles for resilient city design and trialing innovative institutional mechanisms.

Catherine Féart, Pascale Barberger‐Gateau · World review of nutrition and dietetics · Global

This publication contains selected papers from the 'Healthy Agriculture, Healthy Nutrition, Healthy People' conference held in Ancient Olympia, Greece, in October 2010. Topics include the relationship between architecture and agriculture, food production systems and urban agriculture, physical activity, nutrition, genetic variation, and other determinants of human health. The papers indicate that optimal nutrition aligns with ecologically and economically sustainable agriculture, and highlight the need for scientific and political institutions to integrate research into urban planning, agriculture, and healthcare systems.

Shane J. Ralston · Project Muse (Johns Hopkins University) · Global

This paper compared John Dewey's work on school gardening with Community Studies scholar Mary Beth Pudup's scholarship on the politics of gardening movements. The comparison is argued to be fruitful in exposing the political reasons for gardening education, relating school gardening to contemporary movements, and giving greater normative force to the call for creating more school garden projects.

Sinaí Boffill, Rafael Miguel Reyes · Redalyc (Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México) · Cuba

This article presents the municipal strategy for local food production in Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus, Cuba, which began in 2004 as an integral program with 29 tasks across four subprograms. The strategy, implemented through projects, prioritizes technology adoption and training in collaboration with universities and research centers. Key results include self-sufficiency in fresh milk, improved cattle herds and their feed base, development of sheep, pig, and rabbit farming, national recognition as a reference municipality in urban agriculture, biopesticide production, and partial elimination of undesirable woody plants.

Inge Wagemakers, Oracle Makangu Diki · Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · Congo (Kinshasa)

In rapidly growing African cities, particularly Kinshasa, urban agriculture is crucial for food provision, yet land available for agriculture decreases as cities expand. This study points out that in Kinshasa, population growth and a lack of empty land are pushing agriculture towards the city's periphery, threatening urban agricultural space. This situation highlights a conflict between the need to produce food and the need for living space.

José Luis Galdeano Tostado · Creatividad y sociedad: revista de la Asociación para la Creatividad · Global

This paper observes an increasing awareness of environmental issues and neighborhood action in city centers, with concepts like urban gardens and self-managed spaces becoming more familiar. It suggests that vacant lands and unused building sites in cities offer significant potential for citizens' creative initiatives. The abstract does not present any specific findings on governance challenges or critical interventions.

Antonio Lattuca · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Argentina (Rosario)

This article describes the process of creating urban agriculture in Rosario, Argentina. It explains how urban agriculture originated from civil society and subsequently became established as a municipal public policy.

Heather A. Okvat, Alex Zautra · American Journal of Community Psychology · Global

This paper introduces community gardening as a method to enhance well-being and resilience at individual, social, and environmental levels. It examines empirical evidence for gardening's benefits and advocates for developing and testing social ecological models of community resilience by studying the impact of urban community gardens. The paper also discusses the potential of community garden networks to address the global climate change crisis.

Božidar Manić, Crnčević Tijana, Ana Niković · Arhitektura i urbanizam · Serbia (Bela Crkva)

This paper examines the possibilities of improving urban settlement structure by interpolating passive protection concepts against climate change, specifically applying green areas in urban fabric planning. The research applies analysis of existing legislation, planning documents, literature, foreign practice, and in situ scanning. A case study of block 23 in Bela Crkva emphasizes the role of green areas, noting its specific position with planned housing near existing industry, and analyzes the possibility of affirming existing, spontaneously developed agriculture through planning guidelines, based on comparative examples of urban agriculture in foreign countries.

Sinan Koont · University Press of Florida eBooks · Cuba

This chapter examines technological innovations in protected and semi-protected urban agriculture cultivation in Cuba. Greenhouse cultivation was initially introduced for import substitution in tourism, with adaptations for tropical conditions and agroecological pest control. Semi-protected cultivation, using shade-providing screens, later replaced protected cultivation as a subprogram, and polycultures have been effectively reintroduced in semi-protected organóponicas. The program is rapidly expanding with government support.

Sinan Koont · University Press of Florida eBooks · Cuba

This chapter describes the nature and organization of urban agriculture in Cuba, focusing on the National Group for Urban Agriculture (GNAU) within the Ministry of Agriculture. It covers land-tenure institutions and production modalities like organóponicos, huertas intensives, parcelas, and patios. GNAU oversees 28 subprograms, publishes a technical manual, conducts site visits, and performs inspection and evaluation functions, forming a system of "centralized decentralization."

Ji Zhao, Chang An Liu, Yu Kun Zhang · Advanced materials research · Global

This paper analyzes the potential for integrating agriculture into urban environments and architectural spaces as an integrative strategy for low-carbon cities and architecture. It explores the necessity and possibility of developing urban agriculture as an alternative that amends missing links in existing low-carbon strategies, discussing its integration into cities and buildings.

Ari Jokinen, Ville Viljanen, Krista Willman · Alue ja Ympäristö · Finland (Tampere)

This article analyzes the social and ecological significance of the Pispala allotment area in Tampere, Finland, where nearly 300 plots are used for urban farming, despite city plans for building purposes. A mixed-method analysis, using field observation, planning documents, biological surveys, and questionnaires, found that farming practices make the place visible, foster social interaction, and link the site ecologically to rare plant species. However, these crucial features of urban diversity are frequently disregarded by local administrative bodies in planning.

David Mason, Ian Knowd · Urban agriculture · Australia (Sydney)

This paper explores the history of urban agriculture (UA) in the Sydney Metropolitan Region, Australia. UA emerged as a grassroots response to global forces negatively impacting urban and farming communities, including urban sprawl, supermarket dominance, the fast food industry, and globalization in the developed world. Community-based promotion of local agriculture has led governments and organizations to recognize UA as a strategic mechanism for urban communities to address food security and other challenges.

Abigail A. Aryeh-Adjei, P. Atengdem · Annals of Humanities & Development studies · Ghana

This study in Ashaiman Municipality, Greater-Accra region, Ghana, investigated the impact of Government/NGO support services on urban farmers' crop production and livelihoods. Surveying 104 urban vegetable farmers, it found that 88 farmers with access to support services from entities like the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Pro Credit Bank observed improved crop production, whereas 16 without access did not. A significant difference was also identified between access to these services and various livelihood outcomes for urban farmers.

Eun-Joo Yoon, Young-Ho Yoon · LHI Journal of Land Housing and Urban Affairs · Global

This study aimed to suggest the application of urban agriculture in permanently rental apartment complexes to build social welfare. It explained the roles and necessities of urban agriculture in response to environmental changes, estimated the land area usable for urban agriculture in existing complexes, and proposed strategies for its introduction.

Zeng Shu-qin · Guangdong nongye kexue · Global

This paper conducted a comparative analysis of successful urban agriculture experiences in six developed countries: the United States, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Singapore. It examined typical cases from these countries, focusing on their development characteristics, organizational forms, production characteristics, marketing and logistics, functions, and supporting policies. The successful experiences of these nations offer reference and inspiration for the development of urban agriculture in China.

Alex Nicol · Australasian parks and leisure · Australia (Sydney)

This article describes the initial apprehension of Warringah's Parks Department in Sydney, Australia, regarding the establishment of a community garden due to budget constraints. This perspective shifted when the "Guerrilla Gardener" show initiated a project on council open space at Manly Vale, transforming an eyesore into a green oasis. The specific site, however, was already designated for a district playground.

Delene Weber, Greg Brown · · Australia (Adelaide)

A study in selected parks in the Adelaide metropolitan area revealed strong support for strategies such as improving public transport, increasing the use of water-sensitive grass, adding urban forests, and establishing community gardens. Conversely, low levels of support were associated with strategies like allowing natural water features to dry up, increasing paved areas, and seasonal closure of some parks. This project is the first step in a larger initiative to optimize the use of Adelaide's parks.

Luis Octavio Da Silva · · Global

This text presents and discusses the phenomenon of vegetable cultivation in urban environments, examining it from symbolic, utopian, and industrial era perspectives. It covers the diffusion of gardening practices, various types of urban gardens, urban self-sufficiency, and the ideology behind promotional campaigns. The article also discusses the recurring landscape practice of lawn cultivation in urban settings, including its Anglo-Saxon origins, transposition to North American urban environments, symbolism, and associated conflicts.

Dieudonné E. Musibono, E.M. Biey, M. Kisangala, Camille Ipey Nsimanda, B.A. Munzundu, V. Kekolemba, J.J Palus · VertigO · Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)

Urban agriculture in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, serves as a palliative solution for social survival constraints such as a lack of remunerative salaries and sustainable jobs. However, poorly supervised urban farmers cultivate along busy roads, exposing vegetables to various contaminations, including lead. This practice highlights issues with site selection and supervision.

Masao Makiyama, Mami Inoue · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Global

This study examined kleingartens (stay-type allotment gardens) established by private organizations, finding an increasing number of such gardens. Case studies revealed that privately established kleingartens tend to have higher use fees compared to government-established ones. Furthermore, problems identified include the reduction of administrative and maintenance expenses, location conditions, and the succession of managers.

Sinan Koont · University Press of Florida eBooks · Cuba

This chapter discusses the expansion of Cuba's higher-education system after 1959 and the establishment of institutions such as BTJ, ANIR, FCT, and SCIT to encourage technological innovation. Science education was emphasized down to the primary-school level, and Cuba devoted considerable resources to research and development and to building R&D capacity — including founding CIGB for biotechnology, establishing scientific hubs, and developing in vitro propagation technologies. In agricultural research and education, many universities established sustainable agriculture programs, and phyto-sanitary institutions were created to ensure plant health. The chapter ends with a discussion of two examples of urban agriculture outcomes: banana production and nematode control (Hebernem).

Sinan Koont · University Press of Florida eBooks · Cuba

This chapter describes how Cuba's 1980s economic reforms ("perfeccionamiento empresarial") sought to link urban agriculture workers' incomes more closely to their production output, noting that Cuba's urban agriculture price-formation and supply-demand mechanisms provide relatively high incomes for the workforce, and that non-monetary "moral" incentives—awards such as "de referencia" and "de excelencia" status given to individuals, collectives and provinces, plus an annual December 27 meeting between the President and outstanding urban agriculturalists—operate alongside material incentives to raise workers' self-esteem and social standing.