Research & reports

Betty Mntambo · Huria Journal of the Open University of Tanzania · Tanzania (Morogoro Municipality)

This study examined land tenure security in urban agriculture among 69 male and female vegetable farmers in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania, using snowball sampling and a cross-sectional design. Findings revealed that farmers access land informally by renting from legal landowners, with social relationships determining tenure security. Land tenure insecurity negatively affects vegetable cultivation and generates uncertainty and animosity between farmers and landlords.

Catherine Campbell, Jorge Ruiz‐Menjivar, Alia DeLong · HortTechnology · United States (Florida)

This research characterized commercial urban agriculture (CUA) operations in Florida, United States, and explored urban farmers' perceptions of needs, barriers, and opportunities for CUA development. A cluster analysis identified three distinct groups of urban farmers with differing perceptions of barriers, opportunities, and informational needs. The study notes that the U.S. Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture does not report data on CUA operations, limiting knowledge about their status, including barriers to business operations and profitability.

Hadi Ebadi, Zahra Mohebi · Journal of Sustainability Perspectives · Iran (Kermanshah)

This study investigated the implementation of an urban agriculture plan (green garden) at Razi University of Kermanshah, Iran, and its effects on sustainable development. The plan is expected to strengthen social interaction, economic and environmental aspects, and foster a culture aligned with urban agriculture development. The findings are intended for use in planning and agricultural policies.

Mosammat Rowshan Ara · Khulna University Studies · Bangladesh (Khulna City)

This study surveyed 361 household heads in Khulna City, Bangladesh, to assess the contribution of urban agriculture to the sustainable livelihoods of low-income people. Agricultural activities observed included vegetable cultivation, livestock rearing, aquaculture, crop cultivation, and innovative gardening. The Index of Agriculture for Sustainable Livelihood (IASL) showed that landowners engaged in more sustainable activities, with sustainability increasing by 0.218 units per decimal of land, and male respondents contributed more to agricultural activities than females. The findings suggest agriculture can help fulfill basic needs for low-income urban residents.

Bernd Bonfert · Sustainability · Wales

This paper investigated local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) networks in Wales and Germany using semi-structured interviews and observations. It found that local collaboration enables CSAs to integrate supply chains, engage communities, and participate in food councils. However, the study also revealed competitive tensions between neighboring CSAs, which presents a previously unknown challenge to CSA's potential scalability.

Wim van Dijk, J.E. Jansma, J. Broeze, J.J.R. Groot · · Netherlands (Amsterdam)

This chapter focuses on regional resourcefulness for food systems, arguing that urban areas are vital for closing nutrient loops to prevent resource depletion. Two case studies in the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam (MRA) discuss phosphorus (P) flows, exploring the potential of a circular food system in Almere and quantifying actual P-flows across the MRA. The chapter concludes that a circular City Region Food System is technically feasible but requires a fundamental shift in the organization of food and waste systems.

Michael G. Parkes, Duarte Leal Azevedo, Tiago Domingos, Ricardo F. M. Teixeira · Atmosphere · Global

This literature review, covering 28 articles from 2015–2022 on 68 active urban agriculture (UA) installations, systematizes narratives about the benefits of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and soil-less growing systems in urban buildings. The review found that data quantifying the claimed benefits are limited, and thus the exact environmental effects of CEA remain undetermined.

Vesna Popović, Branko Mihailović · IGI Global eBooks · Serbia (Belgrade)

This study analyzed the business model of EkoPark Belgrade, an organic farm within Serbia's Avala Protected Area, which combines certified organic production and direct sales with on-farm services. Using the Canvas Business Model, the authors identified key success factors to help farmers in and around urban protected areas choose viable development strategies.

Jianyun Nie, Akira Kiminami, Hironori Yagi · Sustainability · China (Shanghai)

This study analyzed the sustainability status of 22 urban leisure farms in Shanghai using the IDEA method. Farms' average sustainability scores were 25.72 on the agroecological scale, 32.5 on the socioterritorial scale, and 46.5 on the economic scale. This analysis revealed that while urban leisure agriculture in Shanghai has high sustainability at the economic scale, its overall sustainability was low, indicating a need for further strengthening.

Nehiby Alcántara Nieves, Rosa María Larroa Torres · Espiral estudios sobre Estado y sociedad · Mexico (Mexico City)

This article investigates the functions of urban gardens in Mexico City two years after the implementation of the Food Sustainability System and the Urban Garden Law. A qualitative study found that public officials tend to prioritize the environmental functions of urban gardens, while for users, the sociocultural functions are the most relevant. The research suggests that urban gardens possess environmental, economic, and sociocultural multifunctionality.

Yiming Shao, Zhugen Wang, Zhiwei Zhou, Haojing Chen, Yuanlong Cui, Zhenghuan Zhou · Sustainability · Global

Vertical farming faces challenges such as high energy consumption, costs, and a lack of social acceptance. This study investigated public acceptance of micro-vertical farming using a deconstructed theory of planned behavior model. Results showed that the overall mean of public behavioral intentions to use vertical farming was 3.9, which is above neutral (3.00) but less than positive (4.00).

Danning Lu · Journal for Undergraduate Ethnography · China

This research analyzed social and organizational factors influencing the success of community gardens in China, using four case studies of state-sponsored community gardens in Beijing and Shanghai. It found that success factors are multi-faceted and interactive, with resident-government relations being crucial across development stages. Resident involvement and vision are important in the design stage, while leadership, residents' self-governance preparedness, and external recognition are key in the maintenance stage.

Ada Górna · Prace i Studia Geograficzne · Global

A study analyzed urban agriculture supply chains in Havana, Kigali, Bissau, and Singapore based on fieldwork conducted from 2018 to 2020. It found that while shortened supply chains are typical for urban agriculture, their benefits are not arbitrary and depend on local economic, social, and spatial conditions, as well as the supply chain's organization and structure. The positive effects of localized food production are not universal, indicating a need for further research into supply and value chain structures.

Luíza Costa Caldas, Tania Pereira Christopoulos · Revista de Gestão · Brazil (São Paulo)

This study investigated urban agriculture in São Paulo, Brazil, from the perspective of social capital, using a literature review and semi-structured interviews with participants in urban agriculture initiatives. It identified sources, effects, and challenges of social capital formation in this context. Findings include that social capital generates human capital, citizenship, engagement, resource access, and information access, but faces challenges related to homophily and the perception of benefits.

Rosangela Hespanhol, Antônio Nivaldo Hespanhol · Revista de Tecnologia & Gestão Sustentável · Brazil

A case study of urban agriculture in Álvares Machado, Brazil, identified challenges including difficulties in accessing land and water for irrigation, the absence of official technical assistance services, and a lack of public policies at national, state, and municipal levels. Despite these difficulties, urban farmers are responsible for a significant portion of leafy greens and legumes production, establishing direct relationships between producers and consumers through markets and street stalls.

Jelena Živanović Miljković, Vesna Popović, Aleksandra Gajić · Land · Serbia (Novi Sad)

A study conducted in Futog, Novi Sad, Serbia, investigated land take (LT) processes and challenges for urban agriculture, focusing on the role and implications of land use planning. Quantifying LT for 2000–2018 using CORINE Land Cover and Urban Atlas datasets revealed that a significant portion of agricultural land in Futog, registered as a Geographical Indication (GI) for Futog cabbage, was planned for conversion into construction land. The study concluded that current land use planning in Serbia is inadequate to ensure the protection of either urban agriculture or GIs.

Yunus KÖLEOĞLU, Ali SEYYAR, Mehmet AYSOY · Hak İş Uluslararası Emek ve Toplum Dergisi · Europe

This paper discusses the meaning and role of social solidarity in modern societies, based on Emile Durkheim's theory of social solidarity, focusing on solidarity-based agricultural cooperatives as alternative economic models against capitalist/liberal systems. The paper demonstrates that modern societies can successfully present solidarity-based alternative economic models, aligned with the spirit of social innovation, as a reaction to traditional capitalist production systems amidst eroding solidarity norms. Characteristics of solidarity agricultural cooperatives operating in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) are introduced, confirming Durkheim's thesis that social solidarity can emerge through collective movements even within a capitalist-liberal system.

Yunita Kesuma, Citra Persada, M. Shubhi Yuda Wibawa · Jurnal Pengabdian Dharma Wacana · Indonesia (Bandar Lampung)

This community service activity provided assistance to the Agrowidyawisata Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) in Rajabasa Jaya, Bandar Lampung City, Indonesia, to address the underutilization of the Agrowidyawisata Sinar Harapan village as an urban agriculture educational tourism area, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods included interviews, questionnaires, site surveys, spatial analysis, and discussions with Pokdarwis to identify facility needs and define spatial arrangement concepts. The assistance enabled Pokdarwis to develop ideas for village arrangement based on thematic tourism potential, plan culinary markets, create tourist routes for small plots, and establish a communal space in a former workshop for gathering and marketing.

K. Michelle Glowa · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (California)

This paper reflects on the engagement between Mexican and Salvadorian farmers at the Beach Flats Garden in Santa Cruz, California, and local educational institutions. It discusses the garden's role in critical food system education, highlighting its function as a space of resistance to gentrification in a competitive land market. The garden provides examples of noncapitalist exchanges and decolonial foodways, emphasizing traditional agroecological knowledge.

Asa Roast · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · China

An ethnographic study in Chongqing, Southwest China, examined informal peri-urban agriculture on undeveloped land created by state-led expansion since the early 2000s. This "empty land" is informally used by displaced peasants and migrant workers for agriculture. The study reveals that these spaces are ambiguously positioned outside urban governance and are under threat of rapid enclosure within urban accumulation regimes.

Fabiana Castellarini · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Latin America

Urban agriculture (UA) in Latin American countries was analyzed using an ecosystem services framework. From plant production, 17 ecosystem services, 6 benefits, 6 assets, and 6 indirect drivers were recognized. Strengths of UA were related to ecosystem services, benefits, and beneficiaries; weaknesses were related to the misuse of inputs, and human and environmental health; and threats were related to regulation, governance, and land tenure issues.

Megat Nabil Irwan Megat Amerudin, Siti Khatijah Nor Abdul Rahim, Nasiroh Omar, Mohd Suffian Sulaiman, Amir Hamzah Jaafar, Raseeda Hamzah · IAES International Journal of Artificial Intelligence · Global

This study employed the Domain Transformation Approach (DTA) to solve water irrigation scheduling for urban farming, aiming to handle dynamic uncertainties and avoid non-optimal schedules. The proposed model was tested on three different datasets. Results showed that costs were higher in all instances without utilizing the dynamic DTA, indicating that DTA produced higher quality solutions and is a more effective way of scheduling resources with ad-hoc changes.

Indah Nurhidayati, Joko Sutrisno, Agustono Agustono, Refa’ul Khairiyakh, Amalia Nadifta Ulfa, Rhina Uchyani F · RESONA Jurnal Ilmiah Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia (Surakarta)

From August to October 2020, an urban farming-based activity was conducted in Jebres District, Surakarta City, Indonesia. This activity involved training and demonstrations on processing urban agricultural waste and household waste into liquid organic fertilizer (POC) using the stacked bucket technique. Participants were able to harvest POC after two months, and this POC was stated to be usable as plant fertilizer, contributing to improving the local economy and ecological environment.

Elena Brunori, Alessandra Bernardini, Federico Valerio Moresi, Fabio Attorre, Rita Biasi · Plants · Italy (Rome)

A preliminary assessment of the adaptability of 15 Italian native and non-native Vitis vinifera L. cultivars to urban environmental stressors was conducted at the Botanical Garden of Rome during the 2021 growing season. Researchers evaluated leaf chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll fluorescence, and spectral signatures. Native cultivars showed medium-high leaf chlorophyll content (>350 mol m−2), good photosynthetic efficiency (QY > 0.75), and optimal stomatal behavior under drought stress (200 > gs > 50 mmol H2O m−2 s−1), indicating site-specific resistance and resilience to urban conditions.

Claudia Vaderna, Robert Home, Paola Migliorini, D. Roep · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · Switzerland

This study explored the main challenges faced by eight Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives in Switzerland and the pathways used to address them. It was shown that while organizers often have enthusiastic ideas, generating sufficient income for a fair producer salary is difficult, posing a challenge to long-term existence. The members' perspective (254 responses) indicated a divergence between organizers' expectations and members' more pragmatic approach.