Research & reports

Kyoungjin Lee, Junghan Sung · Journal of East Asian Landscape Studies · South Korea

In 2018, Yesan-gun implemented a "Village Community Garden Project" at Sapti Park, Yesan-eup, using a design charrette method. This study describes the design process, from planning to construction, demonstrating how residents' opinions were incorporated into the design drawings for the community garden. The project aimed to advance user-participation design methods and examine the role of storytelling in transforming community garden plans.

김경미 · 교육인류학연구 · South Korea

This study investigated the educational implications of Nurpurum School, a 12-year alternative school pursuing the value of "transition," through a case study. Participant observation, interviews, and local data collection revealed that after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, the school restructured its curriculum around the theme of "ecological transition in education," implementing a "Transition Village Project" focused on urban agriculture and appropriate technology. This education was concluded to shift meaning from "made" education to "making" education, from teacher-centered to co-teaching and learning relationships, and from competition to education for coexistence and symbiosis.

Henny Sri Mulyani, Herlina Agustin · Journal Acta Diurna · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This descriptive qualitative study in Surabaya, Indonesia, investigated the communication media used for socializing urban farming programs to poor families across 31 sub-districts. The research found that the Surabaya City Agriculture Office did not use mass media, instead relying on direct, interpersonal communication and technical guidance from facilitators. Messages focused on cultivating short-harvest vegetables in narrow yard spaces to support household food security and increase green spaces.

Vika Adriati Praditriyani · Visualita Jurnal Online Desain Komunikasi Visual · Indonesia (Bandung)

This research designed and tested a mobile application to support urban agriculture activities in Bandung, Indonesia. Targeting community members aged 18-30 with environmental interests, the app provided content on urban agriculture concepts, utilizing narrow land for productive green spaces, and plant care information. Testing showed that most users found a flexible digital medium helpful and necessary for maximizing urban agriculture activities in the city.

Melinda R.S. Moata, Oskar Kollo, Yofris Puay, Yos Rhuma, Charles Tlonaen, Zakharias Duka · PARTNER · Indonesia (Kupang)

This survey evaluated 10,078 hectares of unmanaged land in Lasiana, Kupang city, Indonesia, to assess its capability for urban agriculture. The study found that two land units were classified as Class III land capability due to limiting factors such as soil depth, erosion level, soil fertility, drainage, and stoniness. Recommendations for land management included increasing soil depth and applying urban forest or urban farming development with multifunctional land uses.

Sandra Kurfürst · · Vietnam (Hanoi)

This chapter explores the production sites of vegetables perceived as clean and safe by Vietnamese consumers, specifically urban gardens in Hanoi and rural areas. It identifies a semantic shift in gardens from aesthetics to utility due to food anxiety and examines access to and social control over public and sacred spaces used for gardening. Urbanites also rely on personal rural-urban food supply networks for food safety, with the rural signifying safe foods based on its image as a place of intimate social relations and nature.

Doni Kurniawan, Y Yaddarabullah, Galih Suprayitno · Proceeding of The URECOL · Indonesia

This study implemented an IoT-based drip irrigation system for urban farming. Trial results showed that the system saved 40% of water used for plant irrigation by automatically dispensing the necessary amount. It also allowed real-time monitoring and control of plants via smartphone.

Jeffrey Hou · Urban Studies · Taiwan (Taipei)

This study examined the ongoing outcomes of Taipei's 'Garden City Initiative' amidst rising concerns for food security and climate adaptation. Based on interviews and participant observations during the initial period of advocacy, planning, and implementation between 2014 and 2017, it suggested that policy formation and implementation may require opportunistic actions involving a variety of actors. The case of Taipei indicates the need for strategic adaptation of the existing bureaucratic structure, while mobilizing its strengths and resources.

Hana Sakura Putu Arga · PrimaryEdu - Journal of Primary Education · Indonesia (Bandung)

This classroom action research, conducted in 3 cycles with 12 meetings, aimed to improve the ecoliteracy of fourth-grade students at SDN 038 Kiaracondong Bandung, Indonesia, through urban farming activities. The study found an increase in students' ecoliteracy, evidenced by behaviors such as planting on school land, using waste for pots, caring for plants, and distinguishing waste types. These improvements were observed in both school and home environments.

김정식, 한미영 · · South Korea

This study examined the suitability of urban agriculture expert training programs in South Korea, surveying students in Daejeon in 2018. Over 60% of students viewed experts as knowledge transmitters, with most motivated by qualification acquisition. While major city programs focused on basic cultivation, the study concluded that current curricula are insufficient for future urban agriculture trends. It recommended adding programs on urban community understanding, industrialization, cooperative agriculture, and farm management.

J.H. Kwag, Eun‐Jeong Cho, Mi-Eun Jeong, Kwang-Yong Ju, Dae‐Young Jeon, Hui-Cheol Jeong · 한국토양비료학회지 · South Korea (Busan)

This study analyzed the chemical properties of soils from 29 urban vegetable gardens in the Busan area, South Korea. Urban area vegetable garden soils showed high content of organic matter and exchangeable cations, suggesting more fertilizer application in these areas. Average values for soil fertility items were pH 6.87, organic matter 43.4 g kg-1, available phosphate 845.3 mg kg-1, K+ 1.30 cmol kg-1, Ca2+ 17.27 cmol kg-1, Mg2+ 2.88 cmol kg-1, and electrical conductivity 2.66 dS m-1.

Jung-Min 최정민Choi, Yu-Na 김유나Kim, Dong-Chan 박동찬Park · 주거환경(한국주거환경학회논문집) · South Korea

This study explores the concept and direction for Korean community gardens, distinguishing them from urban agriculture based on semantic network analysis. Urban agriculture keywords relate to cultivation and economic effects, while community garden keywords involve residents, exchanges, and community formation. The paper proposes a definition and classification of Korean community garden types from broad (four types) and narrow (horticulture-centered 'Nuri garden' with four sub-types) perspectives. An expert survey indicated a preference for joint cultivation types within residential areas, walking distance, and open designs.

Lutfi Asnan Qodri · SKRIPSI Jurusan Ekonomi Pembangunan - Fakultas Ekonomi UM · Indonesia (Malang)

This qualitative exploratory study assessed the prospects of the "Gelintung Go Green" urban farming village in Malang City, Indonesia. It analyzed initial formation data, vision, mission, roadmap, and development efforts to examine its prospects from economic, social, and ecological aspects. The study concluded that the village has good prospects for future continuation if these three aspects are adequately fulfilled.

Rakhmawati Indriani · JMSP (Jurnal Manajemen dan Supervisi Pendidikan) · Indonesia (Malang)

This qualitative case study at SMAN 7 Malang, Indonesia, described the management of its School Garden program, including its background, planning, implementation, evaluation, and supporting factors, as part of the Adiwiyata program. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation. The study found that the program's success was evident in the school's achievements post-Adiwiyata implementation, and its execution and management were strongly influenced by the support and participation of all school members.

Zhenzhong Si, Theresa Schumilas, Steffanie Scott · · China

This chapter proposes a typology of alternative food networks (AFNs) in China, including community-supported agriculture farms, ecological farmers' markets, buying clubs, and garden plot rentals, illustrating each with specific cases. It then examines the socio-economic and political conditions shaping China's AFNs, arguing that Chinese AFNs are consumer-driven and that there is a potential inconsistency in values between AFN organizers and their customers. This consumer-driven feature is argued to shape the AFNs' alternativeness by foregrounding food safety requirements as a core attribute while giving less prominence to ecological and social values.

A-Young Lee, Seon-Ok Kim, Sin-Ae Park · HortTechnology · South Korea (Seoul)

A 21-item questionnaire was administered over three weeks in October 2017 to 1,268 students in grades 4-6 at four elementary schools in Seoul, South Korea. 73.7% reported awareness of and need for urban agriculture and 86.8% (n=1,048) expressed intent to participate, while only 35.4% (n=400) recommended it as a learning activity, 20.9% (n=236) cited stress reduction, and 16.2% (n=183) cited leisure/hobby purposes; preferred indoor activities were planting (21.8%) and preferred outdoor activities were harvesting (20.8%). Female students reported greater perception, experience, awareness of necessity, and willingness to participate than male students (P=0.01), and lower-grade students perceived urban agriculture as more necessary than higher-grade students (P<0.001).

Apri Kuntariningsih · Jurnal kesehatan komunitas (Journal of community health) · Indonesia

A qualitative study in schools in Blitar and Kediri, Indonesia, surveyed 30 participants — 10 students, 5 teachers, 5 food vendors at school, and 10 parents. Child malnutrition was linked to children's food consumption habits, and parents' nutrition knowledge was found lacking, particularly regarding what is consumed at school; school gardens were identified as a means of providing children with fundamental nutrition knowledge, and the study called for government policy to be strengthened to encourage sufficient fruit and vegetable consumption.

Ansel Nastika, V Violita, Irma Laelani Eka Putri · BioScience · Indonesia

This experimental study in Indonesia tested hydroponic cultivation of water spinach (Ipomoea reptans), chosen for its ease of growth on the narrow plots typical of urban agriculture. Conducted from December 2017 to April 2018 in a biology laboratory and screen house at Universitas Negeri Padang, it used a completely randomized design with six treatments and four replications, analyzing plant height, leaf number, leaf area, and wet and dry weight by ANOVA and DNMRT at the 5% level. Liquid organic fertilizer made from Sargassum sp. seaweed had no significant effect on plant height, leaf area, number of leaves, or wet and dry weight of the water spinach.

문보희, 위사양, 오충현 · 한국환경생태학회 학술발표논문집 · South Korea

From June 1 to November 27, 2017, a field survey covered 697 middle and high schools in Seoul (382 middle schools, 315 high schools), examining buildings, rooftops and on-site land use. Urban agriculture was already under way at 473 schools (68%), covering 55,413 m² in total — ground-level plots (20,103 m², 36%), rooftop plots (16,783 m², 30%), box planters (14,954 m², 27%) and flower beds (2,573 m², 7%). An additional 544 sites totaling 711,636 m² were identified as usable for urban agriculture, present at 304 of 382 middle schools (383,199 m², 80%) and 240 of 315 high schools (328,437 m², 76%). By type, rooftop space accounted for the large majority of this usable area (685,026 m², 96%), with box planters (16,136 m², 2%) and ground plots (10,474 m², 2%) contributing little, and flower-bed introduction judged difficult. Of flat-roofed buildings, 67% remained unused for solar panels, green roofs, or rooftop gardens.

Mayrina Firdayati, Peni Astrini Notodarmojo, Barti Setiani Muntalif, Didit Trihartomo, Inat Shani Fathuna, Kiki Somantri · INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF URBAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY · Indonesia

Against a background of high helminth-infection prevalence in Indonesia — which led the government to issue a 2017 ministerial regulation on preventing soil-transmitted helminths (STH) — this study investigated the potential presence of helminth eggs capable of causing STH infection in two urban agricultural areas in the northern and southern parts of Bandung City. Samples of inlet and plantation-area water, soil, and harvested water spinach from both areas were analyzed for helminth eggs using a modified Bailinger method, and egg counts of 1–119 eggs/L were found across the water, soil, and vegetable samples. The results confirmed that irrigation water in both areas was contaminated with feces, with average fecal coliform counts exceeding the allowable value for irrigation water under Indonesia's Grade 4 water-quality criteria; variation in egg counts was attributed to environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and soil type. Helminth-egg levels in the irrigation water and land samples exceeded the values recommended by the WHO's 2006 guidelines for safe use of wastewater in agriculture, which the study links to an increased risk of helminth infection among consumers, agricultural workers, and residents near the farmland.

C. Kavya, G. N. Nagaraja · Indian Journal of Economics and Development · India

This study classified farms around Bengaluru as having high or low urban influence (FHUI/FLUI) and applied a linear hedonic pricing model using simple random sampling of 120 farmers, 30 FHUI and 30 FLUI each from the Devanahalli Airport area and the Ramanagara Industrial Park area. Land market value was shaped by location, water availability and land-symbolizing patterns, fluctuating widely even within the study areas depending on the intensity of urban influence; land values in Devanahalli peri-urban and Bidadi industrial areas rose faster than inflation, and adding water availability and violet-zone designation to the model put FHUI land's market value at 111.66 lakh rupees.

Sang Mi Lee, Yoonah Jang, Young Chae, Kyung Sook Han, Byoung Kwon Lee, Sun Jin Jeong, Gyung Mee Gim · Journal of people, plants, and environment · South Korea

A survey examined patterns in the farming materials required to create and operate elementary school vegetable gardens in the Jeonbuk region of South Korea, aiming to propose ways to vitalize urban agriculture-related business. The materials purchased most for school garden operation were seeds and seedling supplies, compost/fertilizer, and tools such as trowels, sprinklers and hoes; material purchases were made mostly online, while seedling purchases were made mostly at pesticide/seedling stores. The study recommends providing information and education on farming materials and establishing more accessible, reliable internet sources.

Hayuning Anggrahita, Guswandi Guswandi · Jurnal Wilayah dan Lingkungan · Indonesia (Jakarta)

In Jakarta, Indonesia, where urbanization is converting agricultural land and other green open space to built-up use and agriculture contributes only 0.1% of the city's economy, a study using descriptive quantitative analysis together with interviews and scientific photography set out to identify the multifunctionality of urban agriculture. The results show that Jakarta's agriculture is scattered due to urbanization pressure, and that it persists by transforming from a single staple-food-production function into multiple functions, environmental, cultural, property-rights protection and others, creating new urban values.

Yun-Cheol Nam · Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering · South Korea

A case study of the development process and community life of the Sanneoul eco-village in South Korea, created to welcome urban dwellers choosing to return to rural life and to help prevent rural depopulation. Nearly fifty community meetings were held by residents during construction. Public funds covered most basic construction costs, with residents paying only for property, land and buildings. The village includes rainwater recycling, grass blocks, rooftop gardens, an ecological sewage plant, solar heating, a pellet boiler, a fireplace and ondol floor heating, and residents actively participate in recycling garbage, food waste and human waste; the study reports residents are content with the village's eco-friendly features.

FX Andy Sutrisno, Bakti Setiawan · Jurnal Perencanaan Pembangunan The Indonesian Journal of Development Planning · Indonesia

This case study of Surakarta, Indonesia's sustainable agricultural land protection policy -- focusing on conservation within the urban environment -- used field observations, stakeholder interviews, and secondary data to analyze the local government's policy and how urban farmers and landowners perceive it. It found that the policy is not well understood by the farmers and landowners directly affected, that the local government itself views urban agricultural land mainly from an economic standpoint and is less supportive of conservation, and that farmers and landowners, while believing the policy is essential, reject it because designation requires relinquishing some land rights and the incentives offered are not economically sufficient to compensate them.