Research & reports

Lydia Bonney · · United States

Drawing on newspaper articles, books, scholarly journals, websites and one self-conducted interview, this paper examines several urban agriculture programs across Detroit's history. Analysis of past successes and failures of these programs argues that investing in urban agriculture today could address problems the city has long faced. The paper concludes that Detroit's particular landscape, community, and spatial disparities give it potential to become a world leader in urban agriculture.

K. O. das G. DIAS, M. C. UZEDA, A. C. A. [UNESP] Alves, M. dos S. F. R. de AZEVEDO · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil

In mid-2021, a 400 m² "productive backyard" (quintal produtivo) was set up at the Fazendinha Agroecológica km 47 in Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, run jointly by Embrapa, UFRRJ, and PESAGRO-Rio, with four subareas for vegetables, unconventional food plants (PANC), fruit trees and annual crops, and egg-laying hens. Food production recorded over six months of 2021 demonstrated the plot's potential to counter food insecurity by supplying a healthy, diversified diet and generating extra household income through the sale of surplus produce.

Brent F. Kim, Sara N. Lupolt, Raychel Santo, Grace H. Bachman, Xudong Zhu, Tianbao Yang, Naomi K. Fukagawa, Matthew L. Richardson, Carrie Green, Katherine M. Phillips, Keeve E. Nachman · PLoS ONE · United States

A pilot study (2024, PLoS ONE) planted Darkibor kale seedlings at three urban and four rural farms in and around Baltimore City, Maryland, had farmers grow them using their usual practices, and analyzed harvested kale for carotenoids, vitamins C and K1, ten nutritional elements, and eight non-essential metals. Sample sizes were in some cases too small to yield statistical significance, but the study identified potentially meaningful differences between urban and rural kale: mean carotenoid and vitamin concentrations were 22-38% higher in rural samples, while mean concentrations of eight nutritional elements were higher in urban samples, by as much as 413% for iron. Most of nine non-essential metals were higher on average in urban samples, though lead and cadmium concentrations across all samples stayed below public health guidelines; for six elements, variance within urban or within rural farms exceeded variance between the two groups, suggesting urbanicity may not be the primary driver of some differences, and some urban-rural gaps were more pronounced than in prior research.

Tiffanie F. Stone, Janette R. Thompson, Emily Zimmerman, Tássia Mattos Brighenti, Matt Liebman · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · United States

In the US Corn Belt near Des Moines, Iowa, researchers combined land-use visualization with producer surveys to examine a future scenario supplying 50% of a metropolitan population's dietary needs from local "table food" (fruit, vegetable and grain crops for direct human consumption) by 2050. Surveys were sent to 1,360 row crop and 55 specialty crop producers, yielding 316 and 25 eligible responses respectively. The scenario would require less than 3% of available agricultural land and roughly 130 additional producers, mostly in grain production. Based on producers' stated plans, local production could supply about 25% of residents' fruit, vegetable and grain needs, up from a 2% baseline. Row crop producers ranked food safety regulations as their strongest constraint, specialty producers ranked labor availability, and both groups cited crop insurance and processing facilities as important.

Composting Consortium (Closed Loop Partners) · Closed Loop Partners · United States

The largest field test of its kind in North America — 18 months, 10 facilities, over 23,000 units — found that certified compostable packaging breaks down in properly managed compost facilities. Compostable plastics averaged 98% degradation by surface area and fiber packaging averaged 83%, both exceeding industry thresholds (90% and 80% respectively). The market is projected to grow 16% annually.

Cascadia Consulting Group · Washington State Department of Ecology · United States

A report to the Washington State legislature summarizing an advisory committee's research on standards for managing compostable products at composting facilities. Compostable products make up only 0.4% by weight of material sent to commercial compost facilities in the state, yet the associated contamination disproportionately raises processing costs, and consumer confusion is identified as a major driver of misdisposal.

· BioCycle · United States

A report on EREF's 2023 survey of U.S. landfill tipping fees. The national unweighted average fell to $56.80/ton, a 3% decrease from the prior year and the first decline since 2020, with fees dropping in most regions except the Northeast.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of the Treasury · Federal Register · United States

On 8 October 2024 the IRS and Treasury issued final regulations (TD 10007, RIN 1545-BQ39) identifying certain syndicated conservation easement transactions and substantially similar transactions as listed transactions, a type of reportable transaction. Material advisors and certain participants must file disclosures with the IRS and face penalties for failing to do so. Public comments on the proposed rule extensively discussed the so-called '2.5 times rule' — a multiple-of-investment threshold used to flag transactions.

Willowsford Conservancy · Willowsford Conservancy · United States

This 2024 FAQ from Willowsford Conservancy, the nonprofit tied to the Willowsford residential development in Virginia, explains that it operates independently from the developer and manages about 2,300 acres of open space (including 200+ acres of farmland and 2,000+ acres of grassland, wetland, and forest) plus 40+ miles of trails, funded in part by a 0.25% transfer fee paid by homebuyers. Its seven-seat board currently has six resident members, and the resident-led board structure began in 2021.

· The Dirt · United States

Published July 31, 2024 by local outlet The Dirt, this article reports that Spork Food Hub announced the immediate closure of its farmstand at The Cannery agrihood in Davis, California. In a Facebook post, the operator said that after two years of operation it had been unable to grow its customer base enough to make the stand profitable, and would instead focus its community outreach on other farm and food-hub events.

USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) · USDA Economic Research Service · United States

A USDA Economic Research Service 'Chart of Note' based on the 2022 Census of Agriculture. 39% of the 880 million acres of U.S. farmland was rented or leased in 2022, a rate similar to 2017. Rental activity is concentrated in grain-producing regions such as the Mississippi River corridor, Corn Belt, and Northern Plains, with roughly two-thirds (68%) of rented farmland on operations of 2,000 acres or more.

TechCrunch · TechCrunch · United States

TechCrunch reported that vertical farming company Bowery Farming ceased operations on November 4, 2024. The company had raised more than $700 million and was valued at over $2 billion in its 2021 funding round, but had gone through multiple rounds of layoffs in 2023. The article places this alongside the bankruptcies of AeroFarms and AppHarvest as evidence of a broader downturn in the vertical farming sector.

· Corresponsables · Peru

Spanish-language CSR outlet Corresponsables reported on 1 November 2024 on the 20th anniversary of "Huertos en Línea" (Online Gardens), a project started in 2004 by neighborhood women under power transmission lines in Villa María del Triunfo, Lima, with support from transmission line operator ISA REP. Participating families harvest around 25,600 kilograms of vegetables per quarter, grow more than 40 agroecological vegetable varieties, and earn up to 350 soles a month from selling surplus produce.

Landry M., Asigbee F., Vandyousefi S., Ghaddar R., Davis J. · Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 123(3):637-643 · United States

A cluster randomized controlled trial in mostly low-income, Hispanic Texas elementary schools testing whether the TX Sprouts garden, nutrition and cooking intervention affected academic performance. It found the program did not harm academic outcomes, showing that garden-based food education can be integrated into instructional time without lowering achievement.

Kerstin Schreiber, Klara J. Winkler, Killian Abellon, Graham K. MacDonald · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States

This study analyzes 25 local food strategy and action-plan documents from 22 major US and Canadian cities (over 300,000 residents) to assess how cities plan for peri-urban and rural food production. It finds that topics such as farmland access and quality, farm viability, agricultural training, processing infrastructure, and the needs of marginalized groups (including BIPOC) are often overlooked, and that fewer than half of cities defined how progress would be measured.

William D. Schanbacher, James C. Cavendish · Frontiers in Public Health · United States (Florida)

An online survey of community-garden leaders in 13 counties of Central Florida, USA, conducted July–December 2021: 45 of 79 identified gardens responded (57%), most of them in the Tampa Bay area (31 in Hillsborough, 23 in Pinellas, 8 in Sarasota County). Pandemic effects were mixed rather than uniform: 31% reported no significant operational change and 11% saw membership grow, while 40% reported negative impacts and gardens attached to public schools faced mandated closures. 13% specifically cited loss of volunteers or reduced participation. 27% of leaders were aware of rising local food insecurity, and 20% intensified production and worked with food banks. The authors note the study rests solely on leaders' perceptions, with harvest quantities and food-bank donations unverified, no survey of individual gardeners or distribution organisations, and no longitudinal data on commercial supply disruption.

Jéssica Lorhanne Durães Martins, Domingo Sávio Coelho Negrão, Ana Maria Resende Junqueira, João Paulo Guimarães Soares · Concilium · Brazil

An exploratory and descriptive study characterized the trade of organic products from family farming in Brazil's Federal District, using data from August to December 2021. It found that fairs were the main acquisition points for organic products, but their number decreased by 35% due to Covid-19. Concurrently, new trade forms like CSAs and Delivery grew by about 40% due to the pandemic's impact.

Tainá Ferreira da ROCHA, Hélder dos Anjos Augusto · Editora Científica Digital eBooks · Brazil (Montes Claros)

This study explored urban agriculture in Montes Claros, Brazil, identifying its contributions, challenges, and potentials through document analysis, geographic information, farmer testimonies, and field visits. Urban agriculture is widely practiced in the municipality, both collectively and individually, with collective practices showing grassroots organization through neighborhood associations, while spontaneous practices lack external influence. Most urban gardens are developed on public land and vacant private lots, serving multiple uses such as green spaces, food production, economic activity, and occupational therapy.

Louise Guibrunet, M Alvarez Rubio, Ileana Nuri Flores Abreu · Local Environment · Mexico (Mexico City)

This study advocates for broadening the definition of Alternative Food Networks (AFN) to include traditional agricultural systems. Analyzing the case of chinampas, a traditional agricultural system in Mexico City, it demonstrates that chinampas can be defined as an AFN due to their production modes, diverse distribution channels, and economic practices. The study concludes that traditional food systems offer an alternative to conventional systems and should be included in AFN research.

Renata Priore Lima, Lady Laura Soares Gundim · Revista Gestão & Sustentabilidade Ambiental · Brazil (São Paulo)

This study investigates the benefits of vertical farms as a sustainable food production model in cities. Through a literature review and a case study of Pink Farms in São Paulo, Brazil, the results indicate benefits such as energy and land use optimization, but also highlight the ecological, social, and landscape limitations of vertical farms.

Diane Smith, Katherine Selting Smith · Advances in biological sciences research/Advances in Biological Sciences Research · United States

This paper describes a SNAP CSA pilot and introduces the Farm to Families (F2F) Toolkit, developed to engage low-income consumers receiving SNAP benefits in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). USDA rules now permit SNAP benefits for CSA shares, provided the CSA is SNAP-authorized and prepayment is within 14 days of produce receipt. This aims to expand access to fresh produce for SNAP recipients and support farmers.

Rachel Surls, Rob Bennaton, Gail Feenstra, Ramiro E. Lobo, Alda F. A. Pires, Jennifer Sowerwine, Julia Van Soelen Kim, Cheryl A. Wilen · California Agriculture · United States (California)

From 2017 to 2018, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) researchers conducted a series of 16 workshops for urban farmers in California. The evaluation found that economic issues such as profitability and land access are among the greatest barriers for urban farming in California. While networking among participants was an unexpected positive outcome, urban farmers expressed a need for more opportunities for mentoring and building partnerships.

Saria Lofton, Akilah Martin, Marjorie Kersten, Nanyombi Lubimbi, Helene Vilme, Forgive Avorgbedor, Angela Odoms‐Young · Community Health Equity Research & Policy · United States (Chicago)

This study interviewed 17 urban growers and local food advocates in predominantly Black communities in Chicago to understand barriers to accessing healthy food through urban agriculture. Key barriers identified were the lack of accessibility to traditional food retailers, the high availability of processed foods, and issues with the cultural acceptability of urban-produced foods. The research highlights significant challenges faced by these communities in accessing healthy food despite urban agriculture's potential.

Lila B. Karki, Prem Bhandari · Global Journal of Agricultural Research · United States (Maryland)

This 2022 project collected data from 22 small, socially disadvantaged minority urban gardeners in Maryland to enhance their efficiency. Findings showed farmers operated rationally, cultivating an average of 20 diversified specialty, ethnic, and medicinal crops on 1.2 acres. They employed integrated alley and mixed cropping systems, rainwater harvesting, expanded compost-making, maintained high cropping diversity, and introduced a tier system to mitigate production, marketing, and financial risks.

Olasumbo Olagoke-Komolafe, Joshua Oyeboade · International Journal of Multidisciplinary Futuristic Development · United States

This study comprehensively reviewed the viability, benefits, and challenges of urban aquaponics systems in the United States. Through a systematic literature review and content analysis, significant environmental benefits were identified, while economically, long-term benefits potentially outweigh initial setup costs. Challenges such as technical complexities, financial barriers, and the need for specialized knowledge are also notable.