Research & reports

Mila Lukmana, Muhammad Helmy Abdillah · Agritech Jurnal Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto · Indonesia

This study, conducted from February to June 2021 in Indonesia, investigated the effect of combining tea dregs and cow dung on tomato plant growth in mineral soil. Using a factorial randomized block design, 16 combinations of tea dregs (0, 10, 20, 30 g/polybag) and cow dung (0, 29.7, 44.5, 74.2 g/polybag) were tested. The results indicated that the A1S3 treatment (10 g/polybag tea dregs and 74.2 g/polybag cow dung) was effective and efficient in increasing plant height, leaf surface area, root growth, and dry weight of tomato plants.

Nusaibah Nurul Fida, Heru Purwandari · Jurnal Sains Komunikasi dan Pengembangan Masyarakat [JSKPM] · Indonesia

This study analyzed the relationship between group work productivity and the levels of economic, social, and ecological sustainability in urban farming programs in Indonesia. Using a quantitative survey method supported by qualitative data, the research found that group work productivity has a sufficient and significant relationship with the level of economic sustainability. Furthermore, group work productivity has a strong and significant relationship with the levels of social and ecological sustainability of urban farming programs.

Wira Bhakti Pangestu, Mochamad Zidane Deanova, Furi Faturohmat, Reni Nurjasmi · Jurnal Ilmiah Respati · Indonesia

A study conducted from June to September 2021 at the Faculty of Agriculture Experimental Garden, Respati University, Indonesia, investigated the potential of urban waste as a growing medium for microgreens (spinach and mustard greens). The research used a completely randomized design with four treatments: rockwool with AB Mix as a control, onion peels, rabbit manure, and quail manure, each replicated five times. Organic fertilizers from urban waste significantly affected the germination percentage, height, wet weight, and chlorophyll content of mustard green and spinach microgreens. While the rockwool control yielded the best chlorophyll content and microgreen production, among urban wastes, quail manure produced the highest chlorophyll content and production for mustard green microgreens. For spinach microgreens, onion peels resulted in the highest germination percentage and wet weight, while quail manure yielded the highest chlorophyll content.

Fabian Pascalis Serenai, Firra Rosariawari · EnviroUS · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This study in Dinoyo, Surabaya, Indonesia, investigated the potential of using 595,040 m3/year of canal sediment as a growing medium for urban farming. Sediment was mixed with green compost and cocopeat in 1:1:1, 1:3:1, and 1:5:1 ratios, and Capsicum frutescens seedlings were grown for two weeks. After pretreatment (drying, grinding, sieving), the 1:1:1 mixture showed optimal parameters: 3.58% C, 0.31% N, 0.02% P, 1.63% K, CEC 43.92 emol/kg, C/N 21, pH 8.55, non-toxic with 4% seed growth inhibition, optimal seedling growth, and lower nutrient loss. The research suggests that sediment can be used as a more environmentally friendly mixed growing substrate in the long term.

Diffa Nida Haniyah, Endah Djuwendah, M. Gunardi Judawinata, Agriani Hermita Sadeli · MIMBAR AGRIBISNIS Jurnal Pemikiran Masyarakat Ilmiah Berwawasan Agribisnis · Indonesia (Bandung)

This qualitative case study in Bandung, Indonesia, examines Seni Tani, an organic farming business applying the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) concept. Seni Tani practices regenerative organic agriculture, producing organic products without synthetic chemical inputs and operating as a socially responsible urban farming enterprise. Its CSA program, CSATani Sauyunan, fulfills the principles of partnership, locality, solidarity, and producer-consumer relations, categorized as a small-scale, informal Multi-Farm, Subscription, and Mixed-Vegetable CSA.

Arini Al Ifah, Ila Purnamasari, Zahwa Ayu Wardani, Puguh Bintang Pamungkas · Agroteknika · Indonesia

The effectiveness of liquid organic fertilizer (POC) made from household vegetable waste on the growth and yield of microgreen spinach (Amaranthus tricolor) was investigated using a completely randomized design with four treatments and three replications. Various POC treatments (derived from spinach, potato, and water spinach) showed no significant difference in the growth and yield of microgreen spinach. The treatment without POC, using well water, showed optimal growth patterns and yields compared to the application of various POCs.

Tassha Junaidi, Setyono Yudo Tyasmoro · PLANTROPICA Journal of Agricultural Science · Indonesia

This research, conducted from October to December 2020 at Greenhouse CV. Kurnia Kitri Ayu in Indonesia, investigated the effect of 10 combinations of planting media (soil, roasted husk) and goat manure doses on lettuce growth and yield using a Randomized Block Design. The study found that combinations of planting media and goat manure supported lettuce growth more effectively than media without these additions. Specifically, treatment P7 (Soil and Roasted Husk 2:1 + 75g goat manure) yielded the highest average weight of 44.67g and economic weight of 40.67g.

Dwi Haryanta, Tatuk Tojibatus Sa’adah, Rudianto Rudianto · Jurnal Agroteknologi Merdeka Pasuruan · Indonesia

A 2022 factorial experiment in Indonesia examines the use of urban sediment/sludge and urban organic waste compost as growing media for mustard greens (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis) in an urban farming system. With sediment source (river, reservoir, roadside gutter, versus a garden-soil control) as one factor and urban compost concentration (10%, 20%, 30%, versus no compost) as the other, the experiment found no interaction between the two factors, but sediment source had a significant effect on growth and yield, with roadside-gutter sediment performing best, and compost addition also had a significant effect, with 20% (v/v) being the optimal ratio.

Reni Nurjasmi, Maria Aditia Wahyuningrum · Jurnal Ilmiah Respati · Indonesia

A 2022 experiment at the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Respati Indonesia, conducted from September 2021 to February 2022, examines which organic growing medium produces the best chlorophyll and carotene content in broccoli microgreens. Using a completely randomized design with four treatments — soil, onion skin, rabbit manure, and quail manure — each with five replications, organic growing media significantly affected germination rate, height, wet weight, and chlorophyll content; quail manure waste produced the highest chlorophyll content (1.47 mg/g), not significantly different from rabbit manure (1.33 mg/g), but significantly different from onion skin waste (0.63 mg/g) and the untreated control (0.21 mg/g).

Darwati Susilastuti · BERDIKARI · Indonesia (Jakarta)

A community-service report on integrated urban farming on about 1,600 square meters under the Becakayu toll road in Cipinang Melayu RW01, East Jakarta, run by local farmers, a youth group (Karang Taruna), and PKK (Family Welfare Movement) women, covering hydroponics, catfish and tilapia farming, chicken and dove raising, and horticulture. The operation had previously been partial, conventional and unproductive on infertile fill land without using local resources as farm inputs; after introducing methods to turn turi (Sesbania) leaves and other local materials into liquid organic fertilizer (POC), botanical pesticide, and feed supplements, the activity measurably increased yields, cut costs, and shortened harvest time.

Program Studi Agroekoteknologi, Universitas Jember, Iqbal Maulana · JURNAL BIOINDUSTRI · Indonesia

A study tested the effectiveness of "bio-trays" — an organic tray innovation intended to reduce root system damage during vegetable seedling transplanting in urban farming. Using a randomized block design with four tray materials (coconut coir, sugarcane stem, banana stem, and a plastic control), tested on mustard greens (Brassica juncea) and cayenne pepper (Capsicum frutescens), the bio-trays performed as well as the plastic control trays, indicating no negative impact on plant growth from the seedling to harvest/production stage.

Darwati Susilastuti, Aditiameri, Vivi Lusia · Jurnal Bakti Masyarakat Indonesia · Indonesia (Jakarta)

This community-outreach report addresses RW 01 in Cipinang Melayu, East Jakarta, Indonesia, where residents were running separate, unintegrated, low-productivity activities on land under the Becakayu Toll Road — hydroponic vegetables, catfish and tilapia farming, chicken and pigeon raising, horticulture, and seasonal crops including turi (Sesbania grandiflora) grown as a fence plant. Through outreach that taught participants the integrated farming system (IFS) concept and helped them build an IFS map, and by introducing turi as a liquid organic fertilizer, feed supplement, and compost, the yield of mustard plants increased by 100%.

Nadia Nadia, Agus Juono, Dio Ramadan Nugroho, Mifta Nurjanah, Adine Christiningtyas, Marthinus Masriat, E.Y Gitari, Andy Nugroho, Abdurojak Abdurojak, K.J Dahu, Bayu Suseno · Jompa Abdi Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia

This community outreach program in Padukuhan Singosaren I, Indonesia — a country ranked second worldwide for plastic waste entering the ocean — used socialization sessions to address low public awareness and inconsistent waste management, teaching a "stacked bucket" (ember tumpuk) decomposition method that processes organic waste into solid and liquid organic fertilizer usable as growing media for urban farming ("hydroganik"). The outreach concluded that well-managed waste can become useful and that community participants were enthusiastic, and it recommends that Singosaren I households adopt the stacked-bucket method at home so household waste can be converted into fertilizer for hydroganik growing media.

Hae Jong Yang, Tae‐Woo Kang, Byungwoong Choi, Soon Hong Hwang, Dongseok Shin, Won-Pyo Park · Sustainability · South Korea

This study verified heavy-metal pollution levels in sediments of an urban-agricultural watershed in the Yeongsan River basin, South Korea, through evaluation of Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs), a pollution load index (PLI), and a potential ecological risk index (PERI), and analyzed statistical relationships between pollution levels, land use, and potential pollution sources. Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, and Hg concentrations were highest at mid-upstream sites, while As, Cr, and Ni concentrations were similar across most sites. Sites showing potential toxicity to benthic organisms relative to SQGs were most frequently observed at mid-upstream, and PLI and PERI evaluations likewise confirmed high anthropogenic pollution and ecological risk there. Mid-upstream sites with high heavy-metal pollution correlated strongly with urban land use — the largest land-use category — indicating links to population density and industrial complexes; statistical analysis confirmed this relationship. The findings indicate that urban areas are highly likely to cause anthropogenic heavy-metal pollution of sediments via point and non-point sources such as domestic sewage and industrial wastewater.

Herman Hamdani, Ibnu Bangkit Bioshina Suryadi, Zahidah Zahidah, Yuli Andriani, Lantun Paradhita Dewanti, Rioaldi Sugandhy · Jurnal Berdaya · Indonesia

This is a community service report on a water-saving "tidal aquaponics" system — combining fish farming with hydroponics, using rising and falling water levels in a gravel planting bed to recirculate water back to the fish pond as an oxygen source — implemented in Tanjungsari Village, Sumedang Regency, Indonesia. The village, an example of an urban fringe community, had already adopted this system for its advantages: it can be used on limited land, saves water, requires no fertilizer, and can add aesthetic value to marginal land if arranged well. The activity was conducted through demonstrations, technical meetings and field meetings, with the objective of meeting household-scale protein needs using limited resources; given the limited availability of clean water in densely populated areas, the report frames this as an example of water-efficient, environmentally conscious urban farming.

Bambang Gunawan, Husin Rayesh Mallaleng, Mahrus Ali, Sri Purwanti, Nurlina Nurlina, Fauziatun Nisak, Yeni Ika Pratiwi, Sri Hidayati · Indonesian Journal of Engagement Community Services Empowerment and Development · Indonesia

This report describes a community activity in RW 02, Kalirungkut Village, Rungkut District, Surabaya City, Indonesia, that implemented mass composting technology for urban organic waste as part of empowering urban agricultural land. It was carried out through two approaches: assistance to build expertise and skills in managing mass composting of urban organic waste, and efforts to mobilize community participation. The results showed increased community awareness and participation in waste management through practicing the 3R approach (reduce, reuse, recycle) -- sorting household waste into organic and inorganic at the source -- with the urban agriculture movement identified as an alternative for maintaining family food security and as a contributor to green open space.

Cheng C., Aviso K.B., Tan R.R., Aviso K. · Sustainability (MDPI), 13(16):9042 · Asia

A study developing a system-dynamics model of a rooftop farm in Taipei City to analyze the socio-environmental benefits of rooftop agriculture (improved food access, community ties, energy savings, reduced flood risk). It frames rooftop farming as a practical solution for strengthening water-energy-food nexus synergies in greener cities.

Begum M.S., Bala S.K., Islam A.K.M.S., Roy D. · Sustainability (MDPI), 13(16):9053 · Asia

Compares an experimental agricultural rooftop with bare roofs, measuring microclimate parameters including air, surface, and indoor temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide. It shows that rooftop agriculture can mitigate urban microclimate change and supply fresh vegetables while delivering environmental and socioeconomic benefits to city dwellers.

· PeerJ · China (Beijing)

Compares the carbon footprint of conventional smallholder operations versus innovative large-scale urban farming in Beijing, China.

Sumanto Sumanto, Suryani Sri Lestari, Siti Mutmainah, Muhammad Rois, Siti Hasanah, Jati Handayani, Teguh Budi Santosa, Saniman Widodo, Prima Ayundyayasti, Nurseto Adhi · Prosiding Seminar Hasil Penelitian dan Pengabdian Masyarakat · Indonesia (Semarang)

This community service activity aimed to empower a farmer group in Semarang City, Indonesia, by providing solutions for urban farming in narrow yards. The initiative focused on mentoring the group in utilizing plastic waste as planting media and developing their skills. The activity addressed the group's lack of expertise in plastic waste utilization and limited urban agriculture skills, seeking to increase the economic added value and benefits of urban farming.

Fenny Puspitaningrum, Desy Safitri, Nurul Istiqomah · Edukasi IPS · Indonesia

This qualitative study in Indonesia investigated why ROSAI members in Alam Indah studio housing, Depok, chose urban farming for food independence. Findings indicated ecological factors (suitable soil/water), economic factors (reducing expenditure while maintaining nutrition), and social factors (healthy living, neighborly harmony) as reasons. Their urban farming activities included organic farming, an organic market for excess crops, and farming training.

黄甘霖 HUA Yeyu 华野毓 · Acta Ecologica Sinica · China (Beijing)

Ecosystem services from peri-urban organic farms in Beijing, China, were evaluated as of 2019. It was found that there were 271 organic farms in the suburbs of Beijing, covering a planting area of 10,900 hectares, accounting for 5.1% of the arable land in Beijing. Provision services were valued at 1.612 billion Yuan, regulation services (soil carbon sequestration) at 21.4 million Yuan, and cultural services (picking, farmers' markets, education activities) at 118.9 million Yuan. Organic farms also reduced energy use and emissions compared to conventional farms of the same area.

Agus Slamet, Maryam Nurlaila, Farid Nur Achmad · Abdimas Singkerru · Indonesia

A community service program in Lapandewa Village, Buton Selatan Regency, Indonesia, provided education and practical training on utilizing organic kitchen waste to make compost, liquid organic fertilizer (POC), and botanical pesticides. Targeting 20 participants, including housewives, farmers, and entrepreneurs, the activity aimed to support food self-sufficiency through urban farming and improve community welfare. Participants successfully learned to produce these items and sort seeds, fostering awareness of waste utilization and motivating a shift from chemical fertilizers and pesticides to organic alternatives.

Fiky Yulianto Wicaksono, Tati Nurmala · Dharmakarya · Indonesia

An online training and simulation on environmentally friendly urban farming, utilizing household waste, was conducted from January to February 2021. Participants were selected based on their existing practice or desire to practice urban farming at home. The results of this outreach indicated that the speakers' expertise enhanced participants' knowledge, and most participants understood the training material and practiced environmentally friendly urban farming.

Mahmudah Hamawi, Use Etica · Prosiding Sains Nasional dan Teknologi · Indonesia (East Java)

This study aimed to examine the effect of growing media mixtures on celery yield. The research was conducted from May to June 2020 at the UNIDA Gontor Faculty of Science and Technology practice land in Ponorogo, East Java. A completely randomized design with one factor and five replications was used to compare four growing media mixtures (A=control, B=soil+compost+rice husk charcoal, C=soil+compost+wood charcoal, D=soil+compost+kitchen ash). Results showed that the soil and compost mixture produced the largest wet weight of celery leaves, which was not significantly different from the soil+compost+rice husk charcoal mixture, but significantly different from the soil+compost+kitchen ash mixture.