Research & reports

Emanuele Blasi, Clara Cicatiello, Barbara Pancino, Silvio Franco · Agricultural and Food Economics · Italy

Peri-urban agriculture is exposed to pressures toward diversification and multifunctionality, developing differently depending on territorial features. A paper studies the case of Trentino, an Italian Alpine region where the ratio of urban to rural domain is heavily skewed toward the latter and farms face environmental problems that jeopardize their competitiveness in mainstream markets, comparing the development of alternative food chains there with other Italian peri-urban areas. The mountain environment makes it difficult for farms to standardize products to large retailers' requirements, but alternative food chains endorse and communicate to the market the typicality of products and farmers' savoir-faire, the two main factors of added value. Survey data from short food chain consumers show they are inherently more attentive to these product cues, as a result of a lifestyle more attached to identity and origins, and prouder of their territory. These findings confirm that, given its structural and cultural traits, alternative food markets in the Trentino area are meaningful for the survival and development of the local agricultural sector.

Rosa Maria Vitrano · Nova Science Publishers (Nova Science Publishers, Inc.) · Europe (Italy)

This study of green-envelope building redevelopment in Palma di Montechiaro, in Italy's Agrigento Province, combined testing of innovative products for realizing vertical gardens with the design of guidelines for the architectural and environmental transformation of the Marina Todaro waterfront promenade. The work was framed as a means of defining prospects for Palma di Montechiaro to be considered a green city of Agrigento Province, exploring scenarios of green urban design and urban agriculture still little practiced in the area. Its originality lay in a participatory approach carried out on-site, positioning residents as the primary agents of the environmental regeneration project.

Luisa Pedrazzini · TERRITORIO · Europe

This dossier compiles contributions from an international workshop, "Spatial and Landscape Planning and Design in EU and Lombardy," held at Politecnico di Milano in June 2013. It presents experiences from the EU, Île-de-France, Lombardy, and the United States, highlighting the distinctive features of peri-urban space and landscape and the potential of peri-urban agriculture.

Flavio Lupia, Giuseppe Pulighe · Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia · Italy

Using a 2014 Italian Institute of Agricultural Economics (INEA) inventory of roughly 2,700 residential kitchen-garden parcels around Rome, Italy, mapped by photointerpretation of high-resolution Google Earth imagery and field validation, this study estimated irrigation water demand for the April-September growing season under different land uses and two irrigation systems, using average climatic data from 1950-2000, and evaluated a rainwater-harvesting scenario as an alternative or supplement to current water sources, which in Rome include municipal supply as well as legal and illegal well, canal and river abstraction.

Inmaculada Marques-Pérez, Baldomero Segura García del Río, Concepción Maroto · Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research · Spain (Valencia)

This paper presented a descriptive approach to the multifunctionality of agricultural systems and described a methodological approach to evaluate social preferences for multifunctional peri-urban agriculture. This approach is based on a review of scientific literature focused on multifunctionality and the goods and services of agricultural systems. The proposed methodology was applied to the "Huerta de Valencia," a rich peri-urban agricultural system with diverse resources, yielding results useful for enriching the political-institutional debate on defining its protection scheme.

Emmanuelle Vaudour, Christine Aubry, Liliane Bel, Laëtitia Bréchet, Philippe Cambier, Yves Coquet, Karim Dhaouadi, Veronique V. Etievant, Benoît Gabrielle, Jean-Marc J.-M. Gilliot, Jean Christophe Gueudet, Dalila Hadjar, Jonas Hamiache, Sabine Houot, Christophe Labat, Patricia Laville, Raia Silvia Massad, Joël Michelin, Paul Emile Noirot Cosson, Jean-Noël Rampon · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · France

The PROSTOCK project aimed to spatially assess the potential of recycling organic waste (exogenous organic matter, EOM) to improve soil organic carbon stocks (SCS) in peri-urban agricultural areas. It also evaluated the impacts of EOM use on greenhouse gas emissions and nitrate leaching. The Versailles Plain and Alluets Plateau (221 km²) were chosen as the study region, with field and lab measurements collected from over 250 point locations. The project advanced the use of imaging data for estimating topsoil organic carbon content (SOC) from soil reflectance spectra, but found that medium spatial resolution multispectral satellite images do not discriminate changes in SOC resulting from EOM applications.

S. Mecca B. Özel · · Italy (Pisa)

Rapid urbanization has led to negative consequences such as urban poor, primarily formed in suburbs. The physical expansion of cities occurs more in suburbs, causing "urban sprawl" into rural areas beyond their boundaries, resulting in the loss of agricultural lands and stress on the surrounding natural environment.

Rosalia Filippini, Elisa Marraccini, Sylvie Lardon, Enrico Bonari · Italian Journal of Agronomy · Italy (Pisa)

This study developed a method to assess food production capacity in periurban areas, applying it to beef and lamb production in Pisa, Italy. The potential meat supply was estimated to meet 16% of beef demand and 62% of lamb demand. On-farm data indicated that the current lamb supply decreased to 37%, while beef remained at 14%. The actual supply was 70% and 10% of the current supply for beef and lamb, respectively. Gaps between these estimates, particularly for lamb production, suggest constraints in production and commercialization.

Giuseppe Cinà · PORTO Publications Open Repository TOrino (Politecnico di Torino) · Italy

This paper examines Italian planning, highlighting an unresolved discrepancy between urban and agricultural policies due to a long-standing separation of urban and rural worlds. It outlines how this historical gap results in two inconsistent and low-effective policies. The paper discusses agricultural parks as an attempt to overcome this planning backwardness by integrating spatial planning and agricultural activity, documenting three Italian examples.

Anna Gaviglio, Alberto Pirani, Mattia Bertocchi · Advanced engineering forum · Italy (Milan)

This study assessed the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of farms within the South Milan Agricultural Park (PASM), based on interactions between the Milan metropolitan area and surrounding agricultural activities. The survey was conducted using an indicator-based tool to compare farms, with data collected from various sources. Results indicated that PASM's efforts provided valid economic tools for large multifunctional farms, deeply tied to the local context through services like direct sales, short chains, and agritourism, contributing to improved environmental conditions and landscape. However, large and small specialized farms lacking these income sources did not receive equal contribution.

H. Renting · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Europe

This contribution highlights a growing research interest in urban and peri-urban agriculture and related public policies, particularly within Europe and internationally. It presents major European research projects and relevant recent international conferences focusing on urban and peri-urban agriculture. The paper outlines proposed debate topics and analytical approaches used in these initiatives.

Roberto Henke, Francesco Vanni · · Italy

This study aimed to explore the multifunctional role of peri-urban agriculture in Italy through a comparative analysis of three metropolitan areas: Milan, Rome, and Naples. Market-oriented farms in these three urban areas were selected and classified into three categories: traditional, adaptive, and reactive farms.

Eric Vaz, Marco Paìnho, Peter Nijkamp · European Planning Studies · Europe

This paper presents a spatial analysis integrating agricultural land use data inventories for Portugal with CORINE Land Cover data to assess change in the Algarve region. By overlaying the appropriation of agricultural land for urban use with population and urban data, it focuses on the consequences of specific regulations for the dynamics of land-use change. An integrated assessment of agricultural land loss found that agricultural land was being undermined by the consequences of urban sprawl. Building on this finding, the paper reviews existing decrees supporting sustainable development in the region, provides a qualitative assessment of future roles based on ethical values and economic efficiency, and offers a framework for policymakers regarding trends in the urban/agricultural dichotomy.

Bruno Ronchi, A. Amici, Carlo Maía Rossi, Riccardo Primi, Rita Biasi, Maria Nicolina Ripa · Hábitat y Sociedad · Italy

A 2014 study performed a multi-temporal analysis of land use change over the past 80 years in two small medieval towns in central Italy (Viterbo province, Lazio region), using photogrammetric restitution of historical aerial flights. Results showed that within the city walls a variable number of green spaces and small backyards remained as of 2010, and that in the suburban areas residual agricultural activity persisted, mainly fruit and vegetable cultivation, likely for local markets and/or home consumption. It states that urban planning should account for the functional links between urban and agricultural areas that sustain urban gardening and subsistence economies.

Serge Bonnefoy · SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología · France

This paper traces the historical trajectory of peri-urban agriculture in France, starting from the history of the Town/Country dualism and the phases of politicization of peri-urban agriculture, and examining the development of agglomeration policies into which agriculture has become embedded, identifying five distinct types of agricultural agglomeration policy. It describes the movements currently renewing peri-urban agriculture policy: the pursuit of sustainable cities (including opposition to urban sprawl), the food issue (strengthening agriculture's production function), and a return to a territorial economy. The paper focuses on the uncertainty of this policy argument and how it is exploited by different policies.

Yves Cabannes, Isabel María Raposo · City · Europe

This paper conducted a comparative analysis of peri-urban agriculture in Lisbon and London to assess its contribution to migrant social inclusion and urban biodiversity. The study found that social inclusion patterns are city-specific; for example, Cape Verdean urban farming communities in Lisbon strengthen community bonds but do not necessarily lead to better integration into wider Portuguese society. Migrant urban farmers contribute to broadening biodiversity, primarily in Lisbon and to a lesser extent in London.

Elisa Marraccini, Sylvie Lardon · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Italy (Pisa)

The first Spring School on "Agricultural management in periurban areas," held in Pisa from May 20-27, 2013, aimed to introduce participants to key concepts and methods in Landscape and Territory Agronomy for analyzing and supporting land planning in peri-urban agriculture. This case study took place in the urban region of Pisa, Central Italy, where main spatial issues were identified and action proposals discussed.

Daniele La Rosa, Francesco Martinico, Riccardo Privitera · TERRITORIO · Italy

This study discusses how non-urbanized areas in metropolitan contexts can be reconsidered for new land uses, combining peripheral urban agricultural production with environmental protection for climate change adaptation and ecosystem service production. Through a review of urban planning instruments in Mascalucia, a new land-use scenario for non-urbanized areas was proposed using a land suitability model that combined land cover and fragmentation analysis.

David Tijero · Aldiri: arkitektura eta abar · Spain (Bilbao)

This article criticizes the municipal administration's attitude towards informal allotments on the outskirts of Bilbao. It analyzes the consequences of green space reclamation plans executed in recent years and advocates for policies promoting both formal and informal urban agriculture.

Coline Perrin · International Planning Studies · France, Italy

Case studies in Provence and Tuscany indicate that planning prescriptions and land-market control are insufficient for protecting farmland on the urban fringe. Farmland is not effectively protected if regulatory approaches are not integrated into a global strategy for agriculture and food based on community involvement. Farmland protection policies are more effective when combining top-down policies with bottom-up initiatives and recognizing the multifunctional character of urban agriculture.

Antonio Emilio Alvise Longo · Virtual Community of Pathological Anatomy (University of Castilla La Mancha) · Italy

This essay recounts the experience of the project for the open spaces in the Martesana area, coordinated by the author following a call from Fondazione Cariplo di Milano. Moving from operational experience, the essay generally considers the role of agricultural open spaces in peri-urban areas, contextualizing it with long-term urban planning themes.

Richard Oram · Stirling Online Research Repository (University of Stirling) · United Kingdom

This paper reviews geoarchaeological evidence and analyzes documentary records from 17 Scottish burghs to explore waste management and peri-urban agriculture in early modern Scotland. The study illustrates the central role of urban waste as manure in burgess agriculture. Burgh regulations revealed changing cultural attitudes towards waste in the 17th and 18th centuries, but urban waste remained in demand as fertilizer in the hinterland of many Scottish towns until the late 19th century.

Gianni Cicia, Francesca Colantuoni, Del Giudice Teresa, Stefano Pascucci · International journal on food system dynamics · Italy

This study analyzed the effects of urbanization on farm land use and organization in the protected area of the Campi Flegrei Regional Park, a peri-urban rural area in the Neapolitan metropolitan area. Researchers distinguished farms into three behavioral-social groups based on specific features to identify the best-suited type for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) implementation. A market scenario was predicted for each group without intervention.

Nicola Silvestri, E. Bonari · CINECA IRIS Institutial research information system (University of Pisa) · Italy

Focusing on the area around Lake Massaciuccoli in Tuscany, Italy, this paper discusses the relationship between the management of peri-urban agricultural land — the transition zone between city and countryside — and the lake's eutrophication problem. It argues that proper management of the extensive agricultural areas within this heavily anthropized territory could contribute significantly to resolving the lake's eutrophication through management and structural interventions, while noting that partially reorganizing existing agricultural models carries both cost and difficulty.

Maria Gabriella Errico · · Europe

This study analyzed theories and concepts intertwining human activity with economic, social, scientific, and political aspects, driven by interest in solutions for maintaining agricultural landscapes in peri-urban areas. It investigated the landscape characteristics of territories between city and countryside that retain cultural historical signs. By synthesizing key challenges of peri-urban areas, the research aimed to identify design strategies for active conservation and transformation through agricultural park projects. The study proceeded to recognize the characteristics and critical issues of the peri-urban agricultural landscape.