Research & reports

· Agriculture · Bulgaria

An IoT-based small-scale hydroponic system for leafy vegetables was designed using low-cost materials and sensors, enabling remote monitoring and automation of the cultivation process.

Mahmoud M.M., Darwish R.R., Bassiuny A.M. · Journal of Engineering Research · Egypt

An economically oriented smart aquaponic system was developed and implemented, using IoT technology to monitor and control aquaponic operations.

Dorr, E., Hawes, J.K., Goldstein, B., Fargue-Lelièvre, A., Fox-Kämper, R., Specht, K., Fedeńczak, K., Caputo, S., Cohen, N., Poniży, L., Schoen, V., Górecki, T., Newell, J.P., Jean-Soro, L., Grard, B. · Agronomy for Sustainable Development · Global

A citizen-science study collecting data from 72 urban agriculture sites across France, Germany, Poland, the UK and the USA to analyze yields and resource use. Most plots yielded between 0.5 and 2 kg/m².

Andrés G. Rolhauser, J. Scott MacIvor, Adriano N. Roberto, Selena Ahmed, Marney E. Isaac · Ecological Solutions and Evidence · Global

This paper addresses the limited understanding of conditions under which stress-tolerant "nurse" plants can facilitate stress-intolerant "protégé" species on extensive green roofs for urban agriculture. It proposes a framework and linear model, integrating trait–environment theory and facilitation ecology, to make testable predictions on protégé species performance along stress gradients. The framework aims to help researchers assess the feasibility of nurse–protégé interactions under various environmental conditions.

Restilou Q. Artiaga · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This experimental-comparative study investigated the productivity of "Gulayan sa Paaralan" (school garden) using drip irrigation technology. Researchers planted "pinakbet" vegetables in 16m x 16m plots, with and without drip irrigation, and compared yields over two consecutive croppings. Results showed that plots with drip irrigation consistently produced higher yields, demonstrating the technology's effectiveness in improving harvest with minimal staff and student involvement.

Iyad Ghazal, Reema Mansour, Marie Davidová · Sustainability · Palestine (Nablus)

This research investigated the potential of farming on facades and roofs across an entire neighborhood. A case study of 22 multi-floor residential buildings in Nablus, Palestine, was conducted using developed parametric tools. Findings indicated that existing facades could provide 28,500 m2 of farming area, with half of facades and all roofs suitable for daylight-based farming. The study found that facades could fulfill 350% of tomato and 237% of cucumber consumption, while roofs could produce over 315 times the local sweet pepper consumption. A modular facade system was designed with an average system cost of $55.2/m2 and a total cost of $1.7M.

Abhinaya Ramadhikka, Ofita Purwani, Sri Yuliani · Arsitektura · Global

This paper focuses on implementing energy and food self-sufficiency in residential buildings by integrating urban agricultural facilities. It aims to fill a literature gap by discussing self-sufficiency specifically in residential buildings with urban agriculture on a microscale. The study formulates how to apply the self-sufficiency concept by calculating residents' food and energy needs and outlining how to achieve them.

Pavlo Ardanov, Annette Piorr, Alexandra Doernberg, Sonja Brodt, Jennifer B. Lauruol, Iryna Kazakova, Valentyna Movchan, Lucas A. Garibaldi · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Global

This study assessed information from multiple sources to design diversified cropping systems with vegetables and spice crops for cold temperate climates, integrating trait and observational data from databases, farmer surveys, and literature reviews. While farmers achieved medium to good levels of their main goals, they failed to reach desired multifunctionality with their polycultures. None of the individual data sources provided a comprehensive dataset, but combining them increased crop combination options while also increasing planning and management complexity.

· Middle East Journal of Applied Sciences · Egypt (Giza)

An experiment was conducted in a rooftop garden in Giza, Egypt, during the summer seasons of 2021 and 2022 to determine the most suitable substrate mixture for producing hot pepper in pots. Four mixtures—perlite:coco peat, sand:rice husk, sand:coco peat, and sand:coco peat:rice husk—were evaluated for growth and yield. The perlite:coco peat mixture recorded the highest values for plant height, leaf number, fresh and dry weights of aerial parts, root fresh and dry weights, and yield per m². The sand:rice husk mixture showed close results, leading to both being considered suitable for pot-system hot pepper production.

Nadia Damika Putri, Acep Purqon, Ramadhani Eka Putra · Jurnal Biodjati · Global

This study investigated the effect of growing space on maize productivity using the three sisters cultivation system (corn, beans, pumpkins) in grow bags. A completely randomized design with three treatments (75 L, 100 L, and 200 L grow bags) and six replications was used. The highest corn productivity was observed in the 200 L grow bag (318.40 g/cob), but it was not significantly different from the 100 L grow bag (316.20 g/cob). The study concluded that the 100 L grow bag was the optimal growing space for containerized corn using this technique.

Akhi Akter, Md. Forhad Hossain, Jubayer-Al Mahmud, Nasrin Sultana, Md Maruf Hasan, Tahira Begum · Journal of Agroforestry and Environment · Bangladesh (Dhaka)

This study investigated the impacts of vermicompost, sawdust, and cowdung on cauliflower growth and yield on a rooftop in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from November 2019 to July 2020. The experiment found that vermicompost (10 t ha-1) combined with recommended chemical fertilizers resulted in the highest yield (19.75 t ha-1) and benefit-cost ratio (3.33). The results indicate that rooftops are suitable for cauliflower production using vermicompost.

Iván Nocua, Karen del Pilar Galindez, J. Cordero, Astrid Del Pilar Ardila Bernal, Julián Serna, Omar David Guzmán, Cristian Fernando Camargo Muñoz, Mauricio Parra‐Quijano · Agronomía Colombiana · Colombia (Bogotá)

An urban garden was established within a greenhouse at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá campus, to investigate the effects of weeds and compacted soil in a biointensive approach. Over a two-month measurement period, 13 weed species were identified, with Veronica spp. being the most represented, and Poaceae family plants predominant within the orchard. While soil properties improved with the biointensive method and organic material addition, the presence of weeds highlights challenges and limitations in establishing urban gardens.

Juan Pablo Robayo, Jemay Mosquera Téllez · limentech Ciencia y Tecnología Alimentaria · Colombia (Cúcuta)

A descriptive and interpretive qualitative study in Cúcuta, Colombia, documented the implementation of home gardens aimed at self-management and community empowerment. The research involved families in the Rudesindo Soto, La Pastora, and Belén neighborhoods, utilizing semi-structured interviews, field work, and documentary analysis in collaboration with the Catholic Church. Findings indicated that participants experienced advantages and benefits in terms of self-management, cooperation, and community empowerment, leading to the formulation of a public policy proposal to support home gardens at the municipal level.

Radenka Kolarov, Mirjana Ljubojević, JOVANA SUCUR ELEZ, Mirjana Adakalić, BILJANA LAZOVIC, Dejan Prvulović, Sezai Erċışlı, DJORDJE MALENCIC · TURKISH JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY · Serbia

This study compared bioactive compounds in pomegranate genotypes from a continental region (Sremski Karlovci, Serbia) and a Mediterranean urban region (Bar, Montenegro). Analysis of phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, pigments, vitamin C, acidity, pH, and sugars, along with DPPH and ABTS antioxidant tests, revealed that pomegranates grown in the continental area had significantly higher amounts of biochemically active compounds than those from the Mediterranean urban region. This suggests adaptation to continental conditions, with continental samples showing greater antioxidant potential and proanthocyanidins content.

Belal Ahmad, Gaurav Kumar · KAAV PUBLICATIONS eBooks · Global

This paper discusses urban horticulture as the integration of plants with the urban environment. In developing nations, urban gardening already makes a major contribution to food security and nutrition, and many urban areas worldwide are attempting to improve sustainability by encouraging urban farming and increasing urban greenery. New approaches like vertical gardening and hydroponics are suggested to improve existing urban cropping systems, ensuring access to fresh produce.

Mahbuba Ferdous · Asian Journal of Advances in Agricultural Research · Australia (Armidale)

This case study investigated non-chemical weed management strategies in a small-scale vegetable garden in Armidale, Australia, through observation and an in-depth, unstructured interview with the garden's convener. Growers primarily used mechanical and cultural methods, including mulching, hand weeding, tillage, and grazing, to manage weed infestation. While mulching with wood chips and hand weeding were considered more effective in minimizing weed competition during critical crop development periods, they could not reach a satisfactory level. Further improvements by integrating several approaches simultaneously are needed for more effective and economical weed control.

Juliana Marcela Santos Calderón, Julián David Coral Sanabria, Olga Ximena Aguilar Galvis · Innovando En La U · Global

This study investigated the effect of different amounts of vermicompost (0%, 20%, and 40%) on Batavia lettuce cultivation. It found that 20% vermicompost accelerated germination on the first day (P0.05). By day 40, 20% vermicompost influenced plant height and leaf number, resulting in an average height of 5.44 cm and 7.2 leaves by day 46 (P<0.05). These findings suggest that 20% vermicompost is the most recommended amount for Batavia lettuce.

Arfiana Dita Arum Sari, Dita Atasa, Yana Yana, Asep Syaefuddin, Dewi Suryani, Rhomi Ardiansyah · Faedah Jurnal Hasil Kegiatan Pengabdian Masyarakat Indonesia · Global

The Sustainable Urban Agriculture Practitioner (PPB) division of SEAMEO BIOTROP's internship activities focused on Red Tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) cultivation using Yumina and Bumina techniques, suitable for urban areas. The activities encompassed seeding, maintenance, and treatment, aiming to provide knowledge, understanding, and skills for proper red tilapia cultivation to the community.

· Current Science International · Egypt (Giza)

An experiment was conducted for two seasons (2020/2021 and 2021/2022) at the Central Laboratory for Agricultural Climate's rooftop garden in Giza, Egypt, to determine suitable cultivation systems and planting densities for rooftop potato production. The deep beds system proved more suitable than the horizontal bags system, showing higher values for plant height, leaf number, and yield. While 6 plants/m² recorded the highest values for individual plant metrics, a density of 9 plants/m² resulted in the highest total yield per m².

M.B. Gush, Tijana Blanuša, Lauriane Suyin Chalmin‐Pui, A. Griffiths, Elisabeth K. Larsen, Raghavendra Prasad, Marc Redmile‐Gordon, Chloe Sutcliffe · Plants People Planet · Global

This article presents an integrated and applied research approach to environmental horticulture from The Royal Horticultural Society. It emphasizes the importance of domestic and community gardens in the context of global environmental threats and discusses four primary research focus areas. These areas include responding to climate change, using plants for environmental regulation, sustainable resource management, and gardening for human health and wellbeing.

Yenny Díaz Domke · Revista de la Academia · Chile (Santiago)

This study integrated approaches from critical pedagogy, art education, and Science, Technology, and Society (STS) perspectives through a community experience in an urban garden in San Bernardo, Chile, from 2021 to 2023. The initiative contributed to the action and reflection of agroecological values by exploring methodologies for awareness, aesthetic sensibility, and creative action regarding technical and biological relationships. The introduction of a solar distillation artifact made from recycled material opened critical perspectives on technological intervention and fostered a collective understanding that technical solutions can also be developed at a local scale.

Mansi I. Bhati and R.K. Dubey · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

Urban horticulture, a new concept for growing family-sufficient food in urban and peri-urban areas, is gaining importance. However, environmental challenges for urban farming in urban environments include soil contamination, micro-climate alteration and air pollution, and contaminated water resources. Appropriate guidelines for urban and peri-urban agricultural practices are required.

Stuart Walters, V. P. Thomas, Karen Stoelzle Midden, John W. Groninger · Journal of Living Architecture · Global

This study evaluated the productivity of four Romaine lettuce cultivars grown to maturity in an 8 cm deep lightweight clay substrate on an extensive green roof during the autumn production seasons of 2012 and 2013. Lettuce productivity was improved by the addition of fertilizers, with fast-release fertilizer providing the greatest growth and productivity. However, abnormally cold growing conditions in autumn 2013 resulted in lower yields compared to 2012, highlighting the system's vulnerability to weather.

Francisco Tomatis, Monika Egerer, Adriana Corrêa-Guimarães, Luis Manuel Navas-Gracia · Agriculture · Global

This study systematically reviewed 72 academic documents published from 2000 to 2022 to investigate the relationship between climate change and urban gardening. The analysis showed that climate change can have negative impacts on cities, people, and urban food. Suggestions for building urban gardens' adaptation capacity include rainwater collection, changing plant selection, adjusting planting times, and applying vegetative soil cover. Community and allotment gardens contribute to urban adaptation, mitigation, and resilience by regulating microclimates, reducing urban heat island effects, buffering floods, capturing carbon, and fostering social networks.

Anang Suhardianto, Ariyanti Hartari · SAINTEKES Jurnal Sains Teknologi Dan Kesehatan · Global

This study investigated the effect of using biofloc catfish pond water, AB mix solution, and their 1:1 combination for aquaponic cultivation of caisim, pakchoy, and kailan plants. The combination of biofloc pond water and AB mix solution at a 1:1 ratio yielded the highest growth parameters, including plant height, number of leaves, and fresh weight, for all three plant types. The research concluded that biofloc catfish pond water can serve as a substitute for AB mix solution in aquaponic cultivation of caisim, pakchoy, and kailan.