Research & reports

Ade Yulistiani · · Indonesia

This study, conducted from December 2016 to March 2017 in Labuhan Ratu, Indonesia, investigated the effects of organic fertilizer and urea fertilizer doses on sweet corn growth, production, and leaf pigment. Using a 2x4 factorial randomized block design with three replications, it found that both organic fertilizer (15 tons/ha chicken manure and 20 ml/l Biomax grow biofertilizer) and urea fertilizer increased growth, production, and leaf pigment. Organic fertilizer application increased plot production by 18.57%, and adding organic fertilizer reduced the optimum urea dose from 278.5 kg/ha to 236.9 kg/ha for maximum plot production.

Yoonah Jang, Sun Jin Jeong, Kyeong Suk Han, Gyung Mee Gim, InChan Choi, Joonyung Heo · The Korean Journal of Community Living Science · South Korea

A study investigated the status of school gardening in 164 elementary schools (39.4% of 416) in Jeollabuk-do, South Korea. The installation and automation of garden facilities, such as greenhouses and tool sheds, were poor. Teachers, who most often operated the gardens, reported difficulty managing them due to a lack of knowledge about sustaining gardens and expressed a need for training programs.

Faidza Rika Chandika, Subejo Subejo, Harsoyo Harsoyo · · Indonesia

This study investigated the effectiveness of television as a source of agricultural information and its influencing factors in the peri-urban agricultural area of Sleman Regency, using descriptive, proportion, and multiple linear tests. Results showed that over 50% of farmers assessed television's effectiveness as low. Television effectiveness indicators were 50.43% for cognitive effect, 44.83% for affective effect, and 49.34% for behavioral effect. The motive for watching television most affected effectiveness, with most farmers relying on group meetings and field extension rather than television for agricultural information.

강미영, 김영희, 김용현, 진종현, 이민희, 허무룡 · · South Korea

A South Korean study aimed at raising awareness of environmental importance through eco-friendly urban agriculture and promoting the effective establishment of urban agriculture. It found that, through urban agricultural activities, urban residents received education in eco-friendly farming methods and applied them in plot preparation, crop cultivation, and harvesting. Participants also regarded the seeds and seedlings used in urban agriculture as eco-friendly, and reported that the activities helped change their perceptions of the environment; they stated that this heightened awareness of environmental importance also influenced behavioural change, that they could introduce their urban agricultural activities to neighbours as eco-friendly, and that they intended to continue participating in urban agricultural activities.

김승현, 고영지, 김지원, 신상은, Yu Seun Kim · 한국색채학회 학술대회 · South Korea

A 2017 study proposes a color design for the Korean urban farming kit "Naega Geurin Eco Farm" (My Green Eco Farm) as a case study. It identifies that existing urban farming kits show large differences in tone and tend to favor primary colors, resulting in colors that can look unsophisticated and fail to evoke the character of the kit, and, using KS C&D 155a to visually analyze the colors of existing kits, proposes a color design applicable to this kit.

Prem José Vazhacharickal · International Journal of Social Sciences · India

Street vending and urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) production systems, and their contribution to local services, are examined in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), India — a region with a population of 21 million where a high proportion of urban poor and rising in-migration make it vulnerable to food crisis. Based on primary and secondary data, street vending in UPA production is argued to complement rural supply chains and reduce ecological footprints, with a recommendation that these marketing systems be better planned and incorporated into city architecture to secure local food supply and employment.

Dong Sung Kim, Yong Joo Sung, Bomi Kim, Ji-Yoon Kim, Rizal Solehuddin, Young Seok Park, Yong-Gyo Seo · Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry · South Korea

In South Korea, this study evaluated whether rice husk fiber — derived from the biorefinery process used for rice husk silica extraction — could substitute for cocopeat, the major component of vegetation media used in artificial greening such as rooftop gardens, testing samples made with OCC or ONP pulp. Higher rice husk fiber content produced bulkier, weaker vegetation media, though water-holding capacity and disintegration resistance were little affected, and no effect on conductivity change was detected. The study concludes that substituting rice husk fiber for cocopeat is possible with optimized application practice.

Audit Yulardi, Andar Bagus Sriwarno, Dwinita Larasati · Jurnal Sosioteknologi · Indonesia (Bandung)

In Bandung, Indonesia's "Kampung Berkebun" program, residents whose main occupation was not farming faced difficulty maintaining productive plants such as vegetables, particularly through daily watering. This study developed a time-efficient irrigation system and trialed it with residents in RT 2, RW 2, Kacapiring, Bandung. A single-point connected irrigation system reduced the time consumed by watering activities, and trial observation showed a behavior change: residents who previously watered irregularly began watering more regularly.

Muhammad Nuri Shobry · Kebijakan dan Manajemen Publik · Indonesia

Using George C. Edward III's policy implementation model combined with the Van Horn and Van Meter framework — communication, resources, disposition, bureaucratic structure, and socio-political-economic support as the five variables — this qualitative descriptive study with purposively sampled informants analyzed implementation of the urban farming program by the agricultural, fishery, and forestry extension agency in Gresik Regency, Indonesia. It found that implementation of the urban farming policy by the Gresik extension agency was not going well and fell short of the maximum, with the stages of implementation not proceeding smoothly and the communication, resources, and target-group support variables in particular found to be poorly organized and ineffective.

정나라, 정명일, 한승원, 김재순 · · South Korea

A resident survey in South Korea was conducted to provide basic data for building a community garden as part of a village-making project. Respondents who said they would use the garden more than once a week made up a high share, with usage frequency rising with respondent age; afternoon use on both weekdays and weekends showed high intended participation, and the garden's efficiency was found to increase when it was located within about a 20-minute walk (roughly 1 km); the study concludes that garden design should reflect each community's characteristics rather than applying a uniform layout.

Tong-Yu Li, Ziyi Wang, Xueshan Bai, Yue Wang · DEStech Transactions on Environment Energy and Earth Science · China

A review tracing the origin and evolution of urban agriculture as a new industry closely tied to the city, summarizing the main problems in contemporary urban agricultural development in China. Building on urban agriculture development experience under urbanization, it proposes a new development pattern for Chinese cities.

Heejoon Choi, Junga Lee, Heejung Sohn, Dong-Gil Cho, Youngkeun Song · Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology · South Korea

This study analyzed the landscape-ecological characteristics of green spaces in a high-density built-up area and evaluated the potential of introducing urban gardens to generate green networks in residential zones. It selected Yeoksam-Dong, Seoul — designated both a green-initiative zone and a park-service-deprived area — as the site, categorizing existing green space into street trees, private gardens, public pocket gardens, rooftop gardens, and parks, then applying FRAGSTATS landscape-index analysis and multi-buffer connectivity assessment. Results showed green area distributed in the order: street trees, private gardens, public pocket gardens, parks, rooftop gardens. Street trees' total core area (TCA, 1,618 m²) was comparable to that of parks (1,128 m²). Private gardens showed potential for green networking through gardening, given irregular patch shapes (ED=78.1 m/ha) and close average distance between patches (ENN=33.9 m). Public pocket gardens also showed potential, being evenly distributed (LPI=5.7%, SHEI=0.9) while exposed to external disturbance (TCA=66 m²). Small green networks within a 50m buffer of connected green area covered 84% of the study site, with green-network effects expected from gardening in public pocket gardens (27%) and street trees (26%).

Tarina Levin · · China

A master's thesis assessing urban agriculture (UA) in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China, and its place in the city's green infrastructure, using literature studies, map studies, site visits, interviews, and field observations. It situates the study against China's ongoing urbanization, in which agricultural land is converted for real estate development, deepening dependency on imported agricultural products, alongside a cultural shift from the older agricultural society toward Western ideals — exemplified by the adoption of short-cut monocultural grass lawns using species unfamiliar to the Chinese climate, which the thesis states causes negative environmental effects. It also finds numerous examples across China, including on former lawn sites, where agriculture is practiced in urban environments, and analyzes UA's effects and potential in Xi'an to propose design principles for environmentally and culturally beneficial UA practice for food production. UA is concluded to have many potential benefits beyond being a food source — including community-building properties, enrichment of urban biodiversity, and the potential to reconnect with China's agricultural roots — but these benefits are stated not to be absolute: UA can also be a source of conflict as well as a source of environmental pollution and contaminated food. The thesis notes many uncertainties remain around the subject, and that because UA is often neglected in governmental planning processes, these issues can be difficult to address.

Lijie He, Zhiguo Fang · Urban Planning International · China

Identifying green residential communities and urban agriculture as important approaches to addressing environmental and food-safety problems that have long been researched and practiced separately without intersection, this paper (2017, China) argues that integrating urban agriculture into green residential communities could help transform cities from a consumption pattern toward a production pattern. Based on behavioral characteristics and spatial demands spanning food production, food consumption, and food recycling/reuse, it examines a strategy system of space, technology, and management for integrating urban agriculture into green residential communities, proposing new ideas for China's green residential community and urban agriculture development.

Jin-Wook Lee, Jong-Sang Sung · Sustainability · South Korea

As part of a South Korean urban policy to revive shrinking cities by demolishing vacant residential structures and converting the resulting plots into public space, this case study examined the process, stakeholders and sources of conflict in the Daebong 2 neighborhood of Daegu, using purposive-sampling interviews with municipal authority staff, NPO members and residents, analysed through open coding. It found conflict between users and non-users over possession of public goods, conflict among project executives during the creation process, and conflict rooted in the spatial and policy characteristics specific to dense, historic residential areas. Overcoming this rivalry and discord was said to require a shift in perspective among policy practitioners, a public/private/community governance structure, consensus among residents, and welfare programs grounded in inclusivity and public interest.

한국교원대학교, Dong-Kuk Hwang · Journal of Korean Practical Arts Education · South Korea

A meta-analysis of research papers published in Korea between 2001 and September 2017 examined the educational effectiveness of school gardens. Papers were identified by cross-searching the keywords "garden," "school," "elementary," and "early childhood," yielding 25 papers and 49 calculated effect sizes. Dependent variables were character development, dietary habit improvement, intellectual ability improvement, and environmental literacy, with study subject, number of participants, garden type, and instructional hours used as moderator variables. School garden education showed a large overall effect size, with character development showing the largest effect size among the dependent variables. Effects were largest when targeting early childhood subjects, groups of 15 or fewer, box-type gardens, and 10-15 instructional sessions. A publication bias test found some bias present, but the educational effect of school gardens remained large even after accounting for it.

Kadarso Kadarso, Rini Raharti · Jurnal Pertanian Agros · Indonesia

This study, aiming to identify promising urban farming commodities and develop agricultural production toward food self-sufficiency in Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, used a combined qualitative and quantitative approach with Location Quotient, Dynamic Location Quotient, and SWOT analysis. Mergangsan, Ngampilan, Tegalrejo, Kotagede, Mantrijeron, Gondokusuman, Wirobrajan, Pakualaman, Umbulharjo and Kraton were identified as economic-base areas, while Gedongtengen, Gondomanan, Danurejan and Jetis were non-base areas. Mergangsan, Ngampilan, Kotagede, Danurejan, Gondokusuman and Jetis showed faster development potential, while Gedong Tengen, Gondomanan, Tegalrejo, Pakualaman, Mantrijeron, Wirobrajan, Umbulharjo and Kraton showed slower development potential. Based on the SWOT analysis, the study proposed strategies including leveraging economic-base strengths and strengthening agricultural extension officers (S-O), promoting farming and improving farm management (W-O), improving infrastructure quality and marketing efficiency (S-T), and expanding market share while noting the constraint that other non-agricultural businesses are more promising (W-T).

Christine Brown-Paul · Practical Hydroponics and Greenhouses · China

Amid food-safety concerns and the demands of a growing population, this piece states that China's cities are increasingly embracing aquaponics as a method of urban farming to secure food supplies for the future.

Lusyana Anggraeni, Weishaguna Weishaguna · Prosiding Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota · Indonesia

A study of the Walagri environmental community and residents of Kelurahan Pasanggrahan in Ujungberung District, Indonesia, examined differing perceptions of urban farming implementation between community members and local residents. Using observation, interviews and descriptive quantitative analysis, the researchers compared perspectives on recreation, conservation, education and sustainability factors. The analysis found both similarities and differences between the community's and residents' perceptions, and recommended establishing a new collaborative framework to build environmental awareness.

Dwi Iriyani, Pangesti Nugrahani · Jurnal Matematika Sains Dan Teknologi · Indonesia

This descriptive quantitative study compared the nutritional values of organically and non-organically grown leaf vegetables—water spinach (kangkung), mustard greens, and spinach—cultivated in urban agriculture in Surabaya, Indonesia. Using spectrophotometric measurement (at 480, 645, and 663 nm) for total chlorophyll and carotenoid content and DCPIP titration for vitamin C, the study found water content above 80% in all samples, the highest vitamin C in non-organic mustard greens (2.45 µg/g) and the lowest in organic spinach (0.68 µg/g), the highest chlorophyll in non-organic spinach (23.81 mg/L) and the lowest in non-organic kangkung (3.29 mg/L), and the highest carotene in non-organic spinach (263.52 μmol/L) and the lowest in non-organic mustard greens (168.02 μmol/L)—concluding that no single leaf vegetable type, organic or non-organic, had the best values across all nutritional measures.

Dwi Haryanta, Mochammad Thohiron, Bambang Gunawan · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Indonesia (Surabaya)

A survey conducted in river, ditch and reservoir waters in Surabaya, Indonesia, randomly sampled sedimentary soil and measured pH, color, structure, texture, organic matter, total nitrogen, K2O and P2O5. Clay content ranged 89.87-92.14%, organic matter 5.96-7.60%, total nitrogen 0.09-0.13%, K2O 0.88-1.12% and P2O5 2.08-2.44%, with soil color grayish-black to black. Housing sewer mud deposits were the most crumbly, and sludge reservoirs were the most heavily used. The sewage sludge soil was found potentially usable as a planting medium for urban agriculture.

· Agronomy for Sustainable Development · China (Zhejiang)

A study evaluating leafy vegetable production on rooftops in Zhejiang, China. It reports that rooftop-grown greens can be profitable and less contaminated than conventionally farm-grown vegetables.

· Quality of Life Research · Taiwan

A study in southern Taiwan testing horticulture therapy on nursing home older adults' activities of daily living, happiness, meaning of life, and interpersonal intimacy, with the intervention group receiving weekly one-hour sessions for eight weeks and showing significant improvements.

Zhenshan Yang, Pu Hao, Weidong Liu, Jianming Cai · Habitat International · China (Beijing)

A study in peri-urban Beijing, China, investigated recent agricultural development practices to explore approaches to agricultural transformation during rapid urbanization. The investigation found that high-tech precision agriculture, downstream processing, and agro-tourism have emerged as major forms of peri-urban agriculture in Beijing. These peri-urban agricultural developments were identified as economically appealing, socially inclusive, and environmentally friendly.

Ferdianto Budi Samudra, Adi Prayoga · Surya Agritama : Jurnal Ilmu Pertanian dan Peternakan · Indonesia

This descriptive study in Penanggungan Village, Trawas District, Mojokerto Regency, Indonesia, aimed to assess the sustainability of an organic urban farming system implemented in household yards using mini greenhouses. The research, conducted in a community-based organic farming area, found that the urban farming system in the study location was sustainable from the perspective of its cultivation system.