Research & reports

Widya Dwi Kharismawati · SKRIPSI Mahasiswa UM · Indonesia

This study aimed to develop an agricultural education-based learning design on the theme of urban farming to enhance 21st-century skills (creativity, digital literacy, collaboration, work ethic, and leadership) in biology students at UM Laboratory High School in Indonesia. Using the Dick, Carey, and Carey (2009) development model, learning designs and materials such as syllabi, lesson plans (RPP), supplementary textbooks, and written tests were developed. Expert and practitioner evaluations indicated high validity for the developed materials, and implementation results were also rated as high.

Wang Jing-pen · · China

This study examines a new "agriculture-education-economy" cycle model, using the Liuyiyuan Urban Agriculture Demonstration Garden in Wenzhou as an example, to promote practical education amidst agricultural upgrading and restructuring. Based on regional cultural characteristics and client psychological needs, a planning concept was proposed to integrate tourism, agricultural production, demonstrations, entertainment, science education, and leisure activities within the natural environment. The aim is to unify human activity and the natural environment.

Kristina Satterlee · Digital Commons @ Connecticut College (Connecticut College) · India (Mumbai); United States (New York City)

This comparative study of urban agriculture in Mumbai, India, and New York City, USA, utilized in-depth interviews with urban farmers and secondary research. The research revealed that farms and gardens in lower-income areas in both cities had access to significantly fewer resources than their counterparts in wealthier areas. Additionally, both movements struggled to form networks across socioeconomic divides.

Joo-Young 심주영Sim, Kyung-Jin 조경진Zoh · · South Korea (Seoul)

This study re-examines urban gardening as an overlooked daily culture in the urbanization process, focusing on the self-forming residential area of Haebangchon in Seoul, South Korea. It found that urban gardens in single-family housing areas function as a medium to improve the physical environment and strengthen relationships among residents. Urban gardening in Haebangchon has evolved across various spaces and attributes, reflecting changes in modern residential history and lifestyles, and contributes to unique local landscapes and community interaction.

Lai Ping Ellie Chung · · China (Hong Kong)

A qualitative case study conducted in a purposive Hong Kong kindergarten investigated the implementation of gardening workshops in school gardens and what children learned during their participation. Information was collected using unstructured observations, semi-structured interviews, documentation, and physical artifacts. The study found that children experienced less experiential learning than expected during the gardening workshops. Reasons identified included fewer choices for children, less free time for exploration and interaction with the garden environment and people, more waiting time, highly structured and controlled interactions through adult regulations, and the influence of adults' varying strategies on children's performance.

徐晶, 吴聪 · 中国土地 · China (Wuhan)

This paper analyzes the practice and problems of "multi-plan integration" in Wuhu Street, Huangpi District, Wuhan City, a rapidly urbanizing area dominated by modern urban agriculture. Wuhu Street faces issues such as the disorderly sprawl of construction land and low land use efficiency. The study proposes targeted policy recommendations based on these findings.

胡卿 · 江西农业 · China (Nanchang)

In recent years, Nanchang City, China, has actively promoted the transformation of conventional agriculture into modern urban agriculture, focusing on developing urban modern agriculture. In 2014, the city added one "Beautiful China Farmland," one national-level leisure agriculture demonstration site, nine national leisure agriculture star enterprises, and six provincial-level leisure agriculture demonstration sites.

Min Wang · · China (Xi'an)

This study analyzed the dynamic change and spatial difference of urban agricultural multi-functionality in Xi'an metropolitan zone, China, from 2000 to 2013. Using a comprehensive evaluation method and coupling coordinative degree model, it found that production, economic, and social functions generally rose, while ecological function declined. The overall multi-functional coupling coordination degree increased only slightly, and remained low across all regions, showing a core-periphery distribution.

· Urban Ecology · China (Beijing)

This article discusses the pivotal role of soil in urban green spaces (UGS) for maintaining urban ecosystem services, including food production, in the Beijing Metropolitan Region. Urban soils serve as large pools of carbon, nitrogen, and other elements, supporting plant growth and biogeochemical cycles. Quantifying soil properties and understanding soil conditions are essential for assessing UGS ecosystem services and detecting pollution.

이숙미, 김인호 · · South Korea

This study analyzed research trends on community garden programs for homeless self-support in South Korea. Homeless individuals exhibit high rates of physical and mental disabilities, making healthcare crucial for rehabilitation. The abstract suggests that instituting community gardens within supportive housing could offer comprehensive services such as improving sociality, providing job training opportunities, physical and mental health care, and communication spaces for rehabilitation.

임정언, 성종상 · 한국전통조경학회지 · South Korea

This study examined the agricultural philosophy of Seogye Park Sedang and his treatise Saekgyeong (1676) from the Joseon Dynasty, considering its relevance to modern urban agriculture. The research identified four values: socio-economic for small farmers' stability and self-reliance, experiential for agricultural practice as learning, environmental for adapting to nature, and practical for sharing wisdom. These values align with modern urban agriculture's potential contributions to welfare, education, ecological restoration, and knowledge sharing.

Zulfadhli Nasution · · Indonesia (Jakarta)

A case study in Jakarta, Bandung, and Bogor, Indonesia, examined the engagement between urban farming communities and food sovereignty. Findings indicate that the food sovereignty discourse has not significantly exposed urban farming communities due to differing historical backgrounds and social/political views between urban farming and rural peasantry-based movements. The study suggests prerequisites for strengthening food sovereignty among urban food advocates, including building consumer consciousness and urban-rural solidarity.

FU Jun-hon · Tianjin Agricultural Sciences · China (Tianjin)

Using a survey method, this article analyzed the situation and problems of the processing industry of origin for six main agricultural products—grain and oil, vegetables, meat, dairy products, aquatic products, and fruit—in Tianjin during the twelfth five-year plan. The paper presents key development tasks and concrete countermeasures for Tianjin's agricultural product origin processing industry.

Arga Triyandana, Mimien Henie Irawati, Ibrohim Ibrohim, Susilowati Susilowati, Endang Budiasih · Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran Universitas Negeri Malang · Indonesia

This research aimed to develop learning tools for Ecosystem and Environmental Studies using project-based learning to support urban farming in junior high schools, following the Borg and Gall research and development model. Validation of the learning tools (syllabus, lesson plans, and modules) by instructional design experts and education practitioners showed they were valid with minor revisions, making them ready for implementation. Validation of the modules by material and media experts also confirmed their validity with only minor revisions needed.

I Ketut Sardiana · Bumi Lestari Journal of Environment · Indonesia

A field survey using subak (traditional Balinese irrigation) units as sampling points, with soil properties analyzed by standard laboratory methods, evaluated land suitability for horticultural and medicinal crops in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, to support agricultural planning that protects the subak system amid land conversion to tourism development. Land was found "very suitable" (S1) for rice, and "suitable" (S) for vegetables, fruit and medicinal plants with two limiting factors — poor drainage and fine soil texture — leading to recommendations for drainage improvement, organic matter addition, and zoned land-use planning by season and location (rice in the rainy season, flowers in the north, fruit and vegetables in the central area, and vegetables and secondary crops in the south).

Intan Zainab Bauw, Suharko · · Indonesia

A 2015 qualitative case study of "Bandung Berkebun," an urban farming community in Bandung, Indonesia, examines its resource mobilization process using resource mobilization theory from social movement studies (the McCarthy and Zald, and Edwards frameworks). Based on direct interviews, participant observation, and secondary data, it finds that Bandung Berkebun accessed resources through self-aggregation and self-production, drawing on human resources in the form of creative activists, cultural resources in the form of innovative ideas and concepts, and social-organizational resources in the form of strong networks. However, while the group achieved considerable community-sustainability outcomes, the study notes that in terms of realizing the movement's longer-term vision, its resource mobilization process remained mere mobilization, not yet fully directed toward ensuring that vision's realization.

M. Osman, G. Ravindra Chary, S. S. Balloli, Shaik Haffis · Indian Journal of Dryland Agricultural Research and Development · India

This study, conducted in three districts of Telangana State, India (Adilabad, Nalgonda, and Warangal), used net returns from crops, fruit trees, and livestock to identify sustainable and profitable land uses, estimate credit requirements, and formulate a credit investment action plan, surveying 270 respondents (90 per district). Based on system index and benefit-cost ratio (BCR), the study identified profitable crop and livestock enterprises, with BCR ranging from 1.58 for cotton-pigeonpea intercropping in rural Adilabad to 3.98 for soybean-pigeonpea intercropping in peri-urban Adilabad. For fruit trees (15-year lifespan), payback periods of 5-7 years were found, with BCR of 1.61-2.07 and net present values (at 2010 prices) of 267 crore for sweet orange in Nalgonda and 109 crore for mango in Warangal. Returns per rupee invested in large ruminant (dairy) rearing ranged from 3.04 to 3.44, and for small ruminants from 4.05 to 5.54 across the three districts. The study reports large credit demand from the farming community and formulates a district-level investment action plan with policy implications.

WU Xiao-da · Anhui nongye kexue · China

The background of eco-friendly agriculture development and the meaning and interactive relationship between eco-friendly agriculture and community supported agriculture (CSA) in China are discussed, along with an analysis of CSA's current development status and a summary of four typical CSA operating modes. Existing problems in CSA development are identified, and promotion strategies and policy recommendations are proposed for the construction, implementation and promotion of CSA, without presenting quantitative results.

蔡万涛, 李云伏 · 农业科技管理 · China

This paper reviews the achievements in scientific and technological innovation and service delivery at the Ministry of Agriculture's Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North China), part of China's national agricultural science and technology innovation system, since its establishment. It systematically summarizes the laboratory's development experience across macro-level coordination, organizational cooperation, resource sharing, collaborative innovation, team building and research integrity, presenting it as a reference for the development of modern urban agriculture in China.

王东升, 刘家琴 · 果农之友 · China

A journalistic feature marks the first anniversary of Beijing's first "urban agriculture science courtyard," jointly established by the Beijing and Changping soil-fertilizer stations and China Agricultural University at the Xinchengyuan fruit cooperative in Changping district. The article describes on-site visits documenting the courtyard's work extending urban agriculture technology, training new-type professional farmers, and hosting researchers and graduate students on-site to provide free, barrier-free, immediate technical services aimed at boosting strawberry yields, resource efficiency, and farmer income, without giving specific quantitative results.

史诗 · 中国科技财富 · China (Beijing)

A news report covers the fifth International Urban Agriculture Science and Technology Festival held at the Beijing International Urban Agriculture Science Park, which opened on May 22 under the theme "technological innovation, international exchange, open platform, win-win cooperation," with exhibits running through November. Guests, led by park technicians, toured multi-span greenhouses, cold-frame greenhouses, "bird's nest" greenhouses, solar greenhouses, an inter-row supermarket, and the water science park displaying new agricultural concepts, models, technologies, equipment, facilities and varieties, alongside on-site demonstrations of large-scale field mechanization, small facility mechanization and vegetable grafting machines.

Zhang Le · Chinese Landscape Architecture · China

A review tracing the history of the school garden in Western basic education since the 17th century. It states that in modern educational philosophy, gardens have been valued as a context beneficial to children's intellectual and spiritual growth and well-being, and were introduced into kindergartens, primary and middle schools as an "outdoor classroom." The review examines how the values and meanings of school gardens have expanded across changing historical periods and surveys recent research and practice, with the stated goal of promoting the development of school gardens and children's gardens in contemporary China.

Jurusan Arsitektur, Fakultas Teknik, Universitas Brawijaya, Ema Yunita Titisari, Damayanti Asikin, Jurusan Arsitektur, Fakultas Teknik, Universitas Brawijaya · Review of Urbanism and Architectural Studies · Indonesia

This study examines landscape arrangement through an urban farming program as one way to address the shortage of green open space in a dense urban kampung in Malang, Indonesia. Urban farming is presented as improving both ecological quality and the visual aspect of the environment while also having potential as economic activity. For the densely populated Kampung Tembalangan, the landscape planning process proceeded through evaluation of existing conditions, analysis of potential, and consideration of alternative solutions. The results showed that the urban farming techniques practiced in the kampung can function simultaneously as architectural aesthetic elements and create space serving multiple needed functions.

Yang Feng-x · · China

A field investigation with detailed records examined the safety of park green spaces in major parks and community gardens in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, China. Measured against a "people-oriented" guiding principle and a "select the auspicious, avoid the inauspicious" principle, the study identifies several safety hazards and unreasonable plant arrangements present in these park green spaces as irrational, and proposes methods and countermeasures to address them.

Satrya Wulan Darmayanti · Kebijakan dan Manajemen Publik · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This qualitative study describes the community empowerment strategy used by the Surabaya City Agriculture Department, Indonesia, to raise the incomes of participants in an urban catfish farming ("Budidaya Lele") program in the Pakis district. Informants, selected purposively, included the department's head of production, training staff, and program participants. Data were analyzed through reduction, presentation, verification, and triangulation. The department's strategy comprised three elements: organizing participants into "gotong royong" (mutual-aid) community groups, providing mentoring through seminars, training, and monitoring, and jointly planning the program with participating residents.