Research & reports

Michaël Pouzenc · Développement durable et territoires · Global

This study demonstrated that the "local to global relationship" in the territorialization of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) interacts with, rather than replaces, multiscalar territorialization. Through local observations in France and Mexico, combined with a literature review, a cartographic analysis of CSAs in Europe, and an analysis of their websites, the role of geographical scales implied by the convergence between the ecologization of practices and the territorialization of activities was clarified.

I.O. Amao · IntechOpen eBooks · Sub-Saharan Africa

This chapter conducted an empirical review of urban horticulture in cities across Sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to specify its benefits in the region. The review concluded that governments in these countries require political will to realize the identified advantages of urban horticulture, which include food and nutrition security, healthy environments, and sustainable livelihoods. It recommends raising awareness among stakeholders like politicians, policymakers, and urban households to integrate urban horticulture into land use planning.

Daniele Eckert Matzembacher, Fábio Bittencourt Meira · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Minas Gerais)

This case study in Minas Gerais, Brazil, examined Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) as a countermovement to the commodification of agriculture, using Karl Polanyi's theoretical framework. Analyzing the CSA Alfa case, the study found a coexistence of market exchange and reciprocity, where economic activity is intertwined with social aspects like friendship and commitment. CSA appears to manifest a countermovement by enhancing individuals' relative autonomy and increasing social cohesion among participating groups.

James Worstell · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global

This paper examines the resilience of food systems during the COVID-19 disruption. It notes trends such as direct food delivery, online farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), backyard food production, expansion of seed producers and plant nurseries, and increased home cooking. These trends are viewed as complex adaptive systems.

Dedi Sudarmaji, Ruswadi Muchtar, Ayu Vandira Candra Kusumah · Jurnal Ilmiah Respati · Indonesia

This study investigated the response of pakcoy plants to liquid supplementary fertilizer in a vertical culture system. Using a Randomized Block Design with six treatments and three replications, researchers observed variables such as leaf count, leaf width, plant height, fresh weight, and dry weight. The results showed that treatment P4, with a liquid supplementary fertilizer concentration of 2.5cc/liter of water, yielded the best plant height, leaf width, leaf count, fresh weight, and dry weight for pakcoy plants.

Nana Sutrisna · · Indonesia

This paper discusses urban agricultural development as a strategy for food security during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. It suggests that innovative urban agriculture, including vertical gardens, hydroponics, and vertiminaponics, can support food availability, access, and utilization across various scales. Small to medium-scale urban agriculture can supply local markets, while larger scales can meet national or global needs, reducing reliance on long food value chains.

Cristina Grasseni · · Italy, United States (Massachusetts)

This chapter compares and contrasts context-specific notions and practices of 'solidarity' within collaborative networks organizing alternative food procurement in Lombardy, Italy, and Massachusetts, USA, based on unpublished ethnography from 2011-2014. It juxtaposes Italian Solidarity Purchase Groups with the US solidarity economy network in the context of the Boston local food movement and Massachusetts community-supported agriculture. The chapter demonstrates how the meaning of solidarity in collective food procurement is context-bound.

Tony Ngwenya, Pfano Mashau · Problems and Perspectives in Management · South Africa (Durban)

This study investigated institutional support for youth-owned Small, Medium, and Micro-Enterprises (SMMEs) in Durban's urban agribusiness sector using a quantitative methodology. Findings indicated that CSR interventions had not yielded a fundamental impact, and there was a lack of tangible, result-driven institutional support from policymakers and authorities. Furthermore, targeted technological transfer was a constraining factor, and a lack of monetary and non-monetary access hampered the SMMEs' competitiveness and profitability.

Fahmi Rafika Perdana · Jurnal Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Media Pemikiran dan Dakwah Pembangunan · Indonesia (Yogyakarta City)

This qualitative study examined empowerment efforts within the Gemah Ripah Adult Farmer Group in Bausasran Village, Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, focusing on family involvement and social capital. Findings indicated that empowerment brought benefits for family socio-economic resilience, supported by maintained social capital and external backing. However, obstacles included a lack of awareness among some residents, difficulty engaging young people, and the busyness common in urban society.

Christiana Olusola Owolabi, Olukemi Ifetola Adediran, T.T. Joseph-Adekunle, J. G. Bodunde, O.O. Olubode · Nigerian Journal of Horticultural Science · Nigeria (Abeokuta)

A two-year study at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria, assessed the use of Purple Basil (Ocimum basilicum) in landscaping under different management practices (manuring, mulching, hedge trimming). Manuring resulted in taller plants with more branches and contributed to improved yield and hedge formation. Manured and trimmed plants yielded 2.0 kg/plot, slightly higher than manured and mulched plants (1.9 kg/plot).

Linda Lapiņa · · Denmark (Copenhagen)

This article explores how migrants create space within integration gardens in Copenhagen, an urban gardening association aiming to dismantle social and cultural boundaries. The gardens function as both an "integration grid" centered on a foreigner–Dane binary and a "web of gardening" focused on plants and practices. The analysis juxtaposes these spatiotemporal logics to understand the possibilities for action and relating they offer.

Stéfanny da Cruz Nóbrega, Lara Cristine Gomes Ferreira · OKARA Geografia em debate · Brazil (Goiânia)

This article presents results from a university extension project between the Federal University of Goiás and elementary school students in Goiânia, Brazil. The project focused on socio-environmental education through an agroecological school garden, integrating theory and practice with didactic sequences on agrarian geography topics like food consumption awareness, socio-biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and soil management. Activities included workshops on vertical gardens and composting, a soil workshop, and field trips, aiming to exchange knowledge on agricultural production forms, agroecology, and food sovereignty, valuing family farming.

ایوب محمدیان, جلیل حیدری دهوئی, علیرضا قربانی · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This research identified applications of IoT in smart agriculture by examining 168 selected academic documents (from 480, 2010-2017) using a meta-synthesis approach. Documents were categorized into eight agricultural areas, including urban agriculture, and clustered into six analytics domains such as monitoring and control. The study determined the effect coefficient of elements using the Shannon entropy method, addressing technical uses of IoT in each sector.

Mawuna Donald Houessou, Mirte van de Louw, B.G.J.S. Sonneveld · Sustainability · Benin

To identify the main constraints to the expansion of urban agriculture (UA) in Benin, a systematic literature review, a survey among experienced urban gardeners, and in-depth interviews with stakeholders were conducted. The synthesis revealed five predominant constraints: lack of land and tenure insecurity, insufficient government support, restricted market access, limited access to productive factors, and inequality issues. Specifically, the survey indicated a political unwillingness, which was explained by the unperceived benefits of investing in UA and the lack of enforcement of urban development plans.

Jacob Wood, Caroline Wong, Swathi Paturi · eTropic electronic journal of studies in the tropics · Singapore

This research examines urban farming, specifically vertical farming methods, in Singapore. Despite substantial public and private investment in R&D for high-tech, high-yielding vertical farms, Singapore faces a highly constrained urban environment where land scarcity is exacerbated by a complex regulatory land use framework.

Ady Daryanto, Muhammad Ridha Alfarabi Istiqlal, Ummu Kalsum, Ratih Kurniasih · Jurnal Agronomi Indonesia (Indonesian Journal of Agronomy) · Indonesia (Depok City)

This research evaluated the horticultural characteristics of five hybrid tomato varieties grown in a lowland greenhouse at Gunadarma University, Depok City, West Java, from October 2018 to January 2019. Tymoti and Tantyna varieties performed well, while Agatha and Ultima showed a 40% decrease in fruit size, and Rewako was unsuitable due to high flower dropping and low fruit setting. Significant differences were observed across all quantitative characters among the varieties.

Ali Keyvanfar, Arezou Shafaghat, Tan Sze Inn, Sapura Mohamad · DigitalCommons - Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw State University) · Malaysia

This research developed the Sustainable Urban Farming Index Assessment (SUFIA) Model to quantify and evaluate the performance of urban farms' sustainable food production. Applying a critical literature review and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), the model identified reducing air pollution, soil health and water cleaning, and food sovereignty as critical for food productivity. When implemented at Zenxin Organic Farm in Malaysia for validation, the farm earned a Grade C, indicating it is a usable urban farm but requires substantial improvements in areas such as soil health, water cleaning, site design, and community environment.

Ahmad Rifqi Fauzi, Warid Warid, Maulidian Maulidian · Khadimul Ummah · Indonesia (Jakarta)

Since 2016, Trilogy University's Community Partnership Program has disseminated urban agriculture technology and empowered residents of the West Jatinegara Flats in Jakarta, Indonesia. This initiative supports the DKI Jakarta provincial government's urban farming program, aiming to enhance food security and reforestation. Activities included training in vertical farming, composting, and utilizing open land, resulting in residents becoming familiar with urban farming technology and the implementation of hydroponics for net houses.

H. Shuaibu, A. Yakubu, Abubakar Hassan, Bassey Emmanuel · Ife Journal of Agriculture · Nigeria

A study in the Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria, assessed the impact of peri-urban farming on household income, focusing on 120 fluted pumpkin farmers. Farmers realized a gross margin of N16,480 and a return per investment (RNI) of N1.98 annually. Sex, marital status, household size, and years of experience significantly influenced profitability, while 32% of farmers reported inadequate rainfall, 32% financial constraints, and 21% low productivity.

Punnaros Pisarn, Man‐Keun Kim, Shang‐Ho Yang · Sustainability · Taiwan

This pilot study investigated consumers' willingness to participate in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at a farmers' market in Taiwan. Analyzing 320 survey responses collected from a farmers' market, results showed that respondents are willing to pay and share upfront payment risks with farmers as CSA members. Flexible contract length and budget were identified as considerations for implementing CSA programs in Taiwan.

Е. В. Малыш · Economics and Management · Global

This study aimed to propose methods for developing urban agricultural production in a large industrial city, based on green economy principles, to strengthen food security and improve food supply. Using general scientific methods, comparison, systems analysis, and monographic methods, the study described a strategic project for green development of urban agricultural systems. The findings suggest that green development mechanisms can foster city self-sufficiency in organic and safe products, short supply chains, and green urban agriculture.

Idris Mohammed, Abdella Kosa, Nuredin Juhar · Agricultural and Food Economics · Ethiopia

This study assessed the economic linkage between urban development and the livelihood of peri-urban farming communities in Ethiopia, focusing on current practices and policies. Data was collected from 30 municipal officials and 200 evicted peri-urban farmers across five municipalities in the Amara regional state. Findings indicate that the continuous eviction of peri-urban farmers from their indigenous land for redevelopment negatively affects their livelihood, highlighting significant equity issues. Factors contributing to urban expansion include economic policy reform, private investor incentives, and public sector projects, further exacerbated by policy limitations and lack of municipal intervention.

Michael Rudolph, Evans Muchesa, Florian Kroll · International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management · South Africa

This paper reflects on key socio-economic challenges in South Africa and the role of urban agriculture in addressing health disparities and promoting ecological health. Using a structured mixed literature review and primary/secondary data, the study demonstrates the high prevalence of food and nutrition insecurity. However, it also emphasizes the positive outcomes of an integrated approach to addressing nutrition and food security, suggesting that multi- and trans-disciplinary methods based on ecological health promotion can improve food security, public health, and socio-economic development.

Olga Vincent, Giuseppe Feola · Journal of Rural Studies · Global

This paper proposes and illustrates a framework for recognizing capitalist, alternative capitalist, and non-capitalist configurations in agri-food systems. Informed by poststructuralist theories, the framework includes dimensions such as ontology, economic relations, relation with the State, and knowledge. Its application to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) cases shows the coexistence of capitalist, alternative-capitalist, or non-capitalist elements within CSA initiatives.

Wellbrock Wanja, Daniela Ludin, Ludwig Lisa N, Kristina Muhlfeld, Wolfgang Gerstlberger · Journal of Applied and Physical Sciences · Global

This paper examines whether Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a solution to the dilemma of farmers needing to operate both economically and sustainably. Through an expert interview and a survey of members, the study identifies problems in the realization of a CSA and provides possible solutions.