Research & reports

Sook Mee Lee, In Ho Kim · Journal of people, plants, and environment · South Korea

This study analyzed research trends concerning the characteristics and social conditions of domestic homeless populations in South Korea, focusing on community garden programs for self-support. It suggests that integrating community gardens into supportive housing could offer comprehensive services to the homeless, including physical and mental health care, improved sociality, job training, and communication spaces for rehabilitation.

Mima Kurniasih · Jurnal Administrasi Publik Public Administration Journal · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This study described and analyzed the implementation of an Urban Farming program in Made Village, Sambikerep District, Surabaya City, Indonesia, and assessed its contribution to food security for poor communities. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, the research found that the Urban Farming program's implementation was successful, improving food security through increased food stock and reduced food expenses. However, further improvement is needed, particularly regarding stakeholder participation.

조성, 최정민 · 한국주거학회 학술발표대회 논문집 · South Korea (Seoul)

This study surveyed 102 low-income respondents in Seoul's Shin-nae 10th apartment complex from July 1st to August 15th to inform the development of a new Welfare Community Garden model. Findings indicated that most low-income families preferred such a garden, desired nearby facilities with educational programs, and were willing to pay using a munhwa nuri card.

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.

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.

Jennifer R. Wolch, Jason Byrne, Joshua P. Newell · Landscape and Urban Planning · USA / China (comparative)

Reviews greening efforts in US and Chinese cities and documents the 'urban green space paradox': public greening policy meant to improve health disproportionately benefits affluent white communities and can displace the intended beneficiaries via rising property values.

김재연, 김윤수, 이연숙 · 한국생태환경건축학회 학술발표대회 논문집 · South Korea

This study observed changes in residents' perception and participation in forming their community garden in urban deprived areas, following the provision of education programs. The study is significant for exploring a new method for fundamental and voluntary regeneration of deprived urban areas, rather than using conventional top-down approaches.

Maijun, Sasmito Jati Utama · Aplikasi Administrasi Media Analisa Masalah Administrasi · Indonesia (Surabaya)

This qualitative descriptive study analyzed the effectiveness of an urban farming catfish aquaculture program in Medokan Ayu Village, Rungkut District, Surabaya City. The program was concluded to be less effective overall, showing no impact on the welfare of the poor. Low understanding among participants led to cultivation failures, and the program did not achieve its goals of poverty reduction or increased income.

Annisya Noer Wiyanti · · Indonesia (Surabaya)

A descriptive qualitative study investigated the implementation of an urban farming program for the Sumber Trisno Alami group in Bulak District, Surabaya City, which began in 2011. The program aimed to meet food needs, improve nutrition, and boost the economy for 6000 poor households. However, the program's implementation was not considered successful in achieving its poverty reduction goal, with some suggesting its discontinuation.

Cortnee Martin · · United States (Indianapolis)

This piece about a refugee-tended urban farm on the west side of Indianapolis, primarily sourced from an interview with the farm's creator, highlights how it helps a marginalized community maintain their culture and traditions while integrating into a new home. The project is described as an effort to assist a vulnerable population.

김효정 · 한국여성학 · South Korea

Through in-depth interviews and participant observation research targeting women's activist organizations established since 2010, the characteristics of urban agriculture cases led or participated in by unmarried women in their 20s and 30s were analyzed. Unmarried women activists met the growing demand for safe and healthy food among single-person households through community farming in urban areas, practicing agriculture not only for food production but also as a lifestyle pursuit and recreational culture. However, their practices face limitations such as urban space constraints, difficulties for unmarried women to relocate to rural areas, excessive ecological value attribution, and a lack of solidarity with rural communities.

Seunghwan Kim, Sung-Yung Yoon, Min-Jun Cha, Hae-Jin Yoo, Ji‐Young Cho, Yoon‐Sun Kim · Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture · South Korea

This study investigated the planning, construction, partnership, and cost-sharing processes of an experimental rooftop community garden at a disabled welfare house in South Korea. The project, led by Busan Green Trust and a citizens' council, involved funding from Standard Chartered SC First Bank, volunteers, and administrative support. The established garden provided food production, urban agriculture experience, horticultural therapy, and cultural space for users, demonstrating the potential for low-cost rooftop community gardens to improve urban environments and foster community.

Rui Yang · Nanjing Linye Daxue xuebao · China (Nanjing)

This paper explores a new community endowment pattern by integrating vertical farms into urban senior day care centers, contrasting with traditional nursing homes. Focusing on the South Lake Community in Nanjing, China, it examines the specific construction of vertical farm landscapes to address the physical and mental health needs of the elderly in an aging society.

Ellen William-Olsson Heed, Pernilla Knutsson · · India

Through a case study in Mumbai, this work explores how urban agriculture can be integrated into slum upgrading schemes in a developing country such as India.

Prasanta Bauri · · India

This article assesses the significance of urban agriculture in globalizing India. It suggests that urban farming offers a pragmatic solution to food insecurity, livelihood crises, unemployment, poverty, hunger, and environmental unsustainability in India. Additionally, commercial urban agriculture could enhance Indian cash crop exports.

Bayani M. Espiritu · Journal of the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences · Asia

This study investigated the effects of microbially inoculated compost on mungbean and pechay growth in container media. Compost from coconut coir dust and chicken manure was inoculated with nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Azotobacter sp.) and/or cellulolytic fungi (Trichoderma harzianum). Mungbean plants supplied with uninoculated compost showed the lowest fresh biomass and nodule count, while compost with combined Azotobacter sp. and T. harzianum inoculation significantly increased fresh biomass and nodule numbers in mungbean, and showed similar positive results for pechay.

Nola-Kate Seymoar, Elizabeth Ballantyne, Craig J. Pearson · Urban agriculture · Asia

This paper describes the objectives, process, and outcomes of three urban greening projects in low-income communities in Bangkok, Thailand, and Badulla, Matale, Moratuwa, and Matara, Sri Lanka. These projects developed and validated a "Four-Directional Framework" for sustainable community development using participatory action research. Urban greening, incorporating urban agriculture, was found to be an effective tool for improving relationships between local authorities and residents and for building a foundation for sustainable development initiatives.

박은지, 이연숙 · 한국주거학회 학술발표대회 논문집 · South Korea

A study on the initial planning stage of resident-participation community gardens, using a case in Jeonju City, South Korea. Based on a literature and theoretical review together with case studies, it identifies five modes of resident participation in community garden planning and applies them to a community garden construction project in a deteriorated area of Jeonju. The study provides improvement guidelines for the initial planning stage of resident-participation community gardens.

Zhao Wen-xiang · Urban Problems · China (Fuxin City)

Resource-exhausted cities in China face serious employment problems. Fuxin City in Liaoning Province, designated as the first experimental city for economic transformation by the State Council, employs urban agriculture to allocate unemployed miners. This paper summarizes this method of solving unemployment problems and explains its implications for other similar cities.

Mubarik Ali, Hubert De Bon, Paule Moustier · Agritrop (Cirad) · Vietnam (Hanoi)

This paper discusses how multifunctional urban and peri-urban agriculture in Hanoi contributes to solving emerging problems in megacities. Beyond supplying fresh food to expanding cities, it can provide relief and income to migrant agricultural workers, especially when they struggle to find other employment during their initial migration phase.

Kazuyuki Kobayashi, Makoto Yokohari, Akinibu MURAKAMI, Takashi Watanabe · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Asia

This study examined how the Kabuhayan sa Gulayan urban agriculture program in Metro Manila, Philippines -- started to improve the living conditions of the urban poor and reduce urban waste -- is implemented, focusing on the supportive roles of participants including the Department of Agriculture, the Municipal Agricultural Office, Barangays, and NGOs. It found that Barangays can support "selection of farmers" and "use of compost," attributing this to their small administrative scale, which allows them to adjust opinions with residents, and it concludes that Barangay participation in the program is important.

최윤지, 김경미, 강경하, 이진영 · · South Korea

This study calculated the economic effects of Women-Farmer's Centers in South Korea, which provide services like childcare, after-school learning, education, and counseling. Based on the business plans of 14 centers, the total economic income effect was estimated at 2,784 million won. The services contributed to the ease and quality of life for women farmers and generated economic benefits for the community and country.

B. Setiawan dan Dwita Hadi Rahmi · Gadjah Mada University Library (Gadjah Mada University) · Indonesia

This study investigated urban farming in six Indonesian cities (Bandung, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Cirebon, Salatiga, and Pacitan). The 1997 economic crisis demonstrated that urban food security is not always guaranteed, with urban poor spending over 50% of their income on food. Research findings indicated that urban farming helped the urban poor increase food security, raise income, and create job opportunities. However, urban farming activities face many problems, including access to finance, skills and knowledge, lack of government support, and no associations for urban farmers.

박재홍, 이호철 · 농업교육과 인적자원개발 · South Korea

A study calculating the economic effect of children-oriented activities run by South Korea's women-farmer centers, which the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has operated since 2001 to help women farmers settle stably in farming communities through counseling, childcare, after-school learning and city-farm exchange. Based on the 2002 business plans of 18 centers, the direct economic income effect of children-oriented activities was calculated at 285 million won, comprising 146 million won from infant and child care and 139 million won from after-school learning.