Research & reports

楼文龙 · 农村金融研究 · China (Beijing)

A Chinese policy study examining how the financial sector can support the development of the "three rural issues" (agriculture, rural areas, farmers) in a major metropolis, using Beijing as the example. Drawing on the coordinated practices between Beijing's banking sector and related parties, and on a review of relevant policy measures, the author presents a preliminary analysis.

LI Weishu, Lingxian Zhang, Zetian Fu, Ren Xi, Li, Wei-Shu, Zhang, Ling-Xian, Fu, Ze-Tian, Ren, Xi · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · China (Beijing)

This study analyses the development situation of Beijing's modern urban agriculture in terms of agricultural distribution, agricultural foundation and agricultural industrial system. It identifies challenges including resource shortages, environmental deterioration and high production costs, alongside opportunities such as a large market space and advanced agricultural industrial experience, and sets out development directions for the Twelfth Five-Year Plan period, including strengthening the agricultural foundation, orienting toward mid- to high-end market demand, building a unique product brand, and raising the added value of agricultural products.

Zilian LIN, K. Akiyama · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Taiwan

A study examining the progress of Taiwan's rural planning policy, implemented by the government for more than five decades, from the perspective of community building. As a case study focused on seven points, the analysis finds that an industrial-prosperity policy supporting rural communities, carried out in cooperation with relevant authorities, resulted in rural community promotion. Residents were generally satisfied with the implementation of the plans, but the study also identifies remaining issues, including strengthening a direct-sales system, better grasping residents' needs, coordinating with broader-based plans, maintaining urban agricultural land, and government support services.

Annelies De Nijs, Pei-Chun Wen, Di Wu · TERRITORIO · China

In contemporary China, where the evolution of productive land relates to specific government policies and the nation's changing spatial conditions, a paper describes urban agriculture — particularly developed in the friction zone between the ever-growing urban and threatened rural territories — through three cases in Beijing's peri-urban periphery: Liuminying, Xiedao, and Taihu. The first two, Liuminying and Xiedao, show a major concern for sustainable production and agro-tourism but a weaker embedding in their local contexts, while the Taihu project is more rooted in its locale and provides a stronger response to the site's ecological sensitivity. The paper argues the Taihu case exemplifies an alternative to China's ever-booming and seemingly randomly placed agro-tourism sites.

엄기철, 정필균, So Hyun Park, 유성녕, 김태완 · · South Korea

A study quantitatively evaluated the effect of vegetation on urban heat island mitigation across six cities in South Korea, analyzing climate change data over 30 years (1979-2008) and estimating evapotranspiration (ET), CO2 uptake, O2 emission and ozone concentration. The hottest period was late July to early August, and the highest 10-day average urban ambient air temperature (UAAT) over the 30 years was 35.03°C. The mean maximum ET of rice and soybean in urban areas was 6.86 and 6.00 mm/day, respectively. Rice and soybean cultivation lowered UAAT by 10.5°C and 3.0°C in Suwon, while the differences between UAAT and canopy temperature at urban paddy and upland fields in Ansung were 2.6°C and 2.2°C. Urban gardens in Suwon lowered UAAT and building surface temperature by 2.0°C and 14.5°C, respectively. CO2 uptake by rice and soybean was estimated at 20.27 and 15.54 kg CO2 per 10a per day, and O2 emission at 14.74 and 11.30 kg O2 per 10a per day. During the hottest summer period, ozone concentrations were estimated to be reduced by 21.0, 8.8, and 4.0 ppb through rice cultivation, soybean cultivation, and urban gardening, respectively.

임주호, 이경환, 윤인숙, 윤은주 · · South Korea

This study estimated new-town residents' willingness to pay for urban garden plots on public land, using a 1.5-bound dichotomous-choice contingent valuation method (CVM) survey of residents in Bundang and Dongtan, South Korea. 72.6% of respondents said they would use urban garden plots if part of a park or green space were developed and leased as an urban farm, indicating latent demand; willingness to pay was estimated at about 236,000 won per year for one plot (16.5 m2 basis), exceeding rental costs at existing weekend farms near the capital region. Gender, age and occupation significantly affected willingness to pay, while other socioeconomic characteristics, possible visit frequency and desired stay duration were not significant.

李焕荣, 孙英键 · 教育教学论坛 · China

A 2012 discussion paper in the journal Jiaoyu Jiaoxue Luntan examines how to train veterinary medicine professionals for an urban agriculture context, using Beijing as the example. It reviews the ecological function of urban agriculture and trends in industrial-structure optimization, characteristics of suburban agricultural areas, Beijing's five-year livestock development plan centered on shifting breeding structures to meet urbanization needs, the state and problems of Beijing's pet industry, requirements for veterinary professionals, and features of the 2011 "12th Five-Year Plan" training scheme, concluding with an outlook on future training for urban-oriented veterinary talent.

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.

吕艳 · 农业工程技术：温室园艺 · China (Beijing)

This article reports the closing, on October 21, 2012, of the second International Urban Agriculture Science and Technology Festival, held for one month at the Beijing International Urban Agriculture Science and Technology Park in Tongzhou District, Beijing, China. The festival was co-organized by the Tongzhou District People's Government and China Agricultural University, with cooperation from several government bodies and institutions including the Ministry of Agriculture's Foreign Economic Cooperation Center and the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, and public-interest support from the China Guanghua Science and Technology Foundation. The item covers only the event's organizers and timeline; it gives no attendance figures or specific outcomes.

Chen Wen-yue · · China

Based on extensive investigation and on-site inspection, this paper analyzes the current situation and problems of facility agriculture in Hangzhou City, China. In light of the requirements for urban agriculture construction and facility agriculture's development trend, it proposes countermeasures for raising technology levels and promoting the sustainable development of local facility agriculture, including facility standardization, variety customization, equipment localization, scientific technique, and specialized personnel.

Bo-Gyung Jang, Yoon-Ji Choi, Cheng-Chu Cho · 농촌지도와 개발 · South Korea

This study surveyed 40 trainees of the urban agriculture instructor course at the Gyeonggi Provincial Agricultural Research & Extension Services, South Korea, on October 7, 2011, analyzing the importance and performance of the urban agriculture education program using an IPA (importance-performance analysis) model. Based on the findings, it proposes reforms to the instructor course: teaching should be practice-oriented rather than theoretical so trainees can apply learning in actual urban agriculture, teaching materials should be practical rather than purely theoretical, and since theoretical content is already covered in materials, instruction should emphasize hands-on practice.

Qing Tian · · China (Beijing)

Based on Agricultural Location Theory, 23 matched soil-wheat sample sets were collected from Beijing's central city, suburban plain and exurban plain zones to analyze the accumulation, chemical forms and bioavailability of lead under differing intensities of human activity. Urban soil showed lead contamination with an average concentration of 35.59 mg/kg above the limit, likely from traffic and industrial emissions, and suburban agricultural soil also showed localized lead contamination from long-term sewage irrigation, with lead more mobile in urban agricultural soil than in suburban soil and least mobile in exurban agricultural soil. The average bioconcentration factor of lead in wheat seeds was a low 0.0044, but some lead concentrations in wheat seeds grown in urban and suburban agricultural soil exceeded the standard limit, indicating a potential health risk to residents in those areas.

邱祥启, 胡战军 · 新闻前哨 · China

This article recounts a decade-long "reporters sleep overnight at farm households" activity run by the Ezhou Daily newspaper in China. The 2011 edition of the activity was themed "visiting family farms to promote urban agriculture," in which 30 editors and reporters went to rural areas to eat, live, and work alongside farmers.

Yan Shi, Cunwang Cheng, Peng Lei, Tiejun Wen, Caroline Merrifield · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · China (Beijing)

This paper examined the relationship between the Chinese middle class and sustainable agriculture, from the perspective of establishing and operating Beijing's first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm, amidst growing middle-class interest in "green" and sustainable food. The study discussed the farm's environmental and institutional sustainability, and explored the potential for future success with CSA models in China based on evidence from this case.

Zhou Pei · Acta Scientiae Circumstantiae · China (Shanghai)

This study analyzed surface soil samples (0-20 cm depth) from a peach orchard in Nanhui, Shanghai, to understand the spatial distribution of soil nitrogen (TN, NO3-N, NH4-N). It found that NH4-N content varied more than NO3-N and TN, with TN and NH4-N variations being higher than NO3-N. Spatial correlation for these elements was moderately interdependent up to approximately 740 meters, with NO3-N and NH4-N showing patchy distributions and higher concentrations near the village, while TN had distinct high concentration areas in the east.

Yang Yu-xian · Huazhong Nongye Daxue xuebao · China (Wuhan)

This paper investigates farmers' professional cooperative organizations in Wuhan, China, examining their social basis, characteristics, and organizational forms. It identifies these cooperatives as a new type of rural economic organization and an effective vehicle for modern urban agriculture. The study concludes that developing such organizations is necessary for them to become an important industrial basis for modern urban agriculture and rural areas.

Huang Qin · Resources and Industries · China (Beijing)

This paper, based on a case study of Beijing, China, discusses the necessity of integrating urban agriculture into urban ecological infrastructure construction. Through data review and comprehensive analysis, it examines the diverse services of urban agriculture, urban morphological evolution problems, green space construction bottlenecks, and urban-rural integrated development requirements. The paper analyzes specific ways urban agriculture can support urban ecological infrastructure in suburban, outer suburban, and mountainous regions, proposing government policy guarantees like optimized planning and financial support.

W.-L. Rao, Fan Li, Rongjun Zuo, Runzhong Li · Plant Disease · China (Yunnan Province)

A survey of cherry trees in Yunnan Province, China, from 2008 to 2009 observed symptoms such as foliar chlorosis and reddening, stem deformity, and tree stunting. Leaf samples from 68 flowering cherry and 30 sweet cherry trees were tested by RT-PCR, detecting Little cherry virus 2 (LChV-2) in 87% of flowering cherry and 27% of sweet cherry trees, with an overall infection rate of 68.4%. This study represents the first report of LChV-2 in China.

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.

杨丽红 · 时代金融 · China (Kunming)

The Xishan Sub-branch of the People's Bank of China provided guidance for financial institutions in Xishan District, Kunming City, to support "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers" (三農) in 2011. Key priorities included vigorously developing urban agriculture, specifically through the creation of Yongjing Green Vegetable Park, Longtan Four Seasons Specialty Fruit Park, and Xiaocun Ecological Leisure Tourism Park. These initiatives aimed to promote green vegetable cultivation, ornamental and processed flower development, attract suburban leisure tourism, and foster the growth of rural service industries like "agritourism."

Hui Wang · Guizhou nongye kexue · China

A SWOT analysis was conducted for urban agriculture in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan urban agglomeration, China, to provide a reference for its sustainable development. The analysis led to specific proposed strategies, including strengthening government support, developing agricultural industrialization, promoting technological innovation, establishing new service systems for production, management, and marketing, and developing leisure agriculture.

김혁수, 김영남, 김진원, 김계훈 · 한국토양비료학회지 · South Korea (Seoul)

This study investigated the physicochemical properties and heavy metal (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn) contents in 21 urban agricultural soils in Seoul. The total heavy metal concentrations in these soils were found to be lower than the warning levels specified by the Soil Environmental Conservation Act of Korea for area 1. Phytoavailable concentrations of Cu, Pb, and Zn were also reported.

胡永林 · 浙江现代农业 · China (Yuhang)

This paper examines the development of modern urban agriculture in Yuhang District, China, driven by an urbanization strategy. It notes that the provincial initiative in 2010 to establish "two zones" (modern agricultural demonstration zones and grain production functional zones) provides a clear direction and strong framework for advancing modern urban agriculture, necessitating in-depth research and practical implementation.

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.

Hui Li · Anhui nongye kexue · China (Zhuhai City)

A 300 km2 section in Zhuhai City's Northern Doumen District, China, was designated an Ecological Agricultural Zone, proposing a development pattern from agricultural to ecological civilization. Two paths were identified: urban agriculture and ecotourism, with ecotourism as the focus. Analysis of ecotourism bottlenecks revealed issues like lack of unified planning, incomplete infrastructure, and insufficient promotion. Proposed solutions included developing eco-culture and sightseeing tourism with a specific spatial layout and functional circles.