Research & reports

Muhammad Sholeh, Deby Luriawati Naryatmojo, Saptono Putro, Andri Sumihar Simbolon · Jurnal Abdimas · Indonesia (Semarang)

In Tambakrejo, Semarang City, Indonesia, an urban farming initiative supported by SAKA Energi Muriah Limited and Semarang State University aimed to enhance food security and climate change adaptation. The program involved community empowerment, training, and implementation of urban farming models like vertical pipes and hanging pots. This initiative successfully provided alternative food sources, especially during floods, and increased community awareness of food security and the environment.

Legenda Samuel Pardede, Tomy Perdana, Dhany Esperanza, Endah Djuwendah · Jurnal Agristan · Indonesia (Bandung)

This qualitative case study investigated the internal supply chain risk management for mustard greens (sawi) at the "Buruan SAE Mang Oded" urban farming group in Bandung City, Indonesia. Using the House of Risk method, the study identified 23 risk events and 23 risk agents within the supply chain, with 14 priority risk agents requiring control. The findings indicate significant challenges in managing the internal supply chain, suggesting that the current system faces numerous risks that hinder efficiency and effectiveness.

Muzayyanah Rahmiyah, Eka Nur Jannah, Fuad Hilmy · Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Bumi Raflesia · Indonesia (Magelang)

In Magelang City, Indonesia, residents of Sari Makmur Organic Village cultivate vegetables in their home gardens, but pests and diseases pose a problem. This activity aimed to enhance residents' knowledge and skills in making plant-based pesticides from papaya leaves through counseling and demonstrations. Additionally, yellow traps were installed in the fields.

Deborah Dutta, Amrita B. Hazra · Southern African journal of environmental education · India

This qualitative study in Indian cities explored the varied motivations, constraints, and possibilities that inspire urban gardening practices. Based on interviews with practitioners, it argues that community gardening can be an important way to motivate people to re-establish connections with ecosystems. However, the study concludes that sustained transformations in urban spaces and food systems require supportive public policies, infrastructure, and social acceptability.

V. Swetha, S. Simi, P. Manju, R. V. Manju, Suma Divakar · Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology · India

This study, conducted at the Department of Fruit Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, evaluated the growth of five guava varieties in 80-liter air-pots for urban container farming. Arka Mridula showed superior vegetative growth, including plant height (72.33 cm) and biochemical traits. Arka Rashmi exhibited the best reproductive performance, with early flowering (101 days after pruning) and maximum flowers (12.33). The findings suggest Arka Rashmi is suitable for container cultivation in urban horticulture.

Marthe L. Derkzen, Maitreyi Koduganti, Sheetal Patil, Parama Roy · · India (Bengaluru)

Bengaluru has transitioned from a "Garden City" to a "Global Technology Hub," resulting in food production being pushed out and productive lands converted to residential and commercial uses. This urbanization has led to rising land values, sharpening inequalities, and recurrent water insecurity. In response, new forms of urban farming, such as kitchen gardens and community farms, have emerged to mitigate space constraints and meet local food aspirations. This chapter will use participatory mapping, interviews, film, and photography to explore how Bengaluru residents from diverse backgrounds perceive food as cultural connections, community feelings, and environmental resilience.

Retno Lantarsih, Suhartini Suhartini, Anu Gupta · HABITAT · Indonesia (Yogyakarta)

This study evaluated the sustainability of the Pekarangan Pangan Lestari Program (P2L) in Yogyakarta City, Indonesia, across ecological, economic, and social dimensions. Multidimensional scale analysis showed the social dimension was "quite sustainable" at 62.63%, while the ecological (48.69%) and economic (33.38%) dimensions were in the "less sustainable" category. The social dimension had the greatest impact on the P2L Program's sustainability.

Eko Sudarmanto, Triana Zuhrotun Aulia, Indra Gunawan Siregar, Lena Erdawati, Isrok Isrok, M Wahid Saputra, Yuana Fasya Purnamasari · Solusi Bersama · Indonesia

The "Go Green" program, part of Universitas Muhammadiyah Tangerang's community service, aimed to address environmental issues and strengthen food security in Rawa Buntu, Indonesia. It promoted gardening in home yards and vacant land, encouraging community participation in cultivating vegetables and herbs. The program concluded that community involvement in gardening positively impacts the environment, strengthens the local economy, and fosters more sustainable food security.

Aulia Adetya · Policy Brief Pertanian Kelautan dan Biosains Tropika · Indonesia

This policy brief discusses urban farming as a strategy to address food insecurity in Indonesian urban areas, which face weakened local food availability and high reliance on external supplies. Urban farming, encompassing integrated farming or agriculture, has been widely adopted across Indonesian cities with diverse objectives. The brief highlights urban farming's potential to strengthen urban food security and emphasizes the need for supportive policies, including limited land use, citizen training, and assessing the impact of such training.

Eni Karsiningsih, Andini Meisya Sriwijayani Suwardih, Dinda Aulia, Santia Santia, Sulthon A’uliya Alfarissi, Gita Ardianta, Aprilianti Wulandari, Annisa Miswarni Lubis, Dodi Irwandi, Muhammad Ferghio Jovanka · MESTAKA Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat · Indonesia (Pangkalpinang)

This empowerment program in Pangkalpinang City, Indonesia, aimed to increase vegetable production and income for the Cendawan 31 Women Farmers Group (KWT). The program addressed obstacles such as non-commercial orientation, simple management, low member motivation, unplanned production, limited price information, and inefficient marketing. Using active participatory methods, mentoring, and counseling, the program successfully improved the group's creativity, innovation in vegetable planting, and vegetable production, enabling them to arrange planting schedules and select appropriate plant types.

Anubhav Pradhan · South Asia Research · India

This article analyzes the recalibration of justice for agrarian communities along the Yamuna in Delhi. Following a 2015 ban on edible crop farming by India's apex environmental court, the Delhi Development Authority has conducted multiple demolition drives for nearly a decade to evict farmers and clear land for redevelopment. The ongoing contentions involving farmers, planning agencies, and the judiciary in this region are symptomatic of the erosion of social justice in urbanizing India.

Yulia Andriani, Roza Yulida, Rosnita Rosnita, Fanny Septya, Meki Herlon · KnE Social Sciences · Indonesia

A survey in Pekanbaru City, Indonesia, identified the use of communication media and institutional support for urban farming among farmer women groups. Farmers demonstrated excellent information access and communication behavior, utilizing smartphones and printed media for farming information. They also received full support from local leaders and the Pekanbaru city government, including regular counseling and urban farming socialization.

Nurmiftah Fauzi, Titi Stiawati, Arenawati Arenawati · Kebijakan Jurnal Ilmu Administrasi · Indonesia (Tangerang)

The Tangerang City Food Security Agency implemented a 1000-plant hydroponic assistance program as part of an urban farming initiative to strengthen food security. This qualitative phenomenological study used Rogers' innovation attributes theory to evaluate the program's relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. Results indicated the program provided economic benefits and spiritual satisfaction, and was compatible with existing values and food needs, but found room for improvement in the complexity aspect.

Alifia Revan Prananda, Cornelius Rangga Surya Kusuma, Daniel Gunawan, Terra Rhebekka, Galih Slamet · Manfaat Jurnal Pengabdian Pada Masyarakat Indonesia · Indonesia

A community-service report on introducing solar-powered hydroponic urban farming in Rejowinangun Selatan village, Magelang City, Indonesia (population density 7,361 people/km²), in response to declining green open space linked to rising population density and land concretisation, which affects food security and self-sufficiency. The programme delivered various approaches to educate and directly involve residents in building hydroponic systems integrated with solar panels, using renewable-energy technology to enable food production in limited spaces such as house terraces. It reports that this increases food independence and security, and that the vegetables produced are described as healthier owing to minimal pesticide use.

Maulia Usni, Melani Fitri · Prosiding Seminar Nasional Pembangunan dan Pendidikan Vokasi Pertanian · Indonesia

Based on a literature review drawing on books, websites and journals, this study examines how urban farming can support agricultural sustainability in West Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Framing sustainability around the availability of natural resources, human resources and environmental quality, it identifies strategies for optimizing urban farming, including microgreens cultivation, hydroponics, aeroponics, vertical cropping systems (vertikultur), and indoor vertical farms.

G Charan Tej, P. Lakshmi, B. Savitha, A Meena · International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development · India

A study in Telangana state, India, examined the adoption of terrace gardening as a response to urban space scarcity. Adoption was found predominantly at a moderate level (48.33%), driven by enthusiasm, a desire for chemical-free produce, and cost-saving motivation, with education, health consciousness, and media exposure (notably YouTube) playing roles in uptake. Among specific practices, potting-mixture proportions and harvesting at recommended stages showed high adoption, while removing virus-infected plants ranked lower, possibly reflecting limited awareness of disease spread.

Asaduddin Abdullah, Dikky Indrawan, Anggi Mayang Sari, Asep Rakhmat · Policy Brief Pertanian Kelautan dan Biosains Tropika · Indonesia

A policy brief on the urgency of developing innovative urban farming in Indonesia as a response to challenges in urban food security and nutrition. It discusses urban farming's role not only in increasing food availability but in achieving locally based nutritious food, preserving local wisdom, supporting a free nutritious food program, and contributing to poverty reduction and environmental quality. It states that implementation remains constrained by existing policy limitations, and calls for comprehensive policy change including integrating urban farming into urban spatial planning, building community capacity, and providing infrastructure, technology, and public awareness support.

Karuniawan Puji Wicaksono, Setyono Yudo Tyasmoro, Akbar Saitama, Paramyta Nila Permatasari · International Journal of Environment Agriculture and Biotechnology · Indonesia

A study in Kedungkandang District, Malang City, Indonesia (May-September 2022) assessed agrotourism potential across four sub-districts using direct-observation survey and SWOT analysis, in an area with average temperatures of 22.7-25.1°C and humidity of 79-86%. Identified strengths included government-owned land available for agrotourism use, existing paddy-based agrotourism integrated with sheep farming and fisheries, a nearby Masked Village aerial-photography tourist site, multiple potential locations for agrotourism-based edutourism, and community enthusiasm. The study concludes that agrotourism development in Tlogowaru sub-district should be organized around two functions: lodging and trade, and agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery education.

Chengxiang Zi, D. Winterbottom, Juanjuan Liu · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · China

Focusing on a well-preserved village of the Dong ethnic group in southwest China that maintains traditional livelihoods and a local food system, a study used field surveys, interviews and participatory mapping to propose an edible green infrastructure (EGI) model for traditional villages. The model comprises the "rice-fish-duck" cycle as the core of traditional livelihoods, a hierarchical ecological structure of "households-groups-village," and corresponding management models. By theoretically analyzing the EGI of traditional villages shaped over China's millennia-old agricultural civilization, the study aims to inform sustainable food-system and natural-resource-management knowledge, applying it to the construction of bio-districts in rural China.

M Abror, A. Miftakhurrohmat, Andriani Eko Prihatiningrum, Ade Eviyanti · Journal of Social Comunity Services (JSCS) · Indonesia

This community-outreach program in Candi District, Indonesia, targeted the Muhammadiyah Student Association (IPM), a youth organization, aiming to improve members' understanding and skills in vertical culture cultivation as a way to optimize narrow urban land for agriculture, delivered through structured socialization, training, and mentoring. Participants gained the ability to design and implement vertical culture systems, agricultural productivity improved in both quantity and quality of harvests, and the program evaluation showed a significant increase in participant knowledge.

Wirda Rohmah, Marina Ramadhani, Ghulam Fathul Amri · Jurnal Bengawan Solo Pusat Kajian Penelitian dan Pengembangan Daerah Kota Surakarta · Indonesia

Using a literature-study method, this research examined food security conditions in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia — a rapidly urbanizing city — and their implications for urban sustainability and resilience, covering food availability, access, utilization, and stability. It found that urbanization in Surakarta has increased food demand, altered food supply chains, and created distribution and affordability challenges, with urban land-use change, economic inequality, and the effectiveness of existing food policies and programs identified as the main factors shaping food security, and argues for an integrated approach combining improved urban agriculture, strengthened local food systems, and better coordination among stakeholders.

Andin Irsadi, Partaya Partaya, Abdul Jabbar · Jurnal Abdimas · Indonesia

Tanjung Mas Village in North Semarang District, Semarang City, Indonesia, is vulnerable to food insecurity due to a high level of poverty, since poor residents are unable to either produce or buy sufficient food. This has prompted government and residents to try to secure food independently through farming, though limited availability of agricultural land has hampered these efforts. This community-service program aimed to provide knowledge and skills and to facilitate urban farming facilities to achieve food independence in Tanjung Mas, using methods including socialization, counseling, dissemination, training, and facilitation of urban farming facilities. As a result, the community gained an understanding of urban farming, learned about urban farming technologies, acquired verticulture skills, and verticulture facilities were established as learning demonstration plots.

Gunawan Adi Pratio, Siti Nur Rohmah, Muhammad Ali Akbarsyah, Arseto Endro Supriyanto · Jurnal Bengawan Solo Pusat Kajian Penelitian dan Pengembangan Daerah Kota Surakarta · Indonesia

This literature review study examines the concept of urban farming as a solution to agricultural challenges in cities with little or no traditional farmland. Drawing on literature covering urban farming practices in major cities worldwide facing land constraints, it summarizes techniques including hydroponics, aquaponics, vertical farming, and use of rooftops or vacant urban spaces. The review finds urban farming can improve access to fresh food, reduce emissions from food transport, and improve environmental quality through increased green space, while also empowering local communities through job creation and resident involvement in food management, and supporting organic waste management by using household waste as fertilizer. However, resource constraints such as water, fertilizer and technology, along with regulatory and policy issues, were identified as the main barriers to implementation, and the paper concludes that collaboration among government, the private sector and local communities is needed.

J Resmi, K Vismaya, V. Chitra, S K Anjana, K V Sumiya · International Journal of Environment and Climate Change · India

Focusing on the role of trees and forested ecosystems in sustainable development and climate change adaptation and mitigation, this study compares Miyawaki forests — a high-density planting method developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki to intensify green cover and support local biodiversity — with food forests, planned and planted forests of food plants providing a variety of food year-round. The study sites were in Palakkad district, Kerala, India: Krishi Vigyan Kendra Palakkad, where a Miyawaki forest patch was established, and V.T. Bhattathiripad College in Sreekrishnapuram, where a food forest was established. While both approaches aim to restore ecosystems and enhance biodiversity, they differ in design, purpose and management: the Miyawaki forest reconnects with nature by supporting native flora and fauna for biodiversity conservation and habitat restoration, while the food forest reconnects with nature by providing a food source for pollinators and habitat for many animals, and is described as environmentally friendly because it requires no chemical pesticides. Both techniques are described as effective for establishing urban forests and converting unproductive wasteland into ecologically and socially beneficial productive land.

Mutia Devi Hidayati, Arief Rahmatulloh, Luchis Rubianto, Pritantina Yuni Lestari · Jurnal Abadimas Adi Buana · Indonesia

In the Mulyorejo sub-district of Sukun district, Malang, Indonesia (area 2.75 km²), residents actively use vacant land and underused resources under an urban farming concept, including cultivating butterfly pea flowers, though product diversification of the flowers into higher-value goods had not been thoroughly developed. This community service project delivered skills training in making batik using butterfly pea flowers as a natural dye — a technique noted for producing soft colors, commanding a high market value, and being environmentally friendly, aligned with the "clean water and sanitation" Sustainable Development Goal — and introduced ways of combining different natural dyes for color variation. Held on October 7, 2023 with 8 participants, the post-training questionnaire yielded a mean of 3.88 and a mode of 4.0 across questions, indicating participants understood, felt the benefits of, and were satisfied with the training; participants also received an electric canting (batik drawing tool) for independent production.