Research & reports

Jong-Jin Lee, Ki Woon Chang, Ki-Pil Han, Joo-Hwa Hong, Dong‐Soek Lee, Young‐Jun Kim · 유기물 자원화 · South Korea

This study manufactured kitchen garden soil for urban agriculture and conducted a growth experiment with lettuce. Soil mixed with peatmoss, livestock manure, cocopeat, zeolite, and microbial fertilizer in a 49:35:10:5:1 ratio showed appropriate levels for pH, total nitrogen, available phosphate, cations, and salt content. In the lettuce growth experiment using this manufactured soil, leaf length increased by 21%, leaf width by 20%, chlorophyll content by 17%, and biomass by 22% compared to the control group.

· 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.

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.

Waritsatul Firdausi, Enny Zulaika · Bioeksperimen Jurnal Penelitian Biologi · Indonesia

Azotobacter spp., a genus of non-symbiotic soil bacteria known for nitrogen fixation, was examined for its potential to degrade lipids and proteins using isolates collected from the Eco Urban Farming site at Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Indonesia. Degradation ability was assessed via a Biodegradation Index (IB) across isolates A1a, A1b, A2, A3, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9 and A10. All isolates degraded lipid except A5, with the highest IB found in isolate A1b (1.00). All isolates degraded protein except A7, with the highest IB found in isolate A8 (3.00).

Yu Wang · · China (Xi'an)

This paper constructed indicators for urban agricultural land use efficiency by incorporating urban agricultural ecosystem service indexes and evaluating their values in Xi'an city using the DEA method, analyzing temporal and spatial changes. Results showed that economic efficiency of agricultural land use gradually increased from 2010 to 2012, reaching 1 in 2011 and 2012, with social and eco-efficiency both in good conditions, indicating increasingly significant urban agriculture service functions. However, economic efficiency decreased spatially from urban core to suburban and rural areas, while social efficiency remained generally high, and eco-efficiency diminished from the city to surrounding counties.

Cunwang Cheng, Yan Shi · · China

A 2012 plasticizer scandal in China's liquor industry, which caused significant market value losses, highlighted food safety concerns. This context encourages urban organic farming, a multi-functional system that combines organic and urban agriculture. Urban organic farming shortens traditional industrial chains and is driven by the urban middle class, aligning with modern agricultural development.

Anjar Lulu Sakinah, Enny Zulaika · Jurnal Sains dan Seni ITS · Indonesia

This study aimed to isolate Azotobacter strains from the Eco Urban Farming ITS land in Indonesia that are resistant to HgCl2 and potentially produce mercury reductase enzymes. Ten HgCl2-resistant Azotobacter isolates were obtained, with isolates A5, A6, and A9 showing the highest resistance at 20 mg/L HgCl2. Isolates A5 and A9 were identified as having the potential to produce mercury reductase enzymes.

Zhang Yu-me · Jingji wenti · China (Beijing)

This study analyzed the decoupling relationship between urban agriculture development and carbon emissions in Beijing, China, using the Tapio elastic method. Findings indicate that Beijing maintained agricultural self-sufficiency while carbon emissions decreased annually. The relationship between agricultural economic growth and carbon emissions shifted from recession decoupling to strong decoupling. Livestock, particularly cattle, swine, and poultry, were major carbon sources, suggesting the need for scientific feeding and improved feed conversion rates for sustainable urban agriculture.

YU Ju-shen · Shanghai nongye xuebao · China

To scientifically and objectively evaluate the overall effect of continuously returning rice and wheat straw to fields in urban agricultural areas of China, the study built an evaluation index system centered on economic, ecological and social benefit indicators, drawing on a questionnaire of agricultural, economic and ecological experts, and used the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and cluster analysis to formulate a comprehensive-effect scoring formula. The results showed that the eco-efficiency indicator carried the largest weight (0.6453) within the overall comprehensive effect.

Tushar S. Kelkar, Satish A. Bhalerao · · India

A pot experiment in India investigated the effect of Glomus mosseae on Trigonella foenum-graceum grown in arsenic-contaminated soil. Plants in arsenic-contaminated soil without mycorrhizal inoculum showed very poor growth performance across all aspects. However, when mycorrhizal inoculum was added to contaminated soil, plant performance improved, with the best results observed in non-contaminated soil with mycorrhizal inoculum.

김현주 · 한국실과교육학회지 · Korea

This study aimed to understand the current status of children's dietary education in Korea and explore the applicability of taste education through case studies from other countries. It analyzed the 2007 and 2009 revised elementary school practical arts curricula and prior research, examining cases from Japan, Italy, and France. While taste education is not systematically integrated into Korea's formal curriculum, it is expanding through educational farms and organic school meals, and the study concluded that a shift towards taste education is necessary to achieve dietary education goals.

Ran Li · Anhui Nongye Daxue xuebao · China

A dimensional cropping-raising pattern and a self-contained facility were designed for urban agriculture in northern China, where urbanization causes soil shortage, disease, and pollution, exacerbated by an unpleasant climate. This facility features a ground-underground structure combining a greenhouse and a barton, designed to minimize pollution, eliminate heating supply needs, and double land utilization efficiency compared to normal facilities.

S Kelkar Tushar, A. Satish · · India (Mumbai)

The incidence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in urban farming was investigated in Mumbai and its suburbs, India, specifically in wasteland near Central Railway side tracks. Roots of commonly cultivated crops like bhindi, chavali, and fenugreek, along with rhizospheric soil samples, were collected and screened for AMF colonization percentage and spore density. In these disturbed habitats, characterized by poor quality soil and irrigation from gutters and wastewater, incidences of mycorrhizal fungi were found to be higher in terms of percent colonization.

남윤철 · · South Korea

The Ecovillage 'Sanneoul' in Seocheon-gun, South Korea, was developed for urban dwellers returning to rural areas and to prevent rural population decline. The village incorporates ecological elements such as rainwater recycling, rooftop gardens, and ecological sewage disposal plants, and residents utilize sunlight and solar heat systems, garbage recycling, and pellet boilers. While residents are content with the village's ecological elements, significant dissimilarities among residents in age, profession, and previous living environments pose an obstacle to community maintenance.

Jaap Evers · · Vietnam (Hanoi)

This paper discusses the transfer of international commitments on green sustainable growth to local levels, focusing on integrated urban wastewater management in Hanoi, Vietnam. It highlights the substantial potential of urban and peri-urban agriculture to reuse urban wastewater for nutrient recovery and to serve as environmental service providers within urban sanitation systems. However, it notes that many local policymakers are unaware of the significance and opportunities of this practice.

I‐Jin Choi, Hyuk-Hyun Kwon, Hanho Lee, Hyoung-Gi Son, Sang-Kil Hong, Jong-Woon Kang, Yu-Soon Park · 한국자원식물학회지 · South Korea

In a South Korean laboratory and field study, ethanol and water extracts of eight plant species were tested for insecticidal activity against diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) larvae on Korean radish and Korean cabbage using a leaf-disc spray method. Capsicum annuum (chili seed) extract gave the highest activity, 83.3% at 1500 mg/L after 48 hours; in field trials with twelve applications before harvest, Coptis japonica (goldthread) and C. annuum extracts reached control efficacies of 87.4% and 83.7% on Korean radish, and 74.3% and 69.3% (with Chelidonium majus) on Korean cabbage, with no phytotoxic effect on seed germination or seedling growth observed.

Danfeng Huang · Journal of Changjiang Vegetables · China

This paper analyzed the requirements of China's urban development and vegetable quality and safety, expounding on the important roles of organic vegetable production and marketing in urban agriculture development. After a full analysis of the quality and safety, ecological function of organic vegetables, and the relationships between price and organic product price, the paper provided suggestions for promoting the development of urban organic vegetable production, including production mode, key technology, and marketing strategy.

Won Jei Park, Kyung Hwan Han, Soon Hyo Kwon, Mi Ok Park, Bon Hak Koo · Journal of the Korea Society of Environmental Restoration Technology · South Korea

This study investigated optimal soil-plant combinations for urban agriculture by analyzing herbaceous plant growth in different soil types. Four commercial soils (A, B, C, D) and granite soil (E, control) were tested with fruit, leafy, and medicinal vegetables. Fruit and leafy vegetables generally grew best in D-type soil mixture and A-type soil, and poorest in control E-type soil. 'Chrysanthemum zawadskii var. latilobum' grew best in D, B, C mixed soils and A-type soil, while 'Liriope platyphylla F. T. Wang & T. Tang' showed insignificant growth differences across soils.

杜受祜, 金小琴 · 西南民族大学学报：人文社会科学版 · China (Chengdu)

This study analyzes and evaluates the ecological security of urban agriculture in Chengdu, China, from 2000 to 2011, using a constructed evaluation index system. Results show that urban agricultural ecological security in Chengdu fluctuated between 2000 and 2007, then improved after 2008 under urban agricultural development. Overall, the ecological security of urban agriculture in Chengdu is trending positively.

杨卓翔 YANG Zhuoxiang, 高阳 GAO Yang, Zhao Zhi, 李双成 LI Shuangcheng · Acta Ecologica Sinica · China (Shenzhen)

An emergy analysis compared the emergy input structure, production efficiency, environmental load, and sustainability of three farms (Biling Modern Agricultural Technology Park, Xili Orchard, and Shanhai Farm) in Shenzhen, China. Xili Orchard showed a high reliance on renewable resources, the lowest environmental load ratio, and the highest emergy indices for sustainable development. Shanhai Farm had a low reliance on renewable resources, the highest environmental load ratio, and was assessed as having the lowest sustainable development capacity.

Nan Wang, Liang Mao, Huang Hai-bo, Jinzhong Zhang, Zhou Pei · PubMed · China (Shanghai)

A study in Orchard Village, Nanhui District, Shanghai, China, continuously monitored total nitrogen and inorganic nitrogen species in surface water to understand temporal and spatial variations. Findings showed that nitrogen spatial distribution is influenced by hydrological periods and land use, with nitrate nitrogen high in orchard-affected water during wet seasons and dissolved organic nitrogen being the main species in May.

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.

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.

HE Hui-li · Ecological Economy · China (Beijing)

This article proposes the "ecology of agricultural labor" as a new alternative characterized by intermediate technology, mass production, local consumption, and recycling agriculture. It illustrates this concept with two examples: natural farming by Jinlei in Zaoqiang County, Hebei Province, and the Little Donkey Citizen Farm in Beijing, China. The study suggests that this approach forms the basis for sustainable development by fostering symbiotic relationships between humans, society, and nature.

胡春胜, 曾江海, 王绍仁 · Acta Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Sunyatseni · China (Luancheng)

This article reviews the 30-year demonstration practices and achievements of the Luancheng Agro-Ecosystem Experimental Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Luancheng County, Hebei Province. Since the early 1980s, the station has pioneered research and demonstration of new technologies like facility agriculture and urban agriculture models centered on information technology in the early 21st century. Over 30 years, the station has actively explored agricultural modernization pathways and key supporting technologies, promoting regional and national agricultural modernization.