Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
855 results(9 / 35)
Road Map for the Future
2025Sukanta Kumar Sarangi, Rajeeb K. Mohanty, Sukham Munilkumar, Jitendra Kumar Sundaray · · Global
This chapter presents new and innovative Integrated Farming System (IFS) models designed to meet future generations' needs, considering constraints on land, water, and energy. Described models include three-dimensional farming, aquapod farming, vertical farming, aquaponics, and hydroponics. The chapter also discusses strategies for doubling farmers' income, such as reducing cultivation costs and increasing production, and highlights the roles of international/national organizations and government schemes in promoting IFS.
Digital agriculturePolicyEconomicsClimate changeSpatial opportunities at the rural-urban fringe: balancing urban growth, food production and ecology
2025Marcus Robinson, Jacky Bowring, Shannon Davis, Sarah Edwards · Landscape Research · Global
This narrative review explored how urban expansion at the rural-urban fringe drives the loss of productive agricultural land, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. The review examined how these competing interests can be negotiated spatially, emphasizing the role of multifunctional green infrastructure to integrate both food production and ecological function across the urban-rural continuum.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageBiodiversityClimate changePolicyGardens of the future unique visions for a changing world
2025Chivers, Ruth, Laing, Olivia 1977-, British Library · · Global
Ten award-winning designers present original garden designs for public and private spaces, extending up to 50 years into the future. These designs aim to mitigate the effects of climate change, encourage biodiversity, and address issues of legacy, land ownership, changing societal needs, and individual well-being. The paper emphasizes the power of gardening to nurture nature and adapt to change.
CommunityHealthClimate changeBiodiversityImpact of municipal wastewater use on urban and peri‑urban agricultural productivity: the endogenous treatment-effects approach
2025Mohammed Abdulai, Mohammed Tanko, Alhassan Andani · World Development Sustainability · Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)
This study empirically investigated the link between municipal wastewater (MWW) use and vegetable productivity among 416 vegetable farmers in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, using survey data. It was found that MWW use alone is associated with a higher value of vegetable output, but regulation through contacts with extension agents reduces the agronomic and economic benefits of using MWW for irrigation.
Peri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceHealthEconomicsClimate changeEconomic and Environmental Tradeoffs in Cultivating Short Food Supply Chains With Urban Indoor Agriculture
2025Joseph Seong, H. Christopher Peterson, Simone Valle de Souza · Agribusiness · Global
This study evaluated the economic and environmental sustainability potential of urban indoor agriculture (IA) using a multi-objective optimization model (IA-MOO) integrating a bioeconomic model for lettuce production. Results indicated that earnings before taxes (EBT) and energy use efficiency (EUE) are generally not conflicting objectives, except for a short production schedule frame.
Economic viabilityEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceDigital agricultureFramework SolAgro para una agricultura urbana escalable y soberana desde el desarrollo sostenible.
2025Rodríguez Taboada, Sanyi · Figshare · Cuba
The SolAgro Framework is an integrated agricultural engineering project by SolAgro SRL, designed for urban farms of 1 to 3 hectares in Cuba. It integrates functional agroecology, open technologies, renewable energy, and local manufacturing to create autonomous nodes of resilience. The project aims for economic returns within 12 months and social returns through youth training, consolidating technological and community sovereignty.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsDigital agricultureClimate changeNurturing resilient cities: a systematic literature review of community gardens’ contribution to sustainability, 1992–2021
2025Galia Oriya Cukierman, Demi Coenraads, Emmy Iwarsson, Tong Wu, Alon Shepon · npj Urban Sustainability · Global
This systematic review analyzed 363 community garden (CG) articles from 1992 to 2021, identified through a bibliometric analysis of 1534 urban agriculture (UA) and 470 CG studies. Findings indicate that UA research primarily focuses on food production, while CG studies emphasize social and urban dynamics, mainly in the Global North, with limited quantitative evidence of their impacts. The review concludes that CGs contribute to all SDGs, but their roles in urban resilience, food systems, and policymaking are underexplored, and their overall contribution to sustainability remains unclear due to the lack of a global estimate.
CommunityClimate changePolicyHealthRethinking the potential of urban agriculture as a climate resilience strategy: Evidence from Accra, Ghana
2025Gideon Baffoe, Philip Antwi‐Agyei · City and Environment Interactions · Ghana (Accra)
This mixed-methods study analyzed the role of urban agriculture (UA) in climate resilience in Accra, Ghana, from the perspective of policymakers. While UA contributes to food security, water use efficiency, and ecological protection, its integration into policy frameworks was found to be limited due to challenges such as weak institutional coordination, competing economic priorities, and governance inefficiencies.
Governance failureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsUrban and peri-urban agriculture under climate change: A review on carbon emissions and sequestration
2024Abdulhakeem Al-Qubati, Lulu Zhang, Matthias Forkel · Sustainable Cities and Society · Global
This 2024 global review examined 96 studies focusing on methods for estimating carbon sequestration (CS) and emissions in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). The review found significant research gaps: most studies were in the global north, research in the global south is lacking, and there are fewer studies on CS compared to GHG emissions. Additionally, few studies jointly assessed water and carbon cycles, and spatiotemporal analysis, modeling, and remote sensing for GHG emissions are underutilized.
Methodological critiqueClimate changeUrban–rural linkageUrban green infrastructure: bridging biodiversity conservation and sustainable urban development through adaptive management approach
2024Dong Wang, Peiyuan Xu, Bo-Wen An, Qiuping Guo · Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · Global
This paper introduces a conceptual framework for urban green infrastructure (UGI) to integrate ecological principles, urban planning, and adaptive management for resilient urban landscapes. UGI aims to enhance ecological connectivity, restore ecosystem functions, and provide habitats, emphasizing multifunctionality, connectivity, diversity, and accessibility. Global case studies demonstrate UGI's effectiveness in biodiversity conservation and its contribution to sustainable urban development through ecosystem services. Challenges for UGI include funding constraints, institutional fragmentation, and equity issues, requiring innovative financing, community involvement, and policy innovations.
CommunityBiodiversityClimate changeOpportunities and challenges for strawberry cultivation in urban food production systems
2024Aikaterini Kouloumprouka Zacharaki, James Monaghan, Jennifer R. Bromley, Laura H. Vickers · Plants People Planet · Global
This review identifies challenges for strawberry cultivation in urban production systems, noting that new urban farmers often lack the specialist knowledge of commercial growers. Common bottlenecks include plant physiology, pathogen management, choice of propagation material, fertigation, pollination, and environmental requirements. This knowledge gap appears to result in the abandonment of strawberries as a crop of choice in urban systems.
Economic viabilityDIYEconomicsFood educationClimate changeCommunity Gardens as Places for Ecological Caring in Action
2024Amal Ibourk, Lauren Wagner, Deb Morrison, Syrena Young, Justin Milledge · Science and Children · Global
This article describes a fifth-grade climate change action project involving building a community garden, aligned with science standards. Students learned about monarch butterfly migration, life cycles, and greenhouse gases by planting milkweed. The article offers educators ideas and suggestions for implementing such a project within a school community.
CommunityFood educationBiodiversityPollinatorsClimate changeTowards a Carbon-Neutral Future: AI and Sustainable Strategies for Urban and Agricultural Resilience
2024Murali Krishna Pasupuleti · · Global
This chapter explores the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in achieving a carbon-neutral future by enhancing sustainability in urban and agricultural systems. AI optimizes energy use, resource management, and disaster resilience in urban settings, and powers precision farming and reduces emissions in agriculture. The chapter also addresses challenges such as data privacy, economic barriers, and technological limitations.
Digital agricultureClimate changeUrban–rural linkageAnthroponics: Application and effects on growth of parsley, rhipsalis, coriander, and basil fed with urine fertiliser
2024Weonjung Sohn, Ibrahim El Saliby, Andrea Merenda, Sherub Phuntsho, Stefano Freguia, Jing Guan, Li Gao, Sungyun Lee, Ho Kyong Shon · Desalination and Water Treatment · Global
This study investigated the efficiency of urine-derived fertilizer compared to commercial fertilizers using three growing systems: nutrient film technique, pot-drench, and deep-water culture. The research found comparable growth responses in parsley, rhipsalis, coriander, and basil across various parameters like biomass and nutritional composition. Urine-derived fertilizers showed potential as a sustainable alternative to synthetic fertilizers.
Organic cycleClimate changeUrban–rural linkageAbiotic and biotic factors influencing small-scale corn production along a shade spectrum in arid urban agriculture settings
2024Brittany R. Kruger, Joshua Sackett · PLoS ONE · Global
This study assessed abiotic and biotic factors affecting sweet corn production in six arid urban agricultural plots with varying shade levels (n=18 plots). Corn successfully matured in 50% of the plots. Microbial richness and diversity were high and not a hindrance. Corn success metrics positively correlated with average daytime light intensity (r=0.74-0.84) and soil organic matter (r=0.77-0.89), but negatively correlated with soil calcium, magnesium, sodium, and sulfate (r=-0.71 to -0.90).
Organic cycleClimate changeBiodiversityVanguard Visions of Vertical Farming: Envisaging and Contesting an Emerging Food Production System
2024Mascha Gugganig · Science Technology & Human Values · Global
This paper explores the arguments and internal disagreements among experts popularizing vertical farming (VF), an emerging urban food production system. While VF is promoted for its space efficiency and independence from weather, it faces debates regarding its unsustainability and high energy costs for producing a limited range of perishable foods. Findings indicate that disagreements among vanguards reveal that VF is seen as one of many solutions, not the sole answer.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureClimate changeEconomicsUrban agriculture matters for sustainable development
2024Prajal Pradhan, Daya Raj Subedi, Kshitij Dahal, Yuanchao Hu, Prakriti Gurung, Sijal Pokharel, Sagar Kafle, Biplav Khatri, Sudeeksha Basyal, Monika Gurung, Aruna Joshi · Cell Reports Sustainability · Global
This systematic analysis of 1,450 urban agriculture publications examined its impacts on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It found urban agriculture is linked to all SDGs, with 142 targets showing positive sentiments and 136 showing negative sentiments, with positive sentiments roughly double the negative. The study concludes that urban agriculture does not inherently contribute to sustainability, as its impacts depend on specific practices and require tackling identified hurdles.
Limited or null effectClimate changeEconomicsHealthPolicyHands-on Activities through Gardening: Building Twenty-First Century Skills for Lifelong Learning
2024Kamal Prasad Acharya, Kalpana Gyawali, Indra Raj Upadhyaya · Interdisciplinary Research in Education · Nepal
This article explores the contribution of garden-based activities to developing 21st-century skills in public schools in Nepal. Using participatory action research in three intervention schools, the study found that school gardening, involving flower and vegetable cultivation, enhances critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Students also viewed gardening as a valuable learning platform that encourages creative thinking, environmental sustainability, and lifelong learning competence.
Food educationCommunityHealthClimate changeEvidence of COVID-19 pandemic influence on well-being produced by urban gardening: a before-after study
2024Laura S. Tuominen, Heikki Helanterä, Patrik Karell, Lauri Rapeli, Timo Vuorisalo, Jon E. Brommer · npj Urban Sustainability · Finland (Turku)
This before-after study in Turku, Finland, examined the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban box gardening from 2019 to 2021. While box gardening's importance for resilience increased and gardeners remained motivated, participants reported receiving fewer benefits from gardening during the pandemic. This suggests a negative influence of the pandemic on well-being, extending to urban gardening outcomes.
Limited or null effectHealthCommunityClimate changeHarnessing nature-based solutions for economic recovery: A systematic review
2024Alexandre Chausson, Alison Smith, Ryne Zen-Zhi Reger, Brian O’Callaghan, Yadira Mori-Clement, Florencia Zapata, Nathalie Seddon · PLOS Climate · Global
This systematic review analyzed 66 reviews on the economic impact of nature-based solutions (NbS). Most reviews showed positive outcomes for income and employment, but those with critical appraisal of underlying studies reported more mixed outcomes. These results were influenced by factors such as the balance between short-term and long-term gains, market conditions, regional effects, reliance on subsidies, and discrepancies between expected and actual economic benefits. NbS delivered equal or better economic outcomes compared to alternatives and provided broader benefits like food security and flood protection, but improved monitoring of economic, social, and ecological outcomes and the development of comprehensive accounting systems are needed.
Economic viabilityEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceSmart Urban Agriculture
2024Anne-Sophie Christmann, Valerie Graf‐Drasch, Ricarda Schäfer · Business & Information Systems Engineering · Global
This study explores the applicability of digital technologies in urban agriculture, given rising environmental problems and increasing food insecurity in cities. Urban spaces are challenging as they jeopardize the availability of air, water, or soil, making resource management a key issue. The research proposes a multi-layer taxonomy focusing on digital technologies, data, and different approaches in urban agriculture, along with 20 organizational readiness factors derived from academics and practitioners in the smart urban agriculture domain.
Digital agricultureEconomicsClimate changeUrban green space use in transition
2024Cecil C. Konijnendijk · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · Global
This chapter examines the diverse uses of urban green spaces, encompassing recreation, biodiversity conservation, public health, and regulatory ecosystem services, with food production also re-emerging. Changing urban populations, including cultural diversity and ageing, have altered demands and uses. The study identifies a critical need to manage potential conflicts and trade-offs among these varied demands, despite many uses being able to coexist.
Governance failureClimate changeBiodiversityHealthPolicyUrban–rural linkageGreen Space Provision and Equity in the City
2024Magdalena Biernacka · · Global
Ensuring equal access to attractive green spaces for all urban residents, including vulnerable groups, is crucial due to pandemics, climate change, and lifestyle diseases. Both formal and informal green spaces provide ecosystem services, and smaller green infrastructure can be effective in compact city centers.
CommunityHealthClimate changePolicyFamily farming in climate change: Strategies for resilient and sustainable food systems
2024Kang Chao · Heliyon · Global
This study examined how family farming fosters climate-resilient food systems through a systematic literature review of 37 documents over 22 years. It concluded that family farming facilitates easy access to food and nutrition by utilizing family-sourced land, labor, and capital, and by securing access to technology and markets. Farming families employ diverse strategies, such as crop diversification, adjusting planting times, and cultivating high-value crops and fish, to strengthen their food systems.
Climate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageEffect of Pot Substrate Volume and Nitrogen Concentration of The Nutrient Solution on Lettuce Production under Urban Conditions
2024A Hawash, M. Abul-Soud, M.S.A. Emam, Z. Y. Maharik, Mohammed Mohammed, Sahar H. Ahmed · Scientific Journal of Agricultural Sciences · Egypt (Giza)
This study investigated the effect of five nitrogen levels (80-160 ppm) and two pot volumes (6 L, 8 L) on lettuce (cv. Robinson F1 hybrid) in Giza, Egypt, during autumn 2022 and 2023. Increasing substrate volume from 6 L to 8 L and nitrogen concentration from 80 ppm to 140 ppm increased vegetative growth and yield. The 8 L volume and 140 ppm nitrogen concentration yielded the highest results for vegetative growth, yield, and nutrient content. However, 6 L pot volume with 80 ppm nitrogen achieved the highest net profit despite lower fresh weight, by providing the lowest nitrogen use efficiency and natural resource consumption.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceClimate change