Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
1177 results(9 / 48)
Economic and Environmental Benefits of Green Cultivation
2025S. GopalaSundara Raj, Halavath Tharunkumar, R. P. Srivastava, Mukesh Kumar Singh, Manindra Nath Upadhyay · Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology · Global
This study explores the economic and environmental benefits of green cultivation, encompassing organic farming, community-supported agriculture, and sustainable land use. Economically, it offers increased profitability, improved market opportunities, and enhanced food security, while environmentally, it supports biodiversity, improves soil health, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Case studies from Spain and Egypt demonstrate the effectiveness of these sustainable farming methods.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsClimate changeBiodiversityFood sovereignty & justicePolicySustainability assessments of commercial urban agriculture – a scoping review
2024Milestad R., de Jong A., Bustamante M. J., Molin E., Martin M., Malone Friedman C. · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global
A scoping review of sustainability assessments of commercial urban agriculture, finding that just under half address economic sustainability and frequently note difficult profitability, systematizing the evidence base for evaluating business-run urban farming.
EconomicsUrban agriculture as an evolved sustainable urban livelihood: evidence from Kampala city, Uganda
2024Kwiringira J., Mohling E.W.P., Mathias A., Ariho P., Mugisha J., Zakumumpa H., Rujumba J., Tumwebaze I.K. · Agriculture & Food Security 13:53 · Uganda
This study analyzes urban agriculture in Kampala as a dynamic, evolved livelihood strategy attracting both the urban poor and other groups, contributing to job creation, poverty alleviation, and household food security.
EconomicsWelfareCommunityUrban greening in Dhaka: Assessing rooftop agriculture suitability using GIS and MCDM techniques
2024Sultana N., Sharifi A., Haque M.N., Aghaloo K. · Journal of Environmental Management · Bangladesh (Dhaka)
GIS and multi-criteria analysis of Dhaka classified 9% of city area as highly suitable and 68% as suitable for rooftop agriculture, using seven criteria including building age, height, rooftop size, and water availability.
PolicyEconomicsAssessing climate vulnerabilities of urban food systems and institutional responses: the case of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
2024Maphosa M., Moyo P. · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Zimbabwe (Bulawayo)
This study evaluated climate vulnerability in Bulawayo's urban food system and found that the city's 2007 urban agriculture policy lacks climate change provisions, institutional coordination is weak, and extension services are severely understaffed, though NGO-led innovations and national conservation agriculture programs offer promising pathways for resilience.
PolicyFood educationCommunityEconomicsUrban vertical farming: innovation for food security and social impact?
2024· Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B · Global
2024 comprehensive review of 151 scientific publications on urban vertical farming, examining its potential for food security and social impact through novel technology and social entrepreneurial innovation.
EconomicsIntegration of IoT in Small-Scale Aquaponics to Enhance Efficiency and Profitability: A Systematic Review
2024· Animals · Global
A systematic review arguing that integrating IoT into small-scale aquaponics enhances efficiency and profitability by optimizing resource use and monitoring water quality.
DIYEconomicsAssessment of Low-Cost and Higher-End Soil Moisture Sensors across Various Moisture Ranges and Soil Textures
2024· Sensors · Global
Compares the accuracy of low-cost versus higher-end soil moisture sensors across various moisture ranges and soil textures, showing that adding an ADS1115 converter improves the error of low-cost sensors.
DIYEconomicsAnalyzing the divergence and development of business models for urban farming
2024de Jong · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Global
Examines how urban farms' business models transition over time, incorporating long-term sustainability into core strategies. Analyzes progression from startup to enterprise settings.
EconomicsCommunityFood educationBenchmarking energy efficiency in vertical farming: Status and prospects
2024Miserocchi L., Franco A. · Thermal Science and Engineering Progress · Global
The benchmarking review documents that vertical-farm lettuce production currently consumes a very high 10-18 kWh/kg, driven by lighting and climate control, identifying this energy intensity as a key barrier to cost-competitiveness with conventional agriculture.
EconomicsVacancy as Precarious Property in Dublin's Temporary Urbanism Moment
2024Cian O'Callaghan · Antipode · Ireland (Dublin)
Critical account of Dublin's 2008–2017 temporary-urbanism moment showing how the post-crash possibilities for community/garden uses of vacant land were foreclosed by governmental interventions that re-secured property relations, withdrawing interim uses once the market recovered.
PolicyEconomicsStrengthening Urban and Peri-Urban Food Systems to Achieve Food Security
2024FAO · Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations · Global
FAO presents strategy for achieving food security through strengthened urban and peri-urban food systems. Integrates policy frameworks, infrastructure investment, and market development approaches.
PolicyEconomicsResearch Advances and Emerging Trends in the Impact of Urban Expansion on Food Security: A Global Overview
2024· MDPI Agriculture · Global
Examines paradox of urban expansion reducing agricultural land while urban agriculture offers compensation. Highlights importance of urban-rural food system integration.
PolicyEconomicsRooftop Farming Systems: A Systematic Review of Environmental and Economic Benefits
2024Schmidt, K., Yamamoto, R., Oluwaseun, A., De Silva, H. · Renewable Energy Reviews · Global
Systematic review of 156 rooftop farming projects in 24 countries. Rooftop farms reduce building energy by 20-25%, decrease stormwater runoff by 40-60%, and generate 4-8 kg/m²/year of vegetables.
Food educationEconomicsAgroforestry Systems as Carbon Sinks: Quantifying Sequestration Potential
2024Lima, P., Mwangi, E., Sousa, H., Park, J. · Nature Climate Change · Global
Global analysis of 250 agroforestry systems showing 4-8 tons CO2/ha/year sequestration compared to 0.5-1 ton for monoculture. Scaling could sequester 3-4 gigatons CO2 annually.
Organic cycleEconomicsOpportunities 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 changeExploring Community-Supported Agriculture through Maslow’s Hierarchy: A Systematic Review of Research Themes and Trends
2024Xiaofan Tian, Ruifang Zhang, Zifan Wang, Xinna Kang, Zhixin Yang · Agriculture · Global
This systematic review analyzed Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) literature from 1999 to 2023 to identify research themes and trends, corroborating Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. The review found a geographical expansion of CSA research from North America to Asia and Africa, and a societal shift from basic sustenance to a deeper understanding of nutrition and diet. Recent research emphasizes "environment" and "health and education," aligning with higher-level needs in Maslow's theory.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceHealthEconomicsMujeres y Agricultura Urbana Comunitaria: un estudio de caso múltiple en Bogotá, Colombia
2024Clara Pantoja Bohórquez, Karen Johanna Martínez Grisales, Jessica Paola Rincón Vivas, Linda Vanessa Boada Arias · Convergencia Revista de Ciencias Sociales · Colombia (Bogotá)
This qualitative multiple case study in Bogotá, Colombia, explores the role of women in seven community urban farming initiatives and their collective resistance practices. It found that women pursue food sovereignty, transform relationships with nature, and re-signify public space. Women play a significant role in community self-management, with high recognition of their knowledge and practices, and their networks of affection and intergenerational exchange strengthen female autonomy and leadership.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsPRODUÇÃO DE PROTEÍNA ANIMAL EM ÁREA URBANA E PERIURBANA (AUP): VIABILIDADE E SEGURANÇA ALIMENTAR
2024José Luis Chaves, Alexandre Boleira Lopo, G. M. OLIVEIRA, J. F. ARAÚJO, Luciano Sérgio Ventin Bomfim, J. A. CASTRO · Editora Científica Digital eBooks · Global
This systematic review investigated the viability of animal production in urban and peri-urban agriculture as a tool for food security, using the PRISMA methodology. The review found that while this practice offers benefits like domestic food security and income generation, it also presents negative aspects such as odors, noise, and the transmission of zoonoses. Public policies are needed to regulate the activity and minimize health risks.
Contamination & food safetyPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyVanguard 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 changeEconomicsDesigning a community-supported agriculture model for increasing food security
2024M. Malek Lou, S M Mirdamadi, Shahab Alddin Alddin Shokri, S. J. F. Hosseini · Brazilian Journal of Biology · Iran
A survey study was conducted in Ghazel Dareh village, Markazi province, Iran, to design a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model for increasing food security. Questionnaires were administered to 110 active farmers, with 84 responses collected. The results indicated that economic, socio-institutional, policy-making, educational, and infrastructural factors significantly influenced CSA development. Infrastructural factors had the largest effect (impact factor 0.88), while socio-institutional factors had the smallest (impact factor 0.54). All impact factors were positive, suggesting that improving these factors could enhance CSA development in the study area.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyUrban 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 changeEconomicsHealthPolicyKomersialisasi Pertanian Kota Dalam Tekanan Pasar Perspektif Ekologi Politik
2024Kinanti Indah Safitri, Oekan S. Abdoellah, Budhi Gunawan · Jurnal Sosial Humaniora · Global
This study in Indonesia investigated the commercialization of urban agriculture from a political ecology perspective, using mixed methods including a questionnaire and interviews. It found that the commercialization index for urban farmer households was 94.71%, indicating most harvests are market-oriented. While commercialization contributes to food safety and environmental stability through regulatory instruments, farmers are increasingly entangled in partnerships with agricultural companies, leading to a loss of authority over production methods, input types, and selling prices.
EconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyWHAT CAN MODERN FARMERS’ DO?
2024Muslikhun Muslikhun, Rismawati Br Sitepu, Amjad Hameed · JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES SOCIAL SCIENCES AND BUSINESS (JHSSB) · Global
This qualitative study aimed to emphasize the rise of urban farming as a new cultural phenomenon and shed light on its increasing popularity and impact on individuals and communities. Urban farming has emerged as a solution in numerous cities worldwide due to the decline in traditional agricultural land. The study's findings demonstrate that promoting urban farming, including hydroponic systems, can address unemployment and boost economic productivity.
EconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceHarnessing 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 & justice