Research & reports

Felipe de Jesús Cruz Celis, María Sánchez Zarate, Martha Lis Garrido Cardona · · Mexico

This study surveyed 384 residents in Ixtepec, Juchitan, Tehuantepec, and Salina Cruz in the Istmo Oaxaqueño, Mexico, regarding urban agriculture and tomato consumption. Findings indicate that 73.06% of respondents buy Saladet tomatoes, and 84.87% purchase 1 to 2 kg per week. Additionally, 79.34% buy tomatoes in the local market, and 54.98% state that price is the main characteristic they seek when buying.

Kin Wing Chan · Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) · Hong Kong

This study examines the politics of meat production in Hong Kong's 2006-2007 License-Buy-Back Scheme (LBBS), focusing on pig farming. It investigates how the LBBS served as a tactic to reduce and control the pig farming industry, contrasting it with urban vegetable farming which holds a more positive aesthetic image. The research highlights a scarcity of studies on why certain forms of urban agriculture are valued more than others.

Taina Tremblay · Western CEDAR (Western Washington University) · United States

This research outlines the intent to examine the correlation between access to healthy, organic food and poverty, and the increasing problem of food insecurity in the United States. Urban agriculture and urban gardening are considered as solutions to food instabilities in poverty-stricken areas. The study aims to uncover reasons for the lack of access to healthy food and to discover solutions for promoting better food access and eating habits.

M. Antonio Zárate Martín · Anales de Geografía de la Universidad Complutense · Spain (Madrid)

This paper is based on investigations for urban greenspace planning and the opportunities of urban agriculture for feeding a growing population. It also results from urban environmental improvement activities conducted with the School of Engineer Agronomists of the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Through urban agriculture cases, the paper analyzes alternatives for recovering constructed spaces and increasing inhabitants' quality of life.

Maria José Pereira Tavares, Ana Paula Maia Espíndola Rodrigues, Reginaldo Ferreira de Lima Júnior, Pedro José Santos Carneiro Cruz · Encontro Regional Nordeste I 2015 · Brazil (João Pessoa)

The "Praticas Integrais da Promocao da Saude e Nutricao na Atencao Basica – PINAB" University Extension Program, active since 2007 in João Pessoa, Brazil, uses popular education methodology to promote health and food security. The "Horta Popular Boa Esperanca" community garden, a key initiative, provides weekly educational activities like cultivation and harvesting, fostering collective work and social mobilization. The program's actions create a collective space for learning and integration between the community, health services, and university, contributing to health promotion and environmental care.

Eleni Papaoikonomou, Matías Ginieis · Revista Internacional de Organizaciones · United States (New York City)

This study conducts an empirical comparison between two local food systems: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Manhattan, New York, and Responsible Consumption Cooperatives in Catalonia, Spain. Using a qualitative methodology, the research identifies and explores the practices and narratives established between producers and consumers, which are also defined by the orientation and raison d’être of the local system. The study aims to empirically verify romanticized discourses about local food systems.

· REGAC - Revista de Estudios Globales y Arte Contempor�neo · Spain (Valencia)

This paper maps collective initiatives in Valencia, Spain, that emerged in response to inadequate national and local cultural policies. These initiatives, including urban orchards, acted as resistance to institutional policies or appropriated spaces due to a lack of public institutional interest. They function as urban experimentation laboratories for social and cultural transformation, forming a dense local network.

Federico Davila, Robert Dyball · Australian Journal of Environmental Education · Australia

This article examines the potential of food sovereignty, as defined by La Via Campesina, to reframe food as a human right within the Australian food discourse. It argues that urban food production in Australia offers educative value by transforming individuals' social and environmental concerns about food systems. Community participation in urban food production can foster political understanding and support for alternative food systems, developing elements of food sovereignty in an Australian urban context.

Sarah James · Area · Australia (Sydney)

This paper argues that small-scale family farmers on Sydney's urban fringe are directly connected to and reliant on the mainstream food system for their economic viability. It highlights that a localized focus on threats and solutions risks neglecting the impact of supermarket power and consumer choice on these producers. The study emphasizes the need to examine the continuing connection between the mainstream system and 'local', small-scale producers to achieve food system change.

Bryanna Sherman · · United States

This literature review comprehensively studied local food system efforts in Watauga County, United States, examining how local food is integrated into the landscape. The review analyzed benchmarks for success and failure, and the recognized impact of local food on community life. It determined the social, environmental, and economic reasons for continuing to produce quality food for community benefits, noting strong community readiness and support for local agriculture in Watauga County.

David Ingemar Hedin · · Global

This thesis analyzed business models in commercial urban farming in developed countries, identifying three main classes: small production, large production, and secondary purpose. Small production typically uses farmer's markets and restaurants, large production focuses on leafy greens for retail and restaurants, and secondary purpose operations benefit other business activities. The analysis found that the small production cluster is unstable, with firms likely to expand outside the city, grow into large production, or introduce secondary value propositions.

David Mkwambisi, Andrew J. Dougill, Philip Antwi‐Agyei, C. P. Chabvuta · CABI eBooks · Malawi

Research in Lilongwe and Blantyre, Malawi, assessed urban agriculture's potential to improve soil quality, crop yields, and livelihoods. Preliminary evidence showed urban waste could address food insecurity and soil nutrient benefits, but several constraints in waste management were identified. City authorities are not proactively utilizing organic municipal waste for soil quality and agricultural production benefits.

Jeanne Pourias, Éric Duchemin, Christine Aubry · · Global

This paper investigated the food function of urban collective gardens (CGs) in Paris and Montreal, defined as the quantitative and qualitative food supply they provide to gardeners. Comprehensive interviews with gardeners, production quantification, and plot monitoring revealed a wide diversity of practices regarding CGs' food function. This diversity must be considered in relation to the multifunctionality of these gardens.

Kristina Satterlee · Digital Commons @ Connecticut College (Connecticut College) · India (Mumbai); United States (New York City)

This comparative study of urban agriculture in Mumbai, India, and New York City, USA, utilized in-depth interviews with urban farmers and secondary research. The research revealed that farms and gardens in lower-income areas in both cities had access to significantly fewer resources than their counterparts in wealthier areas. Additionally, both movements struggled to form networks across socioeconomic divides.

R. Alan Wight · Environmental Education Research · Global

This abstract cites a study titled "Community supported agriculture as public education: networked communities of practice building alternative agrifood systems." The study was published in Environmental Education Research, volume 22, issue 3, pages 456–457.

Gerardo Patron-Cano · Digital Commons - DU (University of Denver) · Global

This thesis argues that agriculture should be divorced from capitalist economic principles, pointing out that industrialized growing methods have been economically, socially, and environmentally unsustainable. For sustainable and equitable agriculture, food systems need to be de-commodified, with policies empowering local community control and subsidizing localized production-consumption cycles. Urban farming and food hub initiatives are discussed as primary solutions to address challenges limiting local food systems from replacing the dominant industrial agricultural paradigm.

Leonia John Raphael · Tanzania Journal for Population studies and Development · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

A 2015 study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, found that extreme climatic changes, including rainfall and temperature, have adversely affected peri-urban agricultural productivity and vegetation cover. Excessive rains lead to the destruction of urban gardens, vegetation, property, and loss of livelihoods for urban dwellers, 87% of whom are rural migrants. This highlights significant risks for urban communities dependent on land resources in rapidly growing cities.

Gabrielle O’Kane, Barbara Pamphilon · Public Health Nutrition · Australia

This paper contributes to a food-related doctoral research study by applying narrative inquiry methodology and focus groups across five food systems in the Canberra region of Australia: community gardens, community-supported agriculture, farmers' markets, fresh food markets, and supermarkets. Based on data from eight focus groups with 52 participants, the paper demonstrates the application of narrative inquiry and reveals the important role of narratives in generating new knowledge.

Ana Paula Louzada, Ernesto Grillo Rabello, Yan Menezes Oliveira · Revista Interinstitucional Artes de Educar · Brazil

This study documents the collective construction experience of an agroecological garden by psychology students at the Federal University of Espírito Santo. The paper emphasizes the relevance of this practice in producing integral health and critiques the current context of Integrated World Capitalism, which separates humans from nature.

Salome C.R. Korir, Jacob Rotich, Pacifica Mining · · Kenya (Eldoret)

This paper investigated the contribution of Urban Agriculture to the food security of residents of Eldoret Municipality, Kenya. The study aimed to lay the foundation for future policy formulation for Urban Agriculture in Kenya.

Nkirigacha, Imungi, J. K Cheminngwa · Global Journal of Biology, Agriculture & Health Sciences · Kenya (Nairobi)

This descriptive cross-sectional study assessed the contribution of urban agriculture to food security among 260 low-income households in Mwiki Location, Nairobi County, using semi-structured questionnaires. Findings showed 24% of respondents were farmers, 80% obtained food through purchases, and 17% from own production, with 72% having enough food. Despite indicating food security, urban agriculture practice in the area remains low.

Klaus Lorenz · Soil Science · Global

Urban agriculture (UA) engages approximately 800 million people globally and covers over 67 million hectares of urban cropland. While UA contributes to food security, growing food in urban ecosystems, particularly on degraded urban soils, presents challenges. Past research on UA has focused on social sciences, and although studies on urban soils have increased, many urban areas remain neglected. Further research and dissemination of knowledge are needed on how to maintain or enhance urban soil fertility through soil and land-use management practices.

Norman Kwikiriza, Wellington Jogo, Julius Juma Okello, Haile Tesfay, Frezer Asfaw, Kennedy Otieno Pambo, Kwikiriza, Norman, Jogo, Wellington, Okello, Julius J., Tesfay, Haile, Asfaw, Frezer, Pambo, Kennedy · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Ethiopia (Tigray region)

In Ethiopia's Tigray region, a 2-year project by the International Potato Center and partners promoted vitamin A-rich Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) production and consumption. The project piloted school-based nutritional campaigns, including school gardens and feeding programs, in 11 schools. These schools served as centers for disseminating OFSP planting material and information to parents.

Pei Xin Koh · DR-NTU (Nanyang Technological University) · Singapore

This study aimed to verify the viability of vertical farming systems with LED supplementary light compared to conventional hydroponic farming systems, focusing on energy consumption, cost, plant growth quality, and yield. Experiments with Butterhead lettuce showed that LED lights contributed 90.12% of the total energy consumption in the vertical farming setup. The commercial viability and realistic cost levels of vertical farming have not been established, and a detailed cost-benefit and energy-benefit analysis is yet to be made.

Gerda R. Wekerle, Michael Classens · Local Environment · Canada (Toronto)

This paper examines approaches to urban agriculture in Toronto that renegotiate land access for food production between private property owners and landless growers. It documents three methods challenging current property relations: temporary use of development sites, redesignating suburban backyards for farmer training and production, and garden sharing of private backyards. These initiatives promote collaboration and a sharing economy to expand urban agriculture's land base.