Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
17 results
Intersectando a agricultura urbana, o meio ambiente e a educação:
2026Rogers Hansine, Christine Bonnin, Inês Raimundo, Madal Artur, Cândida Bila · Revista Tamoios · Mozambique
The SYNERGI project, implemented from March 2023 to September 2025, aimed to promote urban community involvement in co-creating Socially Inclusive Edible Urban Green Infrastructure (IVUCs) in Maputo and Xai-Xai, Mozambique. The project successfully established IVUCs in six selected schools, increasing food production and educational opportunities. The project highlights the need for better institutional frameworks to support green infrastructure development.
Governance failureCommunityFood educationBiodiversityPolicyIntegrating Biophilic Design and Productive Green Infrastructure as Urban Renewal Strategy for Mixed Use Development in Lagos Island
2026F. I. Alagbe, B. J. Adewumi, Mathew Dayomi, O. A. Ibitoye · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Nigeria (Lagos)
This study investigated the integration of biophilic design and productive green infrastructure (PGI) in mixed-use developments on Lagos Island, Nigeria, as an urban renewal strategy. Data from 303 architects, urban planners, and real estate developers revealed that while ecological regeneration opportunities exist, the area faces limitations from high density and inadequate infrastructure. Respondents showed moderate to high awareness of biophilic principles, and PGI incorporation was linked to perceived gains in social interaction, biodiversity, and economic value.
CommunityBiodiversityPolicyPeri-urban agricultureCowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) landraces in Mozambique and neighbouring Southern African countries harbour genetic loci with potential for climate adaptation
2025Macharia M.W., Caproni L., Solemanegy M., Takele R., Chiulele R.M., Munisse P., Amane M., Pè M.E., Buizza R., Dell'Acqua M. · Communications Biology 8:834 · Africa
Genotypes 389 cowpea accessions (mostly landraces) from Southern Africa and identifies 36 genomic loci linked to local climate adaptation, highlighting the breeding value of farmer-conserved resources.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityHealthGreening African Cities for Sustainability: A Systematic Review of Urban Gardening's Role in Biodiversity and Socio-Economic Resilience
2025African Urban Gardening Research Network · National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI/PMC) · Sub-Saharan Africa
Systematic review of 47 peer-reviewed studies across sub-Saharan Africa (2000–2025) showing urban gardens support ecological functions including pollination, soil fertility, and microclimate regulation.
BiodiversityCommunityWelfareFood educationA review of the role of nature-based solutions in mitigating food insecurity in Africa
2025Solomon Asamoah, Henry Mensah, Eric Kwame Simpeh, Eric Oduro-Ofori, Sandra Serwaa Boateng, Sarah Boateng, Listowel Koda Frimpong, Priscilla Okyere · Green Technologies and Sustainability · Africa
This scoping review examined the role of nature-based solutions (NbS) in addressing food insecurity in Africa, using bibliometric and thematic analysis of peer-reviewed literature. The study identified agroforestry, urban agriculture, and wetland restoration as NbS components. However, it found that a comprehensive understanding of NbS efficacy, challenges, and implications for food insecurity in Africa remains limited, with existing research primarily focusing on localized interventions rather than broader trends.
Food sovereignty & justiceClimate changeBiodiversityAnalysis of Pressure Drivers within an Urban River Riparian Reserve: A Case of Nairobi River in Kenya
2025Mahacla Odongo, Caleb Mireri, Peter Mwangi · Environmental Technology and Science Journal · Kenya (Nairobi)
The Nairobi River riparian reserve in Kenya has undergone immense land use and land cover changes over the past 20 years due to urban development. A survey of 650 respondents revealed that urban agricultural activities dominated the upper segment at 69%, commercial ventures constituted 79% of the middle segment, and residential usage comprised 89% in the lower segment. These activities caused significant degradation from crop cultivation of river slopes, pollution infiltration, and loss of biodiversity, indicating a severe depletion of the riparian space's functions.
Environmental trade-offsBiodiversityPolicyLand cover changes and management effectiveness of protected areas in tropical coastal area of sub-Saharan Africa
2024Jeffrey Chiwuikem Chiaka, Gengyuan Liu, Hui Li, Wen Zhang, Mingwan Wu, Zhaoman Huo, F. Gonella · Environmental and Sustainability Indicators · Sub-Saharan Africa
This study evaluated land cover change and its drivers using spatial and statistical analysis in 22 designated protected areas (PAs) across the tropical coastal regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Results indicated that food production is prevalent in these protected areas regardless of their designation, and forest loss occurred in most PAs, suggesting weak conservation. Population density was the most significant driver of land cover change, and only 15 out of 22 protected areas showed an increase in their total ecosystem service value.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeBiodiversityImpacts of Urban Agriculture on Environment: In Case of Tora town, Silte Zone, Central Ethiopia.
2024Fedila Chumgicho · National Academic Digital Repository of Ethiopia · Ethiopia
This descriptive study assessed the impacts of urban agriculture on the environment in Tora town, Silte Zone, Central Ethiopia, using a mixed-methods approach with 204 systematically selected samples and 10 purposively selected key informants. Findings revealed that 41.2% of urban residential households were engaged in farming. The study underscored positive impacts such as sustainable waste management, organic waste utilization, and the adoption of sustainable agricultural techniques, while also identifying challenges like water-related issues and sustainable waste disposal.
CommunityClimate changeBiodiversityUrban Agriculture and the Sustainability Nexus in South Africa: Past, Current, and Future Trends
2023Tinashe P. Kanosvamhira · Urban Forum · South Africa
This narrative literature review analyzed 62 peer-reviewed articles on urban agriculture in South Africa from 1993 to 2022. The findings indicate several knowledge gaps, including an under-representation of secondary cities and a general productivist focus in most studies, which limit understanding of urban agriculture for sustainable cities.
Methodological critiqueUrban–rural linkagePolicyBiodiversityOn-farm diversity, use pattern, and conservation of enset (Ensete ventricosum) genetic resources in southern Ethiopia
2022Dilebo T., Feyissa T., Asfaw Z., Zewdu A. · Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 18:74 · Ethiopia
An ethnobotanical survey of 240 households across four zones of southern Ethiopia documenting on-farm landrace diversity, use patterns and farmer conservation of the staple crop enset.
Heirloom & landraceBiodiversityFood educationCommunityAgainst the grain? A historical institutional analysis of access governance of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in Ethiopia
2020Mulesa T.H. · The Journal of World Intellectual Property · Ethiopia
A historical institutional analysis of the governance of access to plant genetic resources in Ethiopia, examining national policy evolution in relation to the ITPGRFA, benefit-sharing, and farmers' rights.
Heirloom & landracePolicyBiodiversityUrban agriculture in the Gauteng City-Region’s green infrastructure network
2020Eliana Camargo Nino, Sam R. Lane, Kanako Okano, Irvanu Rahman, Bo Peng, Hannah Benn, Christina Culwick Fatti, Gillian Maree, Samkelisiwe Khanyile, Carla-Leanne Washbourne · Occasional paper · South Africa
This paper aimed to understand urban agriculture within the green infrastructure network in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa, and identify ecosystem services delivered by maintaining and investing in these assets. A multi-method approach was used to identify interlinkages between urban agriculture and social, economic, and environmental systems, validate them with stakeholder input, and visualize them through spatial analysis of food gardens. Urban agriculture was shown to enhance food security, provide economic opportunities, and strengthen ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation and disaster resilience.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsBiodiversity‘The garden has improved my life’
2018Joyce-Ann Syhre, Meike Brückner · · Kenya (Nairobi)
This chapter illustrates agricultural alternatives in Nairobi, Kenya, emerging through practiced urban agriculture. These alternatives enable socio-ecological spaces of food sovereignty, biodiversity, and agency. The chapter discusses the socio-cultural values of farming and food, the role of gender in Nairobi's urban agricultural landscape, and the diverse perceptions of human-nature relations among female farmers.
Food sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityCommunityUrban–rural linkageThe Role and Importance of Agricultural Biodiversity in Urban Agriculture
2017Gudrun B. Keding, Céline Termote, Katja Kehlenbeck · · Kenya
Trees offer multiple benefits to urban agriculture, providing both production and service functions, and their integration into urban gardens enhances efficient resource use. In Kenya, traditional leafy vegetables were often replaced by introduced varieties, though producing perishable goods close to urban markets offers advantages. However, commercial production may lead to the dominance of exotic species and loss of indigenous ones. Urban gardens supported abundant and diverse wild flora, comparable to unmanaged plots. Rapidly growing urban populations seek food, income improvement, and cultural retention.
BiodiversityUrban–rural linkageEconomicsDeterminants of sustainability in urban and peri-urban agriculture
2009Andreas Buerkert, Eva Schlecht, Martina Předotová, Rodrigue V.C. Diogo, Katja Kehlenbeck, Jens Gebauer · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · Sub-Saharan Africa
This study analyzed urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) systems in major Sub-Saharan African cities, measuring carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fluxes and conducting biodiversity studies. In Niamey, low-input gardens showed annual gaseous carbon emissions of 20-25 t ha-1, predominantly CO2, and high-input gardens irrigated with wastewater had annual CO2-C emissions of 27 t ha-1, with N2O as a major nitrogen loss contributor. Animal manure stored in the open was subject to large carbon and nitrogen losses, indicating environmental tradeoffs. However, UPA gardens in Niamey maintained a large variety of fruit and vegetable species, with richness increasing with garden and household size and commercialization.
Environmental trade-offsOrganic cycleBiodiversityClimate changePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsSurvey Of Soil Micro-Arthropods In Selected Sites In Ogun State
2005O. A. Oke, C. O. Adejuyigbe, O.A. Ajede · · Nigeria
A survey of soil micro-arthropods was conducted at selected farm locations in Ogun State, Nigeria, including a university farm, a school garden, a farmland, and a rubber plantation. The study identified micro-arthropods from Class Arachnida (orders Acarina, suborders Oribatida, Actinedida, Gamasida) and Class Insecta (order Collembola). The rubber plantation had the highest population (x = 24.75), while the university farm had the least (x = 1.75, Oribatida only). Physico-chemical soil analysis indicated that soil properties and farm practices influenced micro-arthropod distribution.
BiodiversityOrganic cycleRecognizing Ethiopia's urban farmers.
1993Lee M · PubMed · Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, urban agriculture faces significant challenges due to government disapproval of public land use for farming and difficulty in obtaining credit. A 1983 survey in Addis Ababa found that 17% of 1352 households produced their own food on less than 25 sq. meters, with 90% of non-farmers citing lack of land. Despite urban agricultural cooperatives demonstrating 70% higher member income, their lack of government legalization prevents access to loans for productivity improvement.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceHealthWelfareClimate changeUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureFood educationBiodiversityCompostDIYElderlyFood lossHeirloom & landraceOrganic cyclePollinatorsFood miles & supply chainCSA & TeikeiDigital agriculture