Research & reports

Carlos Luiz Vieira · · Brazil

This study analyzes protected cultivation and hydroponics in Brazil as technologies enabling full control of environmental variables and eliminating dependence on climate seasonality. These technologies demonstrate 80-95% reductions in water consumption, 300-500% increases in productivity compared to open fields, and complete elimination of agrochemical residues. However, the study also points out implementation challenges for these technologies, concluding they are fundamental for food security in contexts of accelerated urbanization, water scarcity, and global climate change.

Sasha Pesci, Ryan E. Galt · Agriculture and Human Values · United States (California)

This paper, based on 28 semi-structured interviews with direct market farmers in California, explores their experiences with market digitalization. It finds that while some farmers perceive online tools as eroding social and environmental connections, others view them as supportive of these connections, highlighting tensions in market digitalization for Alternative Food Networks.

Felipe Jardim, Eduardo Alberto Manjarrés Trelles, Caren Freitas de Lima · Revista de Direito da Cidade · Brazil

This study investigated the role of vertical urban agriculture in promoting the right to food in Brazil, considering the food system crisis as a problem affecting the right to the city. An inductive method with a qualitative approach, including literature review, documental research, and case studies from Japan, Singapore, Germany, the USA, and Brazil, revealed that vertical urban agriculture has "cons" when appropriated as a profitable system with restricted access products, and "pros" such as occupying vacant urban land and being produced by or supporting poor families.

Tiago Souza Nascimento, Valdner Daízio Ramos Clementino, João Afonso Nogueira da Silva, Paulo Henrique de Farias Martins, Douglas Santana Peixoto, Rennery Matheus Araújo Domingos · RECIMA21 - Revista Científica Multidisciplinar - ISSN 2675-6218 · Brazil

This study developed and evaluated the initial acceptability of the Hortalix chatbot as a technical and managerial support tool for urban gardens in Petrolina – PE, Brazil. The research involved all 12 active urban garden producers in the municipality. Results indicated high initial acceptance, particularly for ease of use and technical value, though structural factors like internet connectivity limitations could affect continuous use.

· Wikipedia · United States

A Wikipedia article on FarmBot, an open source precision agriculture CNC farming project. Started in 2011 by Rory Aronson while studying mechanical engineering at California Polytechnic State University, he began working on it full-time from March 2014 with a grant from the Shuttleworth Foundation. Tim Evers and Rick Carlino joined as core developers. It was a Hackaday Prize finalist in 2015, and after nine design iterations the commercial FarmBot Genesis began preorders in July 2016. It uses the OpenFarm crop database to create optimal planting plans.

Farm Hack · Farm Hack · United States

The official Farm Hack tool library page. Anyone can submit a tool via 'Add a tool', and each tool page carries 'I built (or modified) this tool' / 'I like this tool' voting and a comment section, with tags (e.g. Smart Farm, Post Harvest, Irrigation and Water Management) for browsing and filtering. It functions as a community-accumulated record of member-built and modified farm tools.

Aprilia Shyntia Dewi, Muchlisiniyati Safeyah · Sinektika Jurnal Arsitektur · United States

This qualitative descriptive study analyzed the application of permaculture design principles through architectural elements at Vertical Harvest Farms, USA, using secondary data. The research found that Vertical Harvest Farms largely incorporates permaculture design principles through architectural elements, such as greenhouse-based materials adapted to local climate and optimal spatial arrangement. However, regarding mass typology, the farm was found to be less compliant with the permaculture design principle of "Design from Pattern to Detail."

İlkay Unay‐Gailhard, Robert J. Chaskin, Mark A. Brennan · Agriculture and Human Values · United States

This study explored how urban agriculture initiatives communicate about farming by analyzing social media messages related to awareness, responsibility, and pride. Based on 28 interviews with professionals and data from four Instagram accounts in Pennsylvania and Illinois, the research found that urban agriculture dialogues encourage discussions on healthy eating and critical assessment of industrial agriculture. Instagram messages frequently emphasize responsibility and pride, but rarely address the economic aspects of farming.

Eduardo Cesar Silva, Daniel Leite Mesquita, Paulo Henrique Montagnana Vicente Leme · Revista Brasileira Multidisciplinar · Brazil

Using a competitive-intelligence approach drawing on both academic and journalistic sources, this study conducted an exploratory analysis of global urban agriculture trends to identify the main technologies and models in use. It found that urban agriculture is expanding worldwide and is practiced through diverse models, notably community gardens, rooftop gardens, controlled-environment food cultivation, and cellular agriculture.

TechCrunch · TechCrunch · United States

TechCrunch reported that vertical farming company Plenty filed for bankruptcy on March 24, 2025. Founded in 2014, it had raised about $1 billion and was valued at $1.9 billion in its January 2022 Series E round, with backers including SoftBank, Walmart, and Bezos Expeditions, before collapsing. It secured $20.7 million in debtor-in-possession financing and plans to continue operating its Virginia strawberry farm and Wyoming plant science R&D center.

Pierric Calenge, Maie Gérardot · Métropolitiques · United States (Cleveland)

The work by Max Rousseau and Vincent Béal illuminates the ambiguities of a policy that organizes urban decline and racial segregation in Cleveland. This policy promotes urban degrowth and racial segregation, balancing algorithmic management and urban greening. The study focuses on the Rust Belt region, which experiences de-urbanization marked by the subprime crisis, racism, and segregation.

Adekunle Stephen Toromade, Deborah Aanuoluwa Soyombo, Eseoghene Kupa, Tochukwu Ignatius Ijomah · International Journal of Advanced Economics · United States

This comparative review examines urban farming dynamics and its impact on food supply in the United States and African cities. It explores challenges and opportunities, considering factors such as infrastructure, socio-economic conditions, and agricultural practices in both regions. The review highlights policies and technological advancements in the USA, while discussing rapid urbanization and limited resources as challenges in African contexts.

Hayley Birss · Social Epistemology · Canada

This study examines Infarm's vertical farming practice, a venture capital-backed solution for climate change mitigation, by mapping its actor-network. The analysis reveals that Infarm's vertical farming and its climate change mitigation logics are shaped by venture capital and its biopolitical epistemology of valuation. This framework conceptualizes life, biology, and climate in terms of political economy, indicating that economic viability is a primary driver.

Manuel J. Ibarra, Irwin Estrada Torres, Mario Aquino Cruz, Ronald A. Rentería Ayquipa, Sergio F. Ochoa, Juan Ochoa · Sensors · Peru

This article presents an experience report of family-scale urban gardening in Peru, where a prototype IoT system and mobile application were conceived, implemented, and used, considering the cultural aspects of the gardeners. This experience yielded positive results in tomato production, primarily demonstrating the system's capability to self-adapt its behavior to the cultivation conditions of these urban gardeners. This is the first IoT system known to iteratively adjust its behavior to improve adoption chances by a specific end-user population (gardeners).

Logman Arja · International Journal of Architectural Computing · United States

This paper presents clay 3D-printed hydroponics as an urban farming and architecture proposal, reporting on a pilot study conducted in Atlanta, Georgia. It positions additively manufactured clay hydroponics as a soilless agriculture technique and discusses it in relation to urban food self-sufficiency. The paper is described as the first in a series on technology implementations.

TechCrunch · TechCrunch · United States

TechCrunch reported that vertical farming company Bowery Farming ceased operations on November 4, 2024. The company had raised more than $700 million and was valued at over $2 billion in its 2021 funding round, but had gone through multiple rounds of layoffs in 2023. The article places this alongside the bankruptcies of AeroFarms and AppHarvest as evidence of a broader downturn in the vertical farming sector.

Renata Priore Lima, Lady Laura Soares Gundim · Revista Gestão & Sustentabilidade Ambiental · Brazil (São Paulo)

This study investigates the benefits of vertical farms as a sustainable food production model in cities. Through a literature review and a case study of Pink Farms in São Paulo, Brazil, the results indicate benefits such as energy and land use optimization, but also highlight the ecological, social, and landscape limitations of vertical farms.

Kendra Locklear Ordia · Interiors Design Architecture and Culture · United States (Lincoln)

This essay presents a case study of an indoor vertical farm in the historic urban core of Lincoln, Nebraska, as a form of urban agriculture. It functions as an adaptive reuse model for existing buildings, creating a spatial ecosystem for localized plant-based food production. This approach aims to enhance urban food resiliency and reconnect communities with their food.

Olasumbo Olagoke-Komolafe, Joshua Oyeboade · International Journal of Multidisciplinary Futuristic Development · United States

This study comprehensively reviewed the viability, benefits, and challenges of urban aquaponics systems in the United States. Through a systematic literature review and content analysis, significant environmental benefits were identified, while economically, long-term benefits potentially outweigh initial setup costs. Challenges such as technical complexities, financial barriers, and the need for specialized knowledge are also notable.

Wenhao Zhu · Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology · United States (Chicago)

This paper focuses on the characteristics of vertical farms, using The Plant vertical farm in Chicago as an example to describe its design and performance, and analyze its advantages and design principles. The success of The Plant is attributed to saving raw materials and waste disposal costs through waste utilization, staggered electricity consumption, and insulated structures to maximize energy cost savings. However, while small-scale pilot projects of vertical farms have achieved some success, many constraints remain for scaling them up due to high construction and operation costs and high technical levels.

Larissa Bizon, Marco Aurélio Soares de Castro · Revista AIDIS de Ingeniería y Ciencias Ambientales Investigación desarrollo y práctica · Brazil

This study aimed to address gaps regarding waste generated in aquaponics systems and their management practices in Brazil. A systematic review identified waste streams, and a survey of producers in 17 of Brazil's 27 federal units confirmed sludge, packaging waste, dead fish, and unusable plant fractions as typical waste streams. The survey indicated a lack of concern for in-depth assessment of these streams to improve management practices, which tended towards adequate and inadequate disposal.

Anthony Silva Ferraz, Raick Silva Sousa, Maria Cristina da Silva de Carvalho, Valter dos Santos Mendonça Neto, Carlos Costa Cardoso · Revista Eletrônica Multidisciplinar de Investigação Científica · Brazil

This study presents the development of a mobile application providing information on seedlings cultivated and made available by the Municipal Nursery of Açailândia, Maranhão, Brazil. The software was built using the Kodular tool, and seedling information was extracted from a survey conducted at the nursery and complemented with data from specialized websites. Evaluations were conducted with 52 people aged 12 to 27 who installed and tested the application, with results showing good public acceptance regarding the software's utility and applications.

Leonor Ángeles Hernández, Mónica Leticia Acosta Miranda, Julio Pérez Machorro, Daniel Domínguez Estudillo, Leidys Fernández Arias · IPSUMTEC. · Mexico

A project in the eastern Morelos region of Mexico designs and builds urban/family gardens supported by Internet of Things (IoT) technology, primarily targeting small-scale farmers, homemakers, families, and older adults, aiming to let users remotely monitor gardens via mobile device or computer and reduce the time spent on routine care. The project is still under development, building prototype gardens of varying sizes and crops equipped with organic nutrients and an automated irrigation and monitoring system.

NJBIZ · NJBIZ · United States

NJBIZ reported that Newark, New Jersey-based vertical farming company AeroFarms filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware federal bankruptcy court on June 8, 2023. It cited significant industry and capital-market headwinds, secured $10 million in debtor-in-possession financing from an existing investor group, and had announced 82 layoffs at its Newark headquarters two months earlier. Founder and CEO David Rosenberg stepped down, with CFO Guy Blanchard taking over.

AgFunderNews · AgFunderNews · United States

AgFunderNews reported that controlled-environment agriculture company AppHarvest filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 24, 2023. It posted a $176.6 million net loss for fiscal 2022, planned to sell its Berea farm to Mastronardi Produce for about $3.75 million, and aimed to sell its Morehead, Richmond, and Somerset facilities as well. It secured $30 million in debtor-in-possession financing from Equilibrium Capital, enabling operations to continue for 60 more days.