Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Políticas alimentares, agricultura familiar e justiça climática na Amazônia rumo à COP30
2026Jaqueline Lopes Pereira, Bárbara Lellis de Sá Frizo, Denise Miguel Teixeira Roberto, Gabriela Rigote, Clara Ribeiro Camargo, Fabrício Muriana, Gabriela Mariano Mendonça, Maurício Alcântara, Roberta Moraes Curan, Dirce Maria Lobo Marchioni, Aline Martins de Carvalho · Revista de Saúde Pública · Brazil (Belém)
This study analyzed the sustainability of the food system in the Belém Metropolitan Region, Brazil, focusing on public institutional purchasing policies in 2022. Municipalities allocated 31 million reais to the National School Feeding Program, with 43.5% from family farming, exceeding the legal target. The Food Acquisition Program saw the Abril Vermelho settlement sell 28 tons of food, prioritizing permanent crops and agro-ecological practices.
PolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changePeri-urban agricultureCULTIVO PROTEGIDO E HIDROPONIA NA AGRICULTURA BRASILEIRA: ambientes controlados, automação e produção sustentável em pequenas áreas
2026Carlos 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.
Economic viabilityDigital agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agricultureFlorianópolis e municípios vizinhos: do rural ao urbano ao rural no urbano
2026Nazareno José de Campos · Revista Campo-Território · Brazil (Florianópolis)
This article examined the strong urbanization process in Florianópolis and neighboring municipalities in Brazil. Using various bibliographies, information, empirical analysis, cartographic instruments, and practical activities such as visits to production areas, it showed that despite the transformation of rural areas into urban spaces, rural elements persist within urban areas, supplying regional and national markets for agricultural and livestock products. Despite extensive urbanization, the rural presence remains within the urban fabric, characterizing what is known as urban and peri-urban agriculture.
Urban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsGrowing Greens in Cities for Healthy Lives and Spaces: The Case of Community Gardens in Chicago, Illinois Imparted to Philippine Situation
2026R P Mula, Molly Doane, Gabrielle Powell, Myer G. Mula · Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension Economics & Sociology · United States (Chicago)
This study visited, documented, and described 15 community gardens in Chicago, Illinois, and interviewed their leaders. It found the utmost importance of saving traditional crop seeds (heirlooms) for diversity, climate change mitigation, and health, as these are grown organically. Insights include reorienting mindsets, crafting garden requirement manuals, consolidating the value chain, and educating health workers on promoting community gardening.
CommunityHealthEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceHeirloom & landraceClimate changeUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureVELOCIDADE DE DECOMPOSIÇÃO DO MATO PASTO NO CULTIVO DA CEBOLINHA
2026Marcos Antonio Vieira Batista, Anne Stefany da Silva Vieira, Josefa Aparecida Araujo Lima, Jaziel Batista Gomes, Luiz Henrique Aguiar, Helena Higino Bezerra Fernandes, Antonia Luana da Silva, Marcos Antônio Dantas · Revista Contemporânea · Brazil
An experiment conducted at IFCE - Campus – Iguatu - CE, Brazil, from April to May 2019, investigated the decomposition rate of mata-pasto (Senna uniflora) as green manure for chives (Allium fistulosum L.). Five treatments with different incorporation periods were tested. The results showed that incorporating mata-pasto 21 days before planting yielded the greatest plant height (33.7 cm), number of leaves (22.2), and aerial dry mass (1.54 g plant⁻¹), not statistically differing from 28 days before planting.
Organic cyclePeri-urban agricultureAgricultura urbana e periurbana : conceitos, experiências brasileiras e internacionais e o Programa Nacional de AUP
2025César Nunes de Castro · Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (Ipea) eBooks · Brazil
This chapter aims to provide an overview of urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUP) in Brazil and evaluate the inherent challenges of the activity, including the potential role of the National AUP Program (PNAUP) in promoting its development.
PolicyPeri-urban agriculturePolinizadores de huertos urbanos y periurbanos en la ciudad de Morelia (Michoacán, México)
2025Sergio Osorio Cañadas, Ek del Val de Gortari · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Mexico (Morelia)
This study investigated pollinators in seven urban and periurban orchards in Morelia, Mexico, during an annual agricultural cycle from October 2022 to June 2023. Monthly 5-hour censuses at each site revealed a considerable diversity of pollinators, with an average of 60 different species including bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, beetles, and hummingbirds, visiting the orchard flowers. It was also observed that each plant species attracted different pollinators.
PollinatorsBiodiversityPeri-urban agricultureOn the Way to the City
2025Ayari G. Pasquier Merino, Simone Buratti · · Mexico (Mexico City)
This study analyzed the conditions and challenges in the logistics of transporting merchandise from production areas to commercialization spaces, using a case study of Mexico City’s peri-urban agricultural producers. Qualitative research, conducted from 2019 to 2022, involved 60 interviews with production and distribution project managers, a discussion workshop on transportation issues, and visits to production and distribution spaces. Results indicate that infrastructure and logistics for goods transportation are a key issue for the successful integration of small, peri-urban producers into urban markets. It was suggested that transport and logistics must be addressed for these producers to become viable economic actors.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageLa percepción de la urbanización de tierras agrícolas en el valle andino de Cajamarca, Perú
2025Moschella Miloslavich, Paola · Portal de Revistas PUCP (N/A) · Peru (Cajamarca)
This study in Cajamarca, Peru, analyzed the expansion of the city onto vital agricultural land, examining perceptions, consequences, and solutions through surveys and interviews. It found that weak regulations and external factors accelerate informal subdivision of rural properties, leading to future urban areas lacking public spaces and services. Despite high regard for agricultural land, comfort and the land market override beliefs in decision-making, and initiatives to protect the valley were unsuccessful due to permissive regulations and a lack of political will.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyUrban–rural linkageQuantifying US metropolitan level environmental burdens & benefits from greater localization of vegetable farming
2025Peter Nixon, Anu Ramaswami · Environmental Research Letters · United States
This paper quantifies environmental benefits and disbenefits from various vegetable farming localization scenarios across 378 US metropolitan areas. While scenarios found few significant land constraints and revealed net environmental benefits to groundwater overdraft and fertilizer-related PM2.5 emissions in 11%–55% of metros, the model also revealed where relocalization would exacerbate existing environmental vulnerabilities. This indicates potential environmental tradeoffs depending on the location.
Environmental trade-offsEconomicsClimate changeUrban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureTransformation of Agrarian Land in the Urban Periphery: Dispossession, Legalization and Dispute in Cuautlancingo, Puebla
2025José Arturo Méndez Espinoza, Martín Neri-Suárez, Karen Italia Ruiz-López · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Mexico (Puebla)
A case study in Cuautlancingo, Puebla, Mexico, revealed an adverse context for the reproduction of peri-urban family farming. Urban expansion, neoliberal policies, and real-estate speculation have displaced traditional agricultural practices and fostered land-tenure changes. Between 2005 and 2021, over 40% of agricultural areas were lost due to industrial and housing growth. The study concludes that without effective protection and territorial planning, peri-urban agriculture in Cuautlancingo is at risk of disappearing under urban and industrial pressures, with implications for local food security.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceThe islands and the city: peri-urban agriculture, food production, and sustainability in the chinampas of Xochimilco (Mexico City)
2025F. Xavier Medina, José Antonio Vázquez–Medina, Marco Covarrubias · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · Mexico (Mexico City)
This chapter discusses the factors linking food production, social and environmental problems, and future challenges in the chinampas of Xochimilco, a UNESCO World Heritage wetland area in Mexico City's peri-urban zone. It examines strategies implemented by stakeholders and their effects to envision future scenarios for sustainable food systems. The insularity of the chinampas imposes a particular character on agri-food production and the life of inhabitants, highlighting existing social and environmental problems.
Environmental trade-offsPeri-urban agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityThe Need of Land for Peri-Urban Agricultural Production and Its Inclusion onto the National Public Agendas
2025Andrés Barsky · · Latin America
This chapter assesses the current state of threats to and measures to protect periurban agriculture around cities in Latin America. It highlights the social and spatial vulnerability of peri-urban agriculture and its increasing appearance on Latin American food and urbanistic agendas. Examples of strategies for the concrete management of peri-urban agriculture in Latin American cities include the institutionalization of relevant organizations, the enactment of specific laws, the implementation of programs for small-scale production, and the generation of territorial intervention instruments. The conclusion argues for the need to generate new public intervention instruments to preserve and design spaces of high productive and environmental value in periurban areas.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPRODUÇÃO DE HORTALIÇAS ORGÂNICAS: PROTAGONISMO FEMININO E SUSTENTABILIDADE NA VILA GALVÃO, CASA NOVA - BA
2025Suzana Márcia Souza dos Santos, Clecia Simone Gonçalves Rosa Pacheco · Editora Científica Digital eBooks · Brazil
This study analyzed the experience of the Vila Galvão Women Workers' Benevolent Association in Casa Nova, Bahia, Brazil, which produces organic vegetables in urban and peri-urban contexts. The study aimed to characterize the productive, commercial, and sociocultural aspects related to organic vegetable production and commercialization, identifying main marketing channels and understanding difficulties faced by producers. It concluded that organic production, combined with collective organization and the strengthening of the solidarity economy, represents a viable alternative for a more just, sustainable, and female-led rural development model.
Economic viabilityCommunityPeri-urban agricultureOrganic cycleEconomicsPolicyProfile of Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture in Rio de Janeiro State: Case Study
2025Letícia Englete de Mello, Dirlane de Fátima do Carmo, Daiane Cecchin, Leonardo da Silva Hamacher, Marcel Carvalho Abreu, R. M. Anjos, Mariana Vezzone · Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental · Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
This study investigated the profile of 159 urban and peri-urban agricultural producers across 29 municipalities in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, using quantitative interviews and statistical analysis. Producers were predominantly men over 50 with limited education, cultivating small plots with organic methods but receiving little technical support. Key challenges identified were a lack of assistance and resources, and urban agriculture's potential is hindered by the absence of effective public policies.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyCommunityEconomicsDesafios urbanísticos e fundiários na Amazônia: relato sobre soluções jurídicas para a titulação de agricultores urbanos e periurbanos em municípios no Estado do Pará
2024Ana Luisa Santos Rocha, Luly Rodrigues da Cunha Fischer · Revista de Direito Urbanístico Cidade e Alteridade · Brazil (Pará)
This action-research article, based on documentary sources, reports on legal solutions for land and urban issues in the Amazon, specifically for institutionalizing urban and peri-urban agriculture initiatives in Pará municipalities. It describes challenges for implementing the 2023 National Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture Program in the Amazon and discusses municipal competence for territorial planning and land titling. The study concludes that agroforestry hubs and backyards can serve as land instruments for municipalities in Pará.
PolicyPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceCidades e suas agriculturas: avaliação de benefícios da agricultura urbana e periurbana para as pessoas: sumário executivo de Manaus (AM)
2024Adriana de Paula Cavalcante Fraga, Ana Moraes Coelho, Jéssica Castro Chryssafidis, José Geraldo Barreto Monteiro de Andrade, Maíra Bombachini Silva, Maria Luiza Sevilha Seraphico de Assis Carvalho, Mariana Nicolletti, Nathan Debortoli, Samuel Santos de Souza Pinto · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Manaus)
A case study of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Manaus, Brazil, aimed to identify and characterize the benefits these agricultural initiatives provide to the territory. Using a hybrid methodology that combined biophysical modeling with listening to the voices of experienced protagonists, the study identified the significant potential of urban and peri-urban agriculture to contribute to city development. This research revealed the potential for urban agriculture to mitigate or solve typical urban problems.
Peri-urban agricultureCommunityClimate changeBiodiversityA agricultura familiar na Região Metropolitana de Fortaleza (RMF), Ceará
2024Iara Rafaela Gomes · Sociedade & natureza · Brazil (Fortaleza)
This article aims to deepen the discussion about agricultural activity in metropolitan cities, focusing on the Fortaleza Metropolitan Area (FMA), Ceará, Brazil. Researchers reviewed primary and secondary data on producer profiles and agricultural and food processing establishments to understand family farming in the FMA. The study identified production strategies, challenges, and opportunities for family farmers, contributing to policy-making for the sustainability and resilience of metropolitan family farming.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceLa aplicación de MESMIS para el impulso de la agricultura urbana yperiurbana en la construcción de territorios sustentables en el Centro deMéxico
2024Silvia Iveth Moreno Gaytán, Héctor Ávila Sánchez · Regiones y Desarrollo Sustentable · Mexico
This research, part of the "Towards food sustainability: Urban and peri-urban agriculture networks in Central Mexico" project, examines rural-urban interrelationships for the sustainability of urban and peri-urban agriculture. The analysis used the MESMIS framework for two case studies of new agroecology-derived markets that emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic, along with cartographic tools. The results identify the basket of goods offered by peri-urban territories to guide regions and food systems towards sustainability, aiming to strengthen the preservation of social and natural resources in the Central Region of Mexico.
Food sovereignty & justicePeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkageEconomicsMicroorganisms as growth promoters of Acmella oleracea grown under different cultivation systems
2024Thayná da Cruz Ferreira, Gleiciane Rodrigues dos Santos, Alessandra Jackeline Guedes de Moraes, Fernando de Souza Santos, Danielle Pereira Mendonça, Matheus Yan Freitas Silva, Gledson Luiz Salgado de Castro, Telma Fátima Vieira Batista · Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental · Brazil
This study in Ananindeua, Brazil, evaluated the growth of Acmella oleracea (jambu) under protected and unprotected cultivation systems, applying entomopathogenic fungi (Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae) and the growth promoter Trichoderma asperellum. All three microorganisms promoted jambu growth in both cultivation systems and seasons. Metarhizium anisopliae notably enhanced all growth variables, particularly in protected cultivation during the rainy season, and A. oleracea generally performed better in protected systems across all treatments.
Peri-urban agricultureOrganic cycleRénover Cleveland : démolition, racisme et agriculture urbaine dans l’Amérique abandonnée
2024Pierric 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.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceHealthWelfareClimate changeBiodiversityFood educationElderlyFood lossOrganic cyclePollinatorsHeirloom & landraceFood miles & supply chainCSA & TeikeiPeri-urban agricultureDigital agricultureDIYCompostFood educationWelfareElderlyFood lossOrganic cycleCommunityBiodiversityPollinatorsPolicyHealthEconomicsHeirloom & landraceUrban–rural linkageFood miles & supply chainCSA & TeikeiPeri-urban agricultureClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceDigital agricultureUrbanización e industrialización en zonas periurbanas: el caso de una asociación de Carapongo (Lurigancho, Lima)
2024Cavani Guzmán, Pierina · Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences (University of Skopje) · Peru (Lima)
This article discusses the impact of urbanization and industrialization processes on peri-urban agricultural production in the Nuevo Horizonte de Carapongo association in Lurigancho, Lima, Peru. The research analyzes the development of these phenomena and their relationship with the changes generated in the agricultural production of the area, contributing to the academic discussion on the deagrarianization process of peri-urban spaces.
Limited or null effectPeri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsCidades e suas agriculturas: avaliação de benefícios da agricultura urbana e periurbana para as pessoas: sumário executivo de Osasco (SP)
2024Adriana de Paula Cavalcante Fraga, Ana Moraes Coelho, Jéssica Castro Chryssafidis, José Geraldo Barreto Monteiro de Andrade, Maíra Bombachini Silva, Maria Luiza Sevilha Seraphico de Assis Carvalho, Mariana Nicolletti, Nathan Debortoli, Samuel Santos de Souza Pinto · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (São Paulo)
This case study in Osasco, São Paulo, Brazil, identified and characterized the benefits of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) initiatives for the territory. Using a hybrid methodology combining biophysical modeling of ecosystem services with stakeholder input, the study provided an overview of UPA's contributions to microclimate, soil, and water. It highlighted UPA's significant potential to mitigate or solve typical urban problems and contribute to city development.
Urban–rural linkagePeri-urban agricultureCommunityIndicators of Cultural Ecosystem Services for Peri-Urban Agricultural and Natural Areas at an Intermediate Scale: A Case Study of Arequipa, Peru
2024Marina Torreblanca, Flavio Choquehuanca, Javier Martínez, Martinez Alfaro · Land · Peru (Arequipa)
This research developed indicators for Cultural Ecosystem Services (CESs) in peri-urban agricultural and natural areas (PANAs), using Arequipa, Peru, as a case study. A systematic review combined with a participatory workshop identified 230 indicators across 19 subclassifications, with 115 indicators across 13 subclassifications assessed for impact level. This study enables the selection of practical indicators to facilitate PANA landscape management and support decision-making for interventions.
Peri-urban agricultureBiodiversityCommunityPolicyAgricultura urbana e periurbana: análise de suas particularidades em Regente Feijó/SP e em Centre Wellington/ON – Canadá
2024Bruna Trevisan Negri, Antônio Nivaldo Hespanhol · Geography Department University of Sao Paulo · Brazil (São Paulo)
This article compares urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in Regente Feijó, Brazil, and Centre Wellington, Canada, to understand their particularities and contributions to food security and local food supply. Data from interviews with farmers revealed that while production purposes differ—predominantly self-consumption in Regente Feijó and commercialization in Centre Wellington—UPA significantly improves food security and local supply in both areas. A key challenge identified is the inadequate government support for UPA in both studied regions.
Peri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCommunity