Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
58 results(1 / 3)
Adaptive trait divergence of annual plants in response to urban habitat diversity in a megacity
2025Nakata Taichi, Naoyuki Nakahama, Nobuko Ohmido, Atushi Ushimaru · Journal of Ecology · Japan (Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe)
This study investigated the effects of urban habitat diversity on plant trait diversification in the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe megacity, Japan, using a common garden experiment with seeds from 23 Commelina communis populations from rural agricultural lands, urban agricultural lands, parks, and roadsides. Urban habitats generally exhibited higher soil pH and land surface temperature. Urban populations, particularly those from roadsides, showed distinct traits such as increased plant height, larger plant height/width ratio, fewer shoots and leaves, and/or larger leaves compared to rural populations. QST-FST comparisons and trait-environment relationships strongly suggest that local adaptation to hot, shaded, and/or eutrophic urban environments drove the observed trait divergence among various urban populations.
BiodiversityUrban–rural linkageClimate change縮減都市北九州市民の都市農業活動に関するアンケート調査
2025李 錦東 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan (Kitakyushu)
Kitakyushu City has faced challenges due to continuous population decline and aging since the 1980s, while some shrinking cities abroad have used urban agriculture to solve local issues. This study conducted a questionnaire survey targeting Kitakyushu citizens to clarify the current status and needs regarding their urban agricultural activities. The research aims to provide considerations for promoting urban agricultural activities in Kitakyushu.
CommunityElderlyPolicyUrban–rural linkageHabitat diversification associated with urban development has a little effect on genetic structure in the annual native plant Commelina communis in an East Asian megacity
2024Nakata Taichi, Naoyuki Nakahama, Nobuko Ohmido, Atushi Ushimaru · Ecology and Evolution · Japan (Kyoto–Osaka–Kobe)
In Japan's Kyoto–Osaka–Kobe megacity, the genetic diversity and structure of 24 Commelina communis populations were investigated across diverse habitat types, including rural agricultural land, urban agricultural land, urban park land, and urban roadsides. The establishment of diverse habitat types through urbanization was found to have no impact on C. communis genetic diversity and little impact on its genetic structure. This is likely due to the plant's high selfing rate and ability to adapt to urban conditions.
BiodiversityUrban–rural linkage<b>Developing A Spatial Design Framework Based on the Supply-Demand of Urban Agriculture in the Context of Depopulation in Japan</b>
2024Chika Takatori, Yulu ZHENG, S.M. Asik Ullah · Urban and Regional Planning Review · Japan
This research proposed a spatial design framework for urban open and green spaces in Japan, focusing on urban agriculture amidst a declining and aging farming population. The study first analyzed and mapped the supply of land available for urban agriculture using GIS, population mesh data, and interviews. Secondly, it calculated and mapped the spatial distribution of demand for urban agriculture based on surveys and statistical information. Finally, a framework was constructed to compare, evaluate, and match the supply and demand of urban agriculture.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsCommunityUrban Resilience: A Study of Leftover Spaces and Play in Dense City Fabric
2022Alice Covatta, Vedrana Ikalović · Sustainability · Japan (Tokyo)
This paper examines design strategies for transforming leftover urban spaces by integrating creative and playful programs, using Tokyo, Japan, as a case study. Through ethnographic observations and spatial analysis, the study demonstrates how play positively affects everyday life in public spaces and enables extraordinary uses of these spaces. The findings offer guidance for urban planners and designers on how people use playfulness to appropriate and utilize leftover spaces.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageTrends after The Enforcement of The Urban Agriculture Promotion Basic Law: Focusing on Conversion from Residential Land to Agricultural Land
2022肇 石原 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan
This study examines trends in Japan following the enactment of the Urban Agriculture Promotion Basic Law in April 2015, focusing on the conversion of residential land to agricultural land. In Osaka City's Joto-ku, former residential land has been maintained as a rental farm since 2019. Additionally, Tokyo Metropolitan Government (from 2017) and Kobe City Office (from 2021) have implemented subsidy measures for such conversions. These recent movements, reversing the historical trend of agricultural land becoming residential, are still in their infancy.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsThe urban farmland system for city planning that coexists with "agriculture"
2022Hiroshi Kurose · Toshi keikaku hokokushu/Toshi keikaku houkokushuu · Japan (Hiroshima)
This paper examines the necessary perspectives for local governments to introduce the productive green space system, using Hiroshima City's 2020 implementation as a case study. It reviews the current state of urban agriculture and inheritance issues in Hiroshima, clarifies the requirements for productive green spaces and their relationship with agricultural cooperatives, and discusses future directions for city planning that coexists with agriculture.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsAnalysis of the Description of the Multifunctionality of Farmland in the Administrative Plans of Local Municipalities
2022Yosuke Masuda, Takashi Oka, Erika Yoshinari, Takaaki Nishida, Tadashi Ikeda · Ecological research monographs · Japan
This research collected eight types of administrative plans from local governments across Japan related to the multifunctionality of farmland and reviewed the extent to which they describe these functions. Findings revealed that farmland's multifunctionality was incorporated into many municipal plans, with municipalities of a certain population size and high financial strength index tending to mention these roles more frequently. However, descriptions of functions like "disaster mitigation and response" and "water and food supply" in times of disaster were less common.
PolicyBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageCharacteristics of policies based on Basic Law for Urban Agricultural Promotion formulated by local governments located in urbanization promotion area of Tokyo
2021Izumi ARAKAWA, Noriko Akita · Journal of The Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture · Japan (Tokyo)
This study identified the characteristics of local plan policies based on the Basic Law for Urban Agricultural Promotion, formulated by local governments. The survey covered 310 local governments in 11 prefectures across three major Metropolitan areas. Tokyo had a large number of local governments formulating local plans and implementing various policies, with differences observed between cities and wards. "Branding of agricultural products" was one policy independently formulated, while "Promotion of agricultural cooperation between rural and urban areas" was not adopted by any local government.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsImpact of urban agriculture on business
2020Takeshi So · The Japanese Journal of Real Estate Sciences · Japan
This study discusses urban agriculture in Japan from three perspectives: suburban farming, urban farming, and isolated farming operations within urban areas. Despite its historical impact on urban planning, urban farmland has dramatically decreased and currently hinders real estate business and new business creation. It is suggested that economic rationality and public interest should be prioritized, and tax incentives for urban farmland should be reconsidered in a stepwise manner.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageThe 2022 problem and urban farmland preservation, urban agricultural policy
2020Seiichiro Shiozawa · The Japanese Journal of Real Estate Sciences · Japan
This study examined the "2022 problem" in Japan, concerning the potential mass conversion of farmland designated as Production Green Space into residential land. It notes that these concerns have receded due to legal amendments and system establishment following the 2016 Basic Law for the Promotion of Urban Agriculture. The study suggests that future urban development should utilize urban farmland to increase regional value, proposing three key actions: establishing cooperation between urban farmers and residents, creating district-specific community development systems, and promoting appropriate land use.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageCommunityAgricultural development and its new trends in Japan.
2020Keshav Chandra · Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research · Japan
In Japanese agriculture, women's participation is progressively increasing, and there is a close relationship between attracting youth to agriculture and achieving food self-sufficiency. Urban agriculture is developing as a new trend in Japan. New trends such as organic farms, robotics agro, urban agriculture, and increasing women's participation are emerging, which can accelerate the pace of agricultural development in Japan.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceDigital agricultureCommunityStrategies for Sustaining and Developing Agriculture and Regional Conditions in Japan
2019Akira Tabayashi, Toshio Kikuchi, Toshiaki Nishino · Journal of Geography (Chigaku Zasshi) · Japan
This study discusses strategies for sustaining and developing agriculture in Japan, based on 10 sample studies across various regions, including urban agriculture in Tokyo. Key strategies include ensuring capable farm operators, promoting rational farm management with advanced technology, maintaining stable income sources, establishing multiple sales channels, and forming producer-consumer networks. The research highlights the importance of locational, physical, economic, social, cultural, and political conditions, particularly accessibility to large cities and favorable physical conditions for production.
PolicyUrban–rural linkageEconomicsGrowth and Sustaining Strategies of Urban Agriculture Based on Interaction with Urban Residents: The Case of Kodaira City, Tokyo Metropolis
2019Ryo Iizuka, Kei Ota, Toshio Kikuchi · Journal of Geography (Chigaku Zasshi) · Japan (Kodaira City)
This study explored the growth and sustaining strategies of urban agriculture based on diversified agricultural management and interactions with urban residents, using Kodaira City, Tokyo Metropolis, as a case study. Analysis of previous literature, public survey data on the spatial distribution and classification of agricultural management patterns, and interviews with farmers revealed interactions between farmers and urban residents. In Kodaira City, interactions exist between farms and urban residents based on agricultural management, with distinct patterns influenced by local characteristics. These interaction styles prevent excessive competition, attract stable customers, and enable sustainable management.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageA Study on the Possibility of Transfer of Development Rights in Urban Agricultural Land
2019Yusuke Aoki, Norihiro Nakai, Mamiko Numata · Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan · Japan
This study investigated the possibility of applying development rights transfer to preserve urban agricultural land in a depopulating society, focusing on transferring development rights from urban agricultural land to city centers. The research calculated transfer rates using land price ratios and the land residual method, then applied these rates to hypothetical projects. It was found that in areas like Marunouchi and Ginza, a single project could transfer all development rights for Setagaya Ward's agricultural green spaces, while other areas required a combination of multiple projects.
PolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageCurrent Status and Future Perspectives of Research about Urban Farming in Tokyo
2019Mitsuhito HOSAKA, Takeshi Sato · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Japan
This paper reviewed research trends on urban farming in Tokyo, focusing on public benefits of Tokyo's agriculture and farmland, agricultural business management, and the effects of urban farmland policies like the Amendment of Productive Green Land Act. The research identified the necessity for sustainable academic research, improved databases for quantitative analysis, and economic evaluation of intensive agricultural production technology.
PolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageCommunityLa multifunzionalità dell'agricoltura urbana: il caso di Nishi-Tokyo = The multifunctionality of urban agriculture: the case study of Nishi-Tokyo
2019Francesco Letteriello · · Japan (Nishi-Tokyo)
This research focuses on the role of urban agriculture within the UN New Urban Agenda, noting that 54% of the world's population lived in urban areas in 2015, projected to rise to 66% by 2050, leading to urban overcrowding. Nishi-Tokyo's municipality is interested in revising its Master Plan to protect "Productive Green Zones" which will lose their status in 2022. The study aims to analyze the importance of multifunctionality in urban agriculture as a driver for resilient cities, comparing urban agriculture in Italy and Japan, and deepening the context of Nishi-Tokyo through literature, interviews, and field analysis.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceSeasonal Occurrences and Species Composition of <i>Orius</i> spp.（Hemiptera: Anthocoridae）in an Okra Field of Kawasaki City
2019M. Tsuruta, Kyo Itoyama · Japanese Journal of Applied Entomology and Zoology · Japan (Kawasaki City)
This study investigated the seasonal occurrences and species composition of Orius spp. in an okra field in Kawasaki City, Japan. Orius spp. were found on okra plants from early-summer to early-autumn, with peak occurrences advancing with earlier flowering times. The initial occurrence was not associated with the seasonal prevalence of thrips on okra plants, suggesting that the main factors influencing Orius spp. occurrence are prey-independent.
BiodiversityPollinatorsUrban–rural linkageEffectiveness of Agricultural Innovation in Urban Policy : Consideration on Case Studies in Kawasaki City
2019賢二 徳田, 春霞 李 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan (Kawasaki City)
This study examined the current state of urban agriculture in Kawasaki City and the effectiveness of its multifaceted agricultural innovation policies. In Kawasaki City, while urban farmland is decreasing due to population growth and urbanization, there is a movement towards high-value-added agriculture utilizing ICT, as well as promoting local production for local consumption through new variety development, improved distribution channels, market mechanisms, and collaboration with local retailers. The city aims to improve agricultural management and enhance value creation as an industrial policy, and to ensure appropriate use and conservation of urban farmland as a social policy, thereby building a high-value-added supply chain.
PolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageDigital agricultureUrban Agriculture as a Sustainability Transition Strategy for Shrinking Cities? Land Use Change Trajectory as an Obstacle in Kyoto City, Japan
2018Kimisato Oda, Christoph Rupprecht, Kazuaki Tsuchiya, Steven R. McGreevy · Sustainability · Japan (Kyoto)
A study in Kyoto City, Japan, examined agricultural land use from 2007–2017 to assess urban agriculture as a sustainability strategy for shrinking cities. Analysis revealed a 10% decline (209 ha) in agricultural land use over ten years, with main post-agricultural uses being residential (40%) and vacant land (28%). The findings indicate that Kyoto City is not currently positioned to benefit from population decline through localized food production.
Limited or null effectUrban–rural linkagePolicyFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeThe Role and Significance of Coordinators for Community-Supported Agriculture
2018Kota OGUCHI · The Annals of Japan Association for Urban Sociology · Japan (Saitama City)
This article studies the impact of coordinators for Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, using the Kome Mame project in Saitama City, Japan, as a case study. The Kome Mame project is a collaborative effort involving organic farms, a for-profit company, and an NPO, where the NPO coordinates matchmaking between farmers and companies, builds mechanisms for distribution channel development, and facilitates human-resource exchanges and stakeholder relationships. The study suggests that the coordinator's role as a manager of the relationship between food and agriculture will become increasingly important, and the challenge is whether this role can be established as a socially recognized profession.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityUrban–rural linkageDevelopment of the food processing utilizing local vegetable-Commercializing dressing using the carrot of Niiza-
2018マリコ ソヤ, ミチコ コバヤシ, Mariko Soya, Michiko KOBAYASHI · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan (Niiza)
In Niiza City, the development of processed local vegetables is not advanced. This research matched the needs of Niiza City with the seeds of a university, leading to the industry-government-academia collaboration for the development of a "carrot dressing" using Niiza City's certified autumn-winter carrots. Students from the Department of Food and Nutrition were involved from cultivation to prototyping and design, resulting in manufacturing in March 2017 and sales in April through collaboration with local companies.
Food educationEconomicsUrban–rural linkage都市農業地域の6次産業化におけるソーシャル・キャピタルの重要性 : 愛知県長久手町（現長久手市）の取り組みを事例として
2018Ryo Kawabe, Hiroshi Sakazume · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan (Nagakute City)
This paper analyzes the importance of social capital in the sixth industrialization of urban agricultural areas, using a case study from Nagakute-cho (now Nagakute City), Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The study found that the sixth industry is an efficient strategy for managing and demonstrating the multiple functions of urban agriculture, farm villages, and agriculture itself, with social capital being a crucial driving force. Nagakute City's initiatives, based on the "Countryside Valley Initiative," were successful, leading to the emergence of an integrated form of social capital combining government-led bonding with bridging among various local residents.
EconomicsCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageABITARE NISHI-TOKYO. SCENARIO PROGETTUALEPER UN QUARTIERE AGRICOLO.
2018Mattia Scarpellino · · Japan (Tokyo)
This architectural design thesis proposes a redesign of a peripheral area of Tokyo, specifically Nishi-Tokyo, which exhibits both urban and rural characteristics. The study explored how to integrate agri-food production activities in a large metropolitan suburb, its potential social role, and the dynamics generated in relation to contemporary living. Through literature review on living, urbanization, functional nomadism, and digitalization, analysis of urban agriculture aspects focusing on community gardens, and participation in a Tokyo workshop, design scenarios were simulated.
Urban–rural linkageCommunityPolicyInformal Urban Green Space: Residents’ Perception, Use, and Management Preferences across Four Major Japanese Shrinking Cities
2017Christoph Rupprecht · Land · Japan
This study analyzed residents' perceptions, use, and management preferences for informal urban green spaces (IGS) in four major shrinking Japanese cities (Sapporo, Nagano, Kyoto, and Kitakyushu) using a large online survey of 1000 residents. Residents viewed IGS as a common element of the urban landscape, but their evaluation was mixed. Recreation and urban agriculture were preferred over redevelopment and non-management, and for participatory management, residents emphasized the need for city administration to mediate usage and liability, along with financial and non-financial support. Approximately 10% of residents expressed willingness to participate in management activities.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkage