Urban Agriculture Research Articles

Numerical and experimental pseudo-static study on block arrangement effects in traditional dry-stone walls for out-of-plane mechanical behavior evaluation

In Lima’s slopes, the absence of urban planning has led to housing built on backfills contained by traditional dry-stone retaining walls, called “pircas,” which pose high seismic risk. A previous study [1], which combined numerical and experimental analyses, evaluated pircas through pseudo-static tests that reflected common construction methods in Lima’s eastern region. One recommendation from that study was to explore effective stone arrangements to enhance the seismic performance of pircas. Consequently, this study aims to examine how the construction process, particularly the arrangement of stones, impacts the out-of-plane behavior of pircas. The research focuses on identifying construction-feasible configurations that can effectively improve their seismic performance. For this purpose, natural-scale pseudo-static experimental studies and numerical modeling using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) were carried out. The experimental campaign consisted of nine pseudo-static tests on different wall arrangements. The pseudo-static numerical study included seventy wall arrangements. The geometry of the blocks was simplified to eliminate this component from the analysis, which focused on the arrangement of the wall. The numerical and experimental results showed the same trend. The study has demonstrated that the current construction technique can be significantly improved by regularly incorporating through-stones—tie stones that pass through the entire cross-section of the wall—and considering a cross-section with overlap. This approach leads to an increase of up to 50% in lateral strength compared to current practices, verifying the effectiveness of through-stones. The study does not intend to endorse the use of pirca for urban habitation in high seismic sectors. However, these traditional walls can be recommended for slope stability, environmental mitigation, urban agriculture, and protection of natural areas.

Potential Analysis of the Application of Fuzzy Logic in the Optimization of Pak Choi Hydroponic Cultivation: A Literature Study on Plant Growth Support System

The rapid urbanization and increasing population density in Indonesia have led to a reduction in available land for traditional agriculture, particularly in urban centers. In response to this challenge, urban farming, including hydroponic cultivation, has emerged as a viable solution to meet the food needs of urban communities. This study explores the potential application of fuzzy logic in optimizing hydroponic cultivation practices, focusing on the growth of pak choi plants. Pak choi, a popular vegetable in Indonesia, offers numerous health benefits and is well-suited for hydroponic cultivation. By analyzing relevant literature, this research investigates the influence of water pH and temperature on pak choi plant growth and develops a fuzzy expert system based on Mamdani's method. The study prepares data on optimal temperature and pH ranges for pak choi cultivation and establishes fuzzy sets for water temperature, water pH level, and plant height. The findings provide insights into the effects of water pH and temperature on pak choi plant growth and demonstrate the potential of fuzzy logic in optimizing hydroponic cultivation practices. This research contributes to the advancement of agricultural technology and offers practical solutions for sustainable urban farming.

Larval habitat diversity, physicochemical characterization and their effect on the density of larval malaria vectors in the city of Accra, Ghana.

Malaria is more prevalent in rural areas due to fewer mosquito breeding habitats in urban settings. However, urban factors such as irrigated farming, open sewers, and discarded containers create mosquito breeding sites. This study investigates the diversity and distribution of larval habitats and the impact of physicochemical characteristics on the presence and density of Anopheles gambiae s.l. larvae in Accra, Ghana. Larval surveys and collections were conducted at fifteen locations in Accra, divided into five categories: Irrigated Urban Farming (IUF), Lower Socioeconomic Status (LS), Middle Socioeconomic Status (MS), High Socioeconomic Status (HS), and Peri-urban (PU) areas. Physicochemical parameters were measured, and species identification was performed using morphological and molecular methods. A total of 727 breeding habitats were identified, with 65.34% (475/727) positive for Anopheles larvae. Drainage ditches were the most common habitat type (48.21%, 229/475). The highest abundance of An. gambiae s.l. was found in IUF sites (6,244/22,919), especially during the rainy season (77.01%, 17,650/22,919; R2 = 3.46, P = 0.000). Polluted habitats, including household effluents, had higher ammonium levels (3.4 mg/L NH -N) compared to unpolluted ones (1.3 mg/L NH -N). Other distinguishing parameters included dissolved oxygen (34% vs 52.9%), conductivity (5106 μS/cm vs 2049 μS/cm), and total dissolved solids (3181 mg/L vs 1255 mg/L). The predominant malaria vector was An. coluzzii(54.4%, 368/677). Additionally, the invasive An. stephensi, previously unreported in Ghana, was detected. Malaria vectors breed in diverse and often polluted urban habitats, with high larval densities in urban agricultural areas. The detection of the invasive An. Stephensi highlights the need for continuous monitoring and vector control strategies in urban settings.

Agricultural City – its Formal Shape in the Light of Historic Theoretical Designs and Emerging Technologies

The progressive degradation of environment and urban sprawl inspired the search for alternative ways of urban development. In this context, the concept of a “regenerative city” has gained significant traction in the field. It encompasses a variety of principles and strategies to ensure that cities can function sustainably and do not just consume resources but also actively regenerate them. In this context, the role of urban farming is particularly relevant. Urban farming, as a multifunctional tool, can contribute to food security, ecological sustainability, community resilience, and social cohesion. By integrating nature into the very fabric of urban design and ensuring that cities can sustainably support their inhabitants, we move closer to a vision of cities that are not just places of residence but thriving ecosystems in their own right. To achieve this goal we need not invent urban theories de novo. Throughout the decades, researchers have proposed cities encompassing agrarian land. The present study aims to present three lesser-known theories of W. Czerny, L. Zimowski and O. Hansen on the backdrop of theories by i.e. L. Migge, F.L. Wright, particularly focusing on the role of agriculture within city framework and their implications for the built structure of cities in the future.

Urban Agriculture: Exploring Its Potential, Challenges, and Socio-Economic Impacts

Urban agriculture, the practice of growing and cultivating food within urban and peri-urban areas, has garnered increasing attention in recent years due to its potential to address various challenges related to food security, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic development. This review article provides a comprehensive exploration of urban agriculture, examining its multifaceted potential, the challenges it faces, and its socio-economic impacts in greater detail. The article delves into the diverse forms of urban agriculture, ranging from rooftop gardens and community allotments to vertical farming and aquaponics, highlighting their contributions to local food production, green spaces, and community cohesion. Additionally, the review discusses the challenges and constraints associated with urban agriculture in more depth, including issues related to land availability, soil contamination, water management, and regulatory hurdles. Furthermore, it examines the socio-economic impacts of urban agriculture with a nuanced perspective, exploring how it can lead to improved access to fresh produce, job creation, poverty alleviation, and social empowerment at both individual and community levels. By shedding light on the complexities of urban agriculture and providing a more comprehensive analysis of its potential and challenges, this review aims to inform policymakers, urban planners, researchers, and practitioners about the transformative potential of urban agriculture and the need for supportive policies and interventions to foster its sustainable growth and maximize its benefits for urban communities, the review dives deeper into the various forms of urban agriculture, providing detailed insights into their unique characteristics, benefits, and challenges. Rooftop gardens, for example, are explored not only for their contribution to local food production but also for their role in mitigating urban heat island effects, improving air quality, and enhancing building energy efficiency. Community allotments are examined in the context of social cohesion, community engagement, and opportunities for education and skill-building. Vertical farming and aquaponics are discussed in terms of their innovative technologies, resource efficiency, and potential scalability to meet the growing demand for fresh produce in urban areas, the review delves into the challenges and constraints associated with urban agriculture, offering nuanced analyses of their underlying causes and potential solutions. Land availability issues are examined in relation to urban sprawl, land-use planning policies, and competing demands for space in densely populated cities. Soil contamination concerns are explored in light of industrial legacies, brownfield redevelopment, and strategies for soil remediation and regeneration. Water management challenges are discussed in the context of water scarcity, pollution, and the need for sustainable irrigation practices in urban agriculture. Regulatory hurdles are analyzed in terms of their impact on the viability and scalability of urban agriculture initiatives, highlighting the importance of supportive policy frameworks, zoning regulations, and land-use planning strategies. the review provides a comprehensive examination of the socio-economic impacts of urban agriculture, drawing on empirical evidence from case studies and research findings. It explores how urban agriculture can contribute to improved food access and nutrition outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations living in food deserts and low-income neighborhoods.

Analysis of urban households’ perception and factors that influence participation in urban agriculture in Kumasi, Ghana

The agricultural sector in Ghana heavily relies on rural farmers, but burgeoning population growth and rapid urbanisation, driven by the pursuit of higher incomes, pose challenges to food security. The increasing demand for agricultural products has outpaced production, resulting in a heightened dependence on imports. To address these challenges, urban agriculture emerges as a potential solution. This study examines the dynamics of urban farming participation by surveying 363 urban farming households in Ghana. The study uses descriptive statistics, perception index analysis, and regression analysis to find that urban agriculture participation is 59.8 %, depending on factors like household size and length of time in the current residence. Urban households generally perceive urban agriculture positively, associating it with increased income and improved food accessibility. The majority of participants focus on food production (89.86 %), with a notable portion also incorporating livestock farming (45.78 %). Primary purposes include household consumption (97.74 %) and commercial use (38.95 %). Binary logistic regression identifies set of contributors to participation, such as household size, income, available land, time availability, and positive perceptions of backyard gardening. The study recommends governmental intervention, emphasising policy formulation and regulation by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, alongside zoning regulations that integrate urban agriculture into infrastructure planning for sustainable development.

Maintenance strategy for urban micro wind farm considering maintenance route and resource allocation

Emerging urban wind farms (UMWF) are becoming increasingly prevalent, and optimizing maintenance strategy for UMWF has become crucial for reducing costs and improving wind power efficiency. This research formulates an optimization problem of UMWF by considering the maintenance route and resources. To solve this problem, firstly, the Efficient Maintenance Value (EMF) is proposed as an objective function to measure the maintenance value, based on which a novel Random Variable Neighborhood Descent and Cuckoo Search-based Hybrid Discretized Artificial Fish Swarm Algorithm (RVNDCS-HDAFSA) is proposed to search the optimal maintenance strategy. Experiments are conducted to verify the local search capabilities of the hybrid algorithm, and extensive comparison experiments with the other algorithms are conducted at different scales to validate the effectiveness of the RVNDCS-HDAFSA algorithm; the result of the comparison experiments and the ANOVA shows that the HDAFSA demonstrates a superior capability in solving the medium-scale and large-scale problems compared to the existing algorithm. In conclusion, the practical application experiments validate the effectiveness of our proposed approach.

Enhancing Urban Climate Resistance Through the Application of Selected Strategies and Technologies

Adapting cities for climate resilience is crucial as climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. This study outlines a comprehensive set of resilience strategies aimed at enhancing urban resilience across four key domains: water, food, shelter, and energy. These strategies, applicable to both new and existing neighborhoods, range from simple, short-term measures to complex, long-term initiatives. A three-pronged evaluation framework, consisting of three platforms, is introduced to assess these strategies where criteria are initially selected based on their impact on strategy adoption and implementation. This framework employs hypothetical scores and weights that can be adjusted for specific urban contexts through detailed studies. Key outcomes of the evaluation conducted in the first platform include a systematic method to rank strategies based on six criteria: cost, infrastructure impact, scalability, regulatory and zoning challenges, community acceptance, and maintenance needs. For example, community gardens and rainwater harvesting systems are highly scalable and accepted, whereas green roofs require more investment and maintenance. The second and third platform of the framework facilitate the identification of strategies that enhance resilience across each of the resilience domains, as well as across several domains. The results highlight the top-performing strategies under different weighted scenarios. Strategies like green roofs strategy scores high in domains like water management, due to its capacity to absorb and manage stormwater, and energy, by providing natural insulation that reduces heating and cooling demands. Additionally, green roofs contribute to food production when utilized for urban agriculture and enhance shelter by improving building durability and increasing biodiversity This data-driven framework supports the strategic prioritization of resilience strategies, enhancing urban planning and investment decisions globally. Its modularity ensures adaptability to diverse urban settings and climatic issues.

Determination of selected phenolic compounds from Malaysian urban farming community

Urban farming in communities especially around the city has been highlighted by the Malaysia government under Under National Physical Plan Policy in order to promote food sovereignty by citizens. It is also a crucial strategy to support the agenda for national food security. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the scientific information on major phenolic compounds which include quercetin, protocatechuic acid, and gallic acid from existing vegetables in Malaysian urban farming communities. The collected vegetables consist of leafy and non-leafy types. The detection of the phenolic compounds was carried out using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. Standard phenolic compounds were used as reference material to determine their content in the samples using the calibration curve method. Based on the data obtained, mostly all the collected vegetables from urban farming communities consist of the targeted major phenolic compounds. Leaf mustard possesses the highest content of quercetin, protocatechuic acid, and gallic acid recorded at values of 20.32, 19.60, and 78.23 µg/g, respectively compared to others. Pak choi possess the second highest content of quercetin with the value of 20.13 µg/g, while okra for total phenolic acids with value of 43.10 µg/g. Overall, from the data, it is suggested that leaf mustard could be an important vegetable to be planted under urban farming besides other types of vegetables.

Seasonal environmental cooling benefits of urban green and blue spaces in arid regions

Green and blue spaces are vital for mitigating urban heat island impacts but are poorly studied in arid regions. In this study, we quantify monthly and seasonal cooling for five contrasting types of green and blue infrastructure (GBI): rivers, lakes, "captured" agricultural areas, urban parks, and golf courses in the Cairo and Giza provinces of Egypt. Using Landsat-8 images of Land Surface Temperature (LST) we assessed change in LST along bisecting transects and in circle plots for three replicates of each GBI type, in each of four seasons. Cooling was greatest in summer for all GBI types. Cooling differentials of LST were greater for water bodies than for green spaces. Ordered by increasing cooling potential (May LST cooling) they were: Agricultural areas (3.3 °C), Golf courses (4.3 °C), Parks (4.4 °C), Lakes (8.2 °C) and Rivers (12.2 °C). The cooling effects extending into adjacent buffer areas were greatest for blue spaces like rivers and lakes. This paper provides the first data for cooling by less-studied GBI types in arid regions, such as golf courses and urban agriculture. It provides information to support city planners to embrace green and blue spaces within metropolitan areas and to protect them from urban sprawl.

Going with the food flow: The contribution of urban agriculture to a growing African city

ABSTRACT Sub-Saharan Africa's rapid urban growth is causing a decline in urban agricultural land, reducing access to healthy local food for citizens. This paper quantitatively and spatially describes the contribution of urban and peri-urban producers to the availability and accessibility of fresh leafy vegetables in the growing city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Based on over 700 surveys with food vendors and consumers, as well as ethnographic research with farmers, we show how a total of 70 per cent of all amaranth consumed in Dar es Salaam was found to be produced within the city. With an average distance travelled from farm to fork of 11 km, leafy vegetables have a strongly localised foodshed. The results show the ongoing significance of urban areas in meeting their own food demands, emphasising the necessity to explicitly integrate food provisioning in the planning of growing African cities.

Cultivating Urban Agriculture Policies: Local Government Entrepreneurs’ Strategies in Three Brazilian Cities

Urban agriculture (UA) is increasingly recognized in policy and academic discussions for its potential to promote sustainable food systems and reduce food insecurity. Due to their proximity to citizens, local governments are well-positioned to advance these initiatives. However, the factors that drive governments in densely populated cities to develop UA policies remain relatively understudied, especially in the Global South. To address this gap, we employ a comparative case study approach based on key informant interviews and documents to examine how local government actors pursue UA policies in the Brazilian cities of Recife, Rio de Janeiro, and Curitiba. We find that certain municipal bureaucrats act as “policy entrepreneurs,” emerging as pivotal figures in creating, maintaining, and adapting municipal UA policies in Brazilian cities. These policy entrepreneurs use a number of strategies to advance their policy preferences, secure resources, and legitimize their actions within the public administration. These approaches include collaborating with civil society, forging partnerships within and outside of government, framing their proposals within international policy guidelines, and leveraging media coverage and external recognition. In doing so, policy entrepreneurs shape UA policies by introducing new programs, making them resilient to changes related to electoral turnover, and diversifying initiatives from direct government support for gardeners to, for example, incorporating UA into urban planning regulations. This article thus provides valuable insights for policymakers and underscores the crucial role of local government bureaucrats, particularly those acting as policy entrepreneurs, in shaping policies that contribute to making cities sustainable.

Urban agriculture matters for sustainable development

Urban agriculture can contribute to sustainable development. However, a holistic investigation is lacking to comprehend its positive and negative impacts on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our systematic analysis of around 1,450 relevant publications on urban agriculture, screened from 76,000 records, fills this gap. We map and analyze the text in the literature for each SDG target and its associated positive or negative sentiments. Here, we report our results highlighting that urban agriculture is linked to all SDGs, with 142 and 136 targets having positive and negative sentiments. The mapped positive sentiments are around double the negative ones. We identify six leveraging opportunities urban agriculture provides for sustainable transformation with four hurdles to be resolved. Urban agriculture does not inherently contribute to sustainability. Its impacts rely on the adoption of specific practices. Realizing urban agriculture's social, economic, and environmental functions to accelerate SDG progress requires tackling the hurdles.

Practising urban agriculture positively influences household organic waste management habits: A quantitative study from Florianópolis, Brazil.

Proper household organic waste management practices are crucial to limit the negative environmental and health impacts that can result from inappropriate municipal waste treatment. The environmental impacts of organic waste have previously been described in the literature, and the main treatment strategy for managing such waste relies on technical facilities such as biodigesters. However, such technologies require significant financial investments, which could hinder their application in areas with lower economic power. Among the several available organic waste treatment strategies, composting for urban agricultural (UA) use has become increasingly popular. Although the literature suggests that UA can contribute to organic waste management by encouraging self-treatment practices, investigations into how practising UA can influence household waste management behaviours have been limited thus far. To this end, we analyse the role of practising UA along with other demographic variables, such as age, gender, education, income and housing conditions, in influencing citizens' household organic waste management behaviours. The city of Florianópolis, Brazil was selected as a case study since that municipality recently passed a new organic waste regulation law that supports the use of organic compost in UA. We surveyed 206 individuals regarding their household organic waste management habits in four behavioural areas: (i) separation, (ii) use of public services, (iii) self-treatment and (iv) reduction. The dataset comprises 102 individuals who were actively engaged in UA activities and 104 who were not involved in UA to compare habits of the two groups. The results show that UA practitioners are more likely to separate and self-treat their organic waste and use the derived compost for gardening activities. The use of public facilities for organic waste management is influenced by people's housing conditions. Respondents who lived in an apartment with no access to a garden logically had a lower willingness than did those with garden access to self-treat the organic waste produced. On the other hand, the results show that UA practitioners compost their own organic waste regardless of their housing conditions. The results show a strong, positive influence of practising UA on self-composting and thereby highlight the role of such practices in sensitizing urban residents to waste management issues and supporting local organic waste management strategies. Although the debate over the role of UA in organic waste management is still open, we reveal that highlighting this role could support a shift towards a circular approach to organic waste treatment.

Urban Agriculture and Food Security in Development Planning

With the world population anticipated to reach over nine billion in 2050, and the majority of whom will live in cities, feeding a predominantly urban population will pose additional challenges to a predominantly rural-based agrifood system. Further, with the focus of economic activity being centered in cities, a development question is whether agriculture in cities should be an integral part of national planning. This is particularly when food insecurity is expected to challenge the poor in cities much more than in the countryside. Urban and peri-urban agriculture has been practiced in many parts of the world through activities ranging from community gardens to commercial farms of varying sizes. A major change, accelerated by supply chain disruptions and the COVID-19 pandemic in the early 2020s, has been the rapid development of technologies (digital, physical, biotechnological) that increases food production capabilities in urban areas and provide economic opportunity for entrepreneurship. Additionally, sizable investments from private equity have seen sophisticated food production facilities, such as indoor vertical vegetable and fish farms and precision fermentation factories, produce novel food such as alternative proteins in city spaces. Apart from the economic and food security benefits arising from urban agriculture, environmental and social benefits have also been demonstrated in cities that have adopted a clear mandate to become “green” and reduce their carbon footprints. This paper provides a background on urban farming, its justification as a worthwhile activity, and the rationale for explicitly including urban agriculture in national planning.

Machine learning-based smart irrigation controller for runoff minimization in turfgrass irrigation

Inadequate turfgrass irrigation management poses a significant challenge, resulting in considerable water loss through runoff and the transport of contaminants, ultimately jeopardizing surface and groundwater quality. This study introduces a Machine Learning (ML)-based Decision Support System (DSS) designed to optimize turfgrass irrigation, concurrently minimizing runoff and preserving turfgrass quality. A robust ML classifier, specifically the Radial Basis Function - Support Vector Machine (RBF-SVM) was trained on synthetic data generated through the Monte-Carlo (MC) technique, which was then used to specify a set of irrigation rules implemented in the irrigation controller. The synthetic data were derived from observations collected from irrigation plots at the Texas A&M University Turfgrass Laboratory in Texas, United States, with Soil Wetting Efficiency Index (SWEI) serving as the target variable. When tested against a commercially available irrigation controller, the ML-based controller significantly reduced runoff by an average of 74 % while maintaining high Green Cover (GC) in turfgrass, achieving an accuracy of 87 %. These findings highlight the potential of ML-driven irrigation systems to improve water use efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and maintain turf quality. Such systems could be beneficial for urban landscapes, sports fields, and agriculture, helping users conserve water while achieving sustainable turf management.

Assessment of Urban Farming Production, and Contribution to the Households’ Livelihood: A Case of Kigali City and Musanze District

Agriculture plays an important role in the economic growth and food security control in developing countries including Rwanda. This research study was carried out in Kigali and Musanze. Urban farming is one way to best use useless places closed inside household fences, resulting in high yields. Due to their short production cycle, Horticultural crops provide a quick response to emergency food needs, particularly in cities. These species have considerable yields that generate more income for farmers when used appropriately. The main objective of this study was to analyze the factors influencing urban farming production, profitability, and contribution to the households’ livelihoods in Rwanda. The population of interest for this research study constituted smallholder farmers of vegetables and fruits in Kigali and Musanze cities. The sampling unit was the garden household. A multistage sampling technique was employed involving purposive sampling of four districts Gasabo, Kicukiro, Nyarugenge, and Musanze. The study used a sample frame of 1085 population and a sample size of 112 respondents. The results from the study indicated that ten factors over fourteen have a positive influence on urban farming production while four have a negative influence in the study area. The results also showed that the productive fruits grown are classified into five classes indicated in Figure 1. The results of the study revealed different places/methods used to grow vegetables/species and fruits such as bags, baskets and basins, hanging baskets, old wheels, pallet gardens, open ground, trellises, arches, shelves, fences window box walls. The results displayed that the crops do well in small areas/places closed inside the household’s fences. The results proved that urban farming contributed to the social economy through different parts example malnutrition control, money saving, and food security. The results pointed out that urban farming production is constrained by some challenges such as small owned parcels, lack of urban farming knowledge, lack of technologies, period of crop maturity, lack of capital, lack of awareness, habitation system, and infrastructures. However, urban farming development should be enhanced to maintain national food security and improve income for farmers.

Applying the 5Ps of Cultural Ecosystem Services for Urban Agricultural and Natural Resources Programming

Applying the 5Ps of Cultural Ecosystem Services for Urban Agricultural and Natural Resources Programming

Designing a Creative Heritage for a Deep-Tech Start-Up in the Scale-Up Phase

The prospect of solving ‘grand challenges’ through technological innovation justifies the interest shown in deep-tech start-ups. These companies develop technological solutions, which they then seek to implement on a massive scale during their scale-up phase. They nevertheless encounter difficulties at this stage, which starts with the validation of their business model. This research supplements the results reported in the literature on business models in the scale-up phase, with a design-oriented approach, which is better suited to the case of technology companies. Based on intervention research carried out in an urban agriculture deep-tech start-up, an axiomatic design tool is used to highlight the importance of distinguishing between the validation of elements of the business model and their preservation. This ensures that the deep-tech start-up’s subsequent developments are aligned with the goals of resolving major challenges.

Indonesia's urban farming impact on global public health.

Indonesia's urban farming impact on global public health.