Open research questions in Urban Agriculture and Sustainability

What the literature leaves open

• There is a need to study the structural and functional attributes of homegardens across an elevational gradient. The paper aims to fill this gap by providing insights into sustainable land-use strategies.

  Linking biodiversity and carbon stocks in homegardens across an elevational gradient in Nagaland, Northeast India · 2026 · DOI

• The study mentions challenges such as pest predation and infrastructure needs. The farmers noted several difficulties that affected sustainability and productivity across all agroforestry systems. The study highlights the need for effective management plans to address these challenges and enhance rural employment and ecological sustainability.

  Agroforestry systems practised by the Ao Naga tribe of Mokokchung district, Nagaland, India · 2026 · DOI

• The study highlights the need for regulatory bodies to govern the market chain.

  Market chain analysis of smallholder farmers’ Eucalyptus camaldulensis woodlot agroforestry products in Northwestern Ethiopia · 2026 · DOI

• Lack of understanding of the integrated trade-offs between carbon sequestration, economic viability, and opportunity costs in agroforestry systems. Limited comparison of the performance of different agroforestry systems. Need for a framework to evaluate the performance of agroforestry systems that balances competing objectives.

  Carbon–economy trade-offs in agroforestry: an integrated multi-criteria assessment from Nepal’s Churiya Hills · 2026 · DOI

• Another challenge is the substantial gap between the demand and supply of fuel and fodder in the study area.

  Consensus of traditional knowledge and utilization pattern of different agroforestry trees in Bihar, India · 2026 · DOI

• The complexity of agroforestry systems and the need to develop a quantitative measure of their functional importance. The variability in socio-ecological conditions and farmer management practices. The need to balance the trade-offs between different functional uses of plant species.

  Multifunctional Melientha suavis agroforestry systems and plant diversity on a managed forest farming in Thailand · 2026 · DOI

• It highlights the need to address the biophysical constraints of indoor cultivation. It notes that the prevailing imaginary of VPFs in Canada operates as a politics of continuity.

  The allure and delusion of vertical plant factories in Canada and the politics of continuity · 2026 · DOI

• In Nigeria, there is a need to subsidize farming by governmental and non-governmental agencies, particularly for small-scale holders who are the driving forces behind the Nigerian agricultural sector. This could be in the form of government incentives, cheap credit cash subsidies, or rebates which are targeted at CEA technology adoption.

  Impact of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) in Nigeria, a Review of the Future of Farming in Africa · 2025 · DOI

• Future studies should focus on the evaluation of the cost-effectiveness and economic sustainability of CEA in Nigeria’s urban and rural settings to increase understanding of the initial investment cost, operational costs, and long-term financial viability for both small-scale farmers and commercial operators.

  Impact of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) in Nigeria, a Review of the Future of Farming in Africa · 2025 · DOI

• Future research could explore the long-term impacts of ECA adoption and assess how cultural, economic, and environmental factors evolve over time in shaping sustainable agricultural practices in heritage sites like the Ifugao Rice Terraces.

  Balancing Tradition and Innovation: The Role of Environmental Conservation Agriculture in the Sustainability of the Ifugao Rice Terraces · 2025 · DOI

• CFs represent a unique, underrecognized asset for promoting public health in rural areas of the U. These demands, combined with limited research priority and funding, have likely contributed to the absence of a robust literature base. Research on this topic remains sparse for several potential reasons.

  Community Forests and Public Health: A Research Agenda · 2025 · DOI

• Although the benefits of UA as a post-disaster food supply have been widely acknowledged, few studies have conducted in-depth assessments of its actual contribution, particularly in the context of Wellington City. 2, other UA forms—such as private yards—remain underexplored and could significantly improve overall self-sufficiency if incorporated.

  Urban Agriculture for Post-Disaster Food Security: Quantifying the Contributions of Community Gardens · 2025 · DOI

• This study was primarily limited by insufficient data on UA in Wellington and across the broader New Zealand context, highlighting the urgent need for further research.

  Urban Agriculture for Post-Disaster Food Security: Quantifying the Contributions of Community Gardens · 2025 · DOI

• Future research should address these limitations through matched and standardised sampling protocols across peri-urban and non-peri-urban landscapes, allowing a stronger quantitative comparison of knowledge, use, and repertoire composition.

  Wild Food Plant Knowledge and Agroecosystem Resilience Across the Urban–Rural Gradient in Northern Italy · 2026 · DOI

• Conversely, the spatial resolution of the NDVI derived from satellite data enables broader environmental interpretation at the landscape level, although it does not account for variability at the plot level.

  Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Urban Vegetation and Climate Impacts on Market Gardening Systems: Insights from NDVI and Participatory Data in Grand Nokoué, Benin · 2026 · DOI

• Rainwater harvesting costs depend mainly on storage and rainfall patterns, while greywater recycling requires treatment, filtration, and water-quality monitoring. AC condensate recovery may involve moderate operating costs depending on collection layout, pumping demand, treatment requirements, and the building’s cooling profile (Matarneh et al., 2024; Campisano et al., 2017).

  Integrating vertical farming with vertical housing in hot-arid contexts: a socio-spatial, technical, and VR-based design strategy in the UAE · 2026 · DOI

• Through its multiple dimensions, health is an efficient vector to promote agroecology in collective gardens. Natural gardening in a shared plot allows for experiences which foster care for living organisms and acts for the health and protection of the environment.

  Global Health as Vector for Agroecology in Collective Gardens in Toulouse Region (France) · 2025 · DOI

• The study only considered Ward 3 of Kawasoti Municipality, - The sample size was limited to 187 households, - The study was conducted during a single visit in March…

  Tree diversity and determinants of on-farm tree planting in Nepal’s Terai Lowland · 2026 · DOI

• Further studies could explore the ecological and economic benefits of on-farm tree planting, - Research could investigate the impact of climate change on tree diversity and abundance, - Studies could examine the effectiveness of agroforestry extension…

  Tree diversity and determinants of on-farm tree planting in Nepal’s Terai Lowland · 2026 · DOI

• Pest predation, - Infrastructure needs, - Land availability limitations, - Small sample size of 10 farmers from each village, - Limited to three…

  Agroforestry systems practised by the Ao Naga tribe of Mokokchung district, Nagaland, India · 2026 · DOI

• Limited resources such as land, seeds, and agrochemicals, - Economic constraints, including poor market access and price volatility, - Governance gaps such as short-term programs and weak coordination, - Environmental pressures, including wildlife damage, unpredictable rainfall, and climate…

  Improving rural livelihoods through homegarden agroforestry: a case study in Udakiruwa Village, Sri Lanka · 2026 · DOI

• Investigating the impact of climate change on homegarden agroforestry, - Examining the role of homegardens in improving food security, - Studying the effects of urbanization and cultural assimilation on homegarden…

  Improving rural livelihoods through homegarden agroforestry: a case study in Udakiruwa Village, Sri Lanka · 2026 · DOI

• Limited knowledge of alternatives, - Dependence on traditional biomass for energy needs, - Depletion of tree resources, - Environmental degradation and air…

  Consensus of traditional knowledge and utilization pattern of different agroforestry trees in Bihar, India · 2026 · DOI

• Further research could investigate the long-term effects of agroforestry systems on ecosystem degradation, - studies could examine the impact of agroforestry on smallholder livelihoods in different regions, - research could explore the potential of agroforestry to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem…

  Multifunctional Melientha suavis agroforestry systems and plant diversity on a managed forest farming in Thailand · 2026 · DOI

• Examining the long-term sustainability of VPFs - Investigating the social and economic impacts of VPFs on local communities - Studying the environmental effects of large-scale VPF…

  The allure and delusion of vertical plant factories in Canada and the politics of continuity · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Urban Agriculture and Sustainability

• Avoiding the Local Trap · Journal of Planning Education and Research · 2006 · 768 citations
• Urban agriculture, poverty, and food security: Empirical evidence from a sample of developing countries · Food Policy · 2010 · 610 citations
• Urban agriculture of the future: an overview of sustainability aspects of food production in and on buildings · Agriculture and Human Values · 2013 · 529 citations
• Connectedness to nature, place attachment and conservation behaviour: Testing connectedness theory among farmers · Journal of Environmental Psychology · 2010 · 458 citations
• Fruit and Vegetable Intake among Urban Community Gardeners · Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2008 · 395 citations
• Home gardening and urban agriculture for advancing food and nutritional security in response to the COVID-19 pandemic · Food Security · 2020 · 387 citations
• It takes a garden: Cultivating citizen-subjects in organized garden projects · Geoforum · 2007 · 363 citations
• Contributing to food security in urban areas: differences between urban agriculture and peri-urban agriculture in the Global North · Agriculture and Human Values · 2015 · 355 citations
• Culturing community development, neighborhood open space, and civic agriculture: The case of Latino community gardens in New York City · Agriculture and Human Values · 2004 · 351 citations
• Placing the food system on the urban agenda: The role of municipal institutions in food systems planning · Agriculture and Human Values · 1999 · 350 citations

Most recent work

• Nature-Based Solutions for Resilience: A Global Review of Ecosystem Services from Urban Forests and Cover Crops · Diversity · 2026
• Periurban agrifood systems as high-priority sustainability challenges · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · 2026
• Governing non-grain production of farmland: A differentiated strategy based on grain production loss risk · Land Use Policy · 2026
• Co-creating resilient community food systems: A systems approach using group model building · Health & Place · 2026
• A social-ecological approach to understanding urban food systems · Ecology and Society · 2026
• Evolutionary game analysis of resource sharing and waste management synergies in peri-urban agriculture for sustainable smallholder farming systems · Discover Sustainability · 2026
• Role of agrobiodiversity in indigenous homegarden agroforestry systems of the eastern himalayas in enhancing food security · Agroforestry Systems · 2026
• Urban agriculture in India: mapping its landscape and sustainability and well-being outcomes · Local Environment · 2026
• Urban and peri-urban agriculture as a climate-adaptive nature-based solution: A framework for implementation in Latin America and the Caribbean · Urban forestry & urban greening · 2026
• Landowner Perspectives on Large‐Scale Solar Leasing: Decision‐Making and Agricultural Implications in Rural New York State · Rural Sociology · 2026

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