Planetary health risks in urban agriculture

Urban agriculture is gaining recognition for its potential contributions to environmental resilience and climate change adaptation,providing advantages such as urban greening,reduced heat island effects,and decreased air pollution.Moreover,it indirectly supports communities during weather events and natural disasters,ensuring food security and fostering community cohesion.However,concerns about planetary health risks persist in highly urbanized and climate-affected areas.Employing electronic databases such as Web of Science and PubMed and adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines,we identified 55 relevant papers to comprehend the planetary health risks associated with urban agriculture,The literature review identified five distinct health risks related to urban agriculture:(1)trace metal risks in urban farms;(2)health risks associated with wastewater irrigation;(3)zoonotic risks;(4)other health risks;and(5)social and economic risks.The study highlights that urban agriculture,while emphasizing environmental benefits,particularly raises concerns about trace metal bioaccumulation in soil and vegetables,posing health risks for populations.Other well studied risks included wastewater irrigation and backyard livestock farming.The main limitations in the available literature were in studying infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance associated with urban agriculture.

Between food fulfillment and income:Can urban agriculture contribute to both?

Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO)is appealing for a global implementation of urban agricultural strate-gies to increase food availability.Bandung,a city in Indonesia,is already participating in this initiative.This research aimed to assess the contribution of urban agriculture toward household food fulfillment and income.Furthermore,the impacts on urban,subsistence,semi-commercial,and commercial agriculture were considered.In-depth interviews to obtain qualitative data and observations were also utilized.A survey of 321 households,consisting of 107 for each urban agricultural type,used questionnaires to obtain quantitative data.These inputs were further analyzed to determine the contribution of household food fulfillment and income.The results showed that average urban agriculture has an insignificant and significant contribution of 9%and 41.5%to household food fulfillment and income.This was due to the vast complexities of metropolitan problems,including limited access to land,lack of participation,dependence on on-market products,and increasing commercialization which opposed urban agricultural policies。

Drivers of Innovative Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture in Bamenda City, Cameroon

Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) is gaining increasing importance in developing countries, due to rapid urbanization and rising rural-to-urban migration which has led to an increase in the population of the urban poor in Cameroon. It has been estimated that at least 70% of the total population of Cameroon will be living in urban areas by 2060. Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) has become an important source of livelihood and survival, especially amongst the urban poor but is not adequately recognized and supported by the government of Cameroon and organizations. Recent innovations in UPA have created new opportunities for social, economic, and environmental sustainability of urban areas, hence possible policy formulation in UPA. Therefore, this study was conducted with the main objective of determining the drivers of innovative urban and peri-urban agriculture in Bamenda City, Cameroon. Methodologically, the study employed probit model, using primary data collected from a sample of 402 UPA farmers through the cluster, simple random, and snowball sampling techniques. The results revealed that access to extension services is a major driver of innovative UPA in Bamenda City and is statistically significant at 1%. Other factors such as employment status (full time), age group (26 to 50 years), and gender, were also seen to have a significant positive influence on innovative UPA while the level of education (secondary) had a negative influence on innovative UPA and was statistically significant at 5%. Limited capital, limited knowledge, and financial constraints were identified as the major challenges hindering the practice of innovative urban and peri-urban agriculture in Bamenda City. The study recommends that the government and non-governmental organizations should increase the quality and quantity of extension service delivery to urban and peri-urban farmers, and more recognition and support should be offered to them to help overcome the challenges faced.

Discussion on Planning of Overall Urban Agriculture Park

The urban agriculture park plan involves urban plan, agricultural plan, eco- logical plan, tourism plan and land plan, which can be further divided into strategic plan, general plan and detail plan to explore related issues. With social develop- ment, urban agricultural park is playing an increasingly important role in promoting agricultural and rural development, protecting nearby area farmlands and maintaining sustainable development, as well as an important part of government research. Based on status quo of urban agricultural park in China, basic characters were summarized and frameworks of urban agricultural park with Chinese characteristics were proposed, including early-stage research, prospect exploration, spatial planning, industry planning and guarantees, of which spatial planning and industry planning are highlights.

Cluster Development of Zhengzhou Urban Agriculture Based on Diamond Model

Based on basic theory of Diamond Model,this paper analyzes the competitive power of Zhengzhou urban agriculture from production factors,demand conditions,related and supporting industries,business strategies and structure,and horizontal competition.In line with these situations,it introduces that the cluster development is an effective approach to lifting competitive power of Zhengzhou urban agriculture.Finally,it presents following countermeasures and suggestions:optimize spatial distribution for cluster development of urban agriculture;cultivate leading enterprises and optimize organizational form of urban agriculture;energetically develop low-carbon agriculture to create favorable ecological environment for cluster development of urban agriculture.

Challenges and Opportunities in Developing Beijing Modern Urban Agriculture

We analyze development situations of Beijing modern urban agriculture from agricultural distribution,agricultural foundation and agricultural industrial system.Our research on challenges and opportunities of Beijing modern urban agriculture indicates that challenges include short of resources,deterioration of environment,and high production cost,and opportunities include large market space,advanced agricultural industrial experience and many other development opportunities.On the basis of these,we put forward development thought of Beijing modern urban agriculture in " the Twelfth Five Plan" period.We must improve foundation,integration and demonstration of agriculture;orient towards market and satisfy medium and high end market demands;actively cultivate and strengthen agricultural industrial level;create unique product brand;and raise added value of agricultural products.

Urban Agriculture:A Transitional Mechanism for Reducing Environmental Degradation and Fossil Fuel over Dependence

With the increasing population in the urban cities of the world,the demand for food from distant areas has been on the rise but at the expense of scarce natural resources like oil,water and forest,etc.However,producing food locally in urban centers provides a sustainable mechanism of reducing the carbon,food or ecological footprints of these cities in particular and environmental degradation in general.It creates a circular metabolic system in which the natural inputs are efficiently harnessed rather than the linear metabolic system in which resources flow in and wastes flow out.This article analyzes some urban agricultural local initiatives in urban centers of the worlds that promote a circular metabolic systems and proposes the procedure that can be adopted to promote urban agriculture.

Research on the Urban Agriculture Planning Models of Metropolis:A Case Study of Chengdu

With the accelerating urbanization, ecological environment of the city has attracted increasing attention, so the resulting problems have become key research focuses in all countries. Against this background, urban agriculture has been applied as one of the effective approaches for relieving urbanization. From the perspective of industrial form of urban agriculture, planning models of urban agriculture were explored, industrial form and planning model of Chengdu urban agriculture were analyzed to forecast its development prospects. Multi-dimensional development, and sustainable development measures were given to guarantee the sustainable development of urban agriculture.

Paths for Increasing Effective Input to Urban Agriculture

The problem of insufficient agricultural input has been restricting China's agricultural development. When the expansion of the use of capital has become a bottleneck restricting the agricultural development,the effective use of agricultural input resources will become an important way to increase agricultural input. Through building the value chain of interactive development between urban agriculture and other industries,it is expected to promote the reasonable allocation of resources,realize the conservation of resources and increase the efficiency of resource utilization,and promote the urban agricultural input to become an effective input. In this way,it can realize the transformation of agricultural development and the innovation of financing method of urban agriculture.

Past, Present and Future of Urban Agriculture in Cameroon: Major Contemporary Challenges (1993-2017)

In the 21st Century, Food and Agricultural stakes are sinuously rushing in a difficult legible heading. Crossing a transitory phase period between Agriculture, Traditional, Urban and Modern, the affirmation of a conquering alimentary identity and Nationalist openings is confuse with an Extraordinary Demographic Period of human scale history. Millions of people are worried about the innovation of urban agriculture for food and health security. Food education at the confines of the world’s greatest stakes proves necessary, since the order oneself retreat combines with the passion of solidarity and social progress, advance in technology, facilitating our life at same time generating new threats for citizenship. In this Article, we propose another way of reading the heterogeneous world of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Not only for Historians but also by associating Scientific Relations of Social and Human Researchers. Such a step is necessary to endorse the word of reading, for comparism and review of an agriculture in full mutation. It also instigates by referring to History, Social force, Economic stakes and Diplomatic globalization food teste, intention and invention, which change with the everyday society. You will find out that analysis done in this article are sometime completely done events through original texts, assembled around the five fundamental notions: International Relations and Geopolitical Agriculture of yesterday;Yesterday Urban Economic Agriculture;Environmental and Food Climate Stakes, Science and Culture adapted to agriculture and food mutations.

Advances in greenhouse automation and controlled environment agriculture:A transition to plant factories and urban agriculture

Greenhouse cultivation has evolved from simple covered rows of open-fields crops to highly sophisticated controlled environment agriculture(CEA)facilities that projected the image of plant factories for urban agriculture.The advances and improvements in CEA have promoted the scientific solutions for the efficient production of plants in populated cities and multi-story buildings.Successful deployment of CEA for urban agriculture requires many components and subsystems,as well as the understanding of the external influencing factors that should be systematically considered and integrated.This review is an attempt to highlight some of the most recent advances in greenhouse technology and CEA in order to raise the awareness for technology transfer and adaptation,which is necessary for a successful transition to urban agriculture.This study reviewed several aspects of a high-tech CEA system including improvements in the frame and covering materials,environment perception and data sharing,and advanced microclimate control and energy optimization models.This research highlighted urban agriculture and its derivatives,including vertical farming,rooftop greenhouses and plant factories which are the extensions of CEA and have emerged as a response to the growing population,environmental degradation,and urbanization that are threatening food security.Finally,several opportunities and challenges have been identified in implementing the integrated CEA and vertical farming for urban agriculture.

Controlled Environment Agriculture and Its Ability to Mitigate Food Insecurity

The research objective of this review is to discuss the rationale that led to the development of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and investigate this agricultural approach as a potential solution to mitigate the increased pressures on food security. It describes the need for urban cultivation systems using controlled environments and how they can be harnessed to address pressures facing food security. The factors that have contributed to the growth of CEAs, education, environmental justice, and the advantages and disadvantages of growing crops in CEAs in urban areas will be discussed. The article reviews global urban cultivation systems using controlled environments, by identifying the technologies needed to establish them. The practice of CEA is being increasingly adopted worldwide and we describe urban agriculture and compare it with traditional growing systems. Indoor farming systems that integrate into existing urban infrastructure such as vertical farming and plant factories using CEAs are discussed. Indoor farming gives urban areas enhanced access to food sources, but the cost is high, however decreasing due to recent technological advances. The current review extends the literature by incorporating recent research on the topic of agriculture in urban areas and food security. This review seeks to provide additional information regarding the viability of CEA in urban areas.

GREENBOX Horticulture, an Alternative Avenue of Urban Food Production

In response to the pressure on food security caused by rising global population and urbanization, the Yang Laboratory at the University of Connecticut has developed the so-called GREENBOX technology that allows crop growth in individual climate-controlled boxes in urban warehouse environments and other enclosed structures. A GREENBOX unit is a thermally insulated modular structure with LED artificial lighting, soilless (hydroponic) cultivation platform, and complete environmental controls. Multiple GREENBOX units can be integrated into a large production system at various scales. This study evaluated the applicability of the GREENBOX technology in the urban warehouse environment by studying the environmental parameters and productivity. We carried greenhouse growth simultaneously for reference. We grew Butterhead Rex lettuce (Lactuca sativa) over 30-day growing cycles in summer (July-August, 2020) and winter (December, 2020-January, 2021) in an experimental greenhouse and two protocol GREENBOX units located in the high ceiling headhouse of the experimental greenhouse at Storrs, Connecticut. We collected environmental data, including light, temperature, and relative humidity and crop growth data, including wet and dry biomass in the two production systems. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the environmental and biomass data. Results indicated that the GREENBOX could provide desired environmental conditions to sustain crop growth over summer and winter. The Daily Light Integral, controllable at the grower’s discretion, in the GREENBOX, ranged between 32.48 - 36.70 mol/m2·d at crop canopy height. The mean daily temperature and relative humidity in the GREENBOX fell within the optimal ranges of 17˚C - 29˚C and 40% - 60%, respectively. Regardless of seasons, lettuce crops were all healthy and grew to full size over the 30-day cycle. Measured productivity followed similar patterns, similar across both growing locations but higher over summer than winter for both systems. Our study indicated that the GREENBOX technology has a high potential in urban horticulture because it does not require arable land like greenhouses and can utilize existing urban structures for sustainable food production.

The Value and Development Modes of Vernacular Aesthetic Education of Urban Agricultural Landscape

Aesthetic education not only exists in the classroom,but also in the urban living environment.The development of this environmental aesthetic education function is often accompanied by the development and change of urban landscape.Urban agricultural landscape is an organic part of modern urban landscape.It is different from machines or buildings in general urban production and life.Its local aesthetic value should be fully recognized and excavated.This is mainly reflected in the beauty of traditional agricultural skills,agricultural landscapes,and agricultural activities.At the same time,according to the different ways of interaction between people and the environment(ways of receiving aesthetic education),the development mode of vernacular aesthetic education of urban agricultural landscape can be divided into three:viewing mode,short-time contact,and long-time immersion.

Health Risks Assessment in Three Urban Farms of Paris Region for Different Scenarios of Urban Agricultural Users:A Case of Soil Trace Metals Contamination

Within the context of a worldwide emergence of various forms of urban agriculture, there is a growing awareness concerning the health risks associated to the presence of different pollutants influencing the urban products safety. Among the most common pollutants found in soils and vegetables grown in the city, Trace Metals (TM’s) are of major concern. This paper deals with risks assessment associated with the presence of TM’s in soil, via two main exposure path ways: soil and vegetables ingestions. Risks assessments were conducted for various types of real scenarios encountered in three forms of urban farms near Paris (Ile-de-France Region). The farms have soil TM’s levels in abnormally high concentrations (Pb (Lead), Cd (Cadmium), Hg (Mercury), Cu (Copper) and Zn (Zinc) contents higher than geochemical backgrounds and threshold values for sludge spreading, often used as reference values in France). The results of the Hazard Quotient (HQ)-based risk assessment approach (HQ defined as the ratio of estimated daily intake/tolerable daily intake) show that the most risky scenarios concern urban farmers (HQtot = 1.02, because of the on-site working on a daily basis all year round), children gardeners (HQtot = 1.29) and regular children consumers (HQtot = 1.6 in maximalist scenario, where the consumer would exclusively consume the vegetables of the farm). Next would be the adult gardener scenario (HQtot= 0.9), while the least risky are adult consumer scenarios (HQtot = 0.62) and the farm workers (HQtot = 0.45). For the highest risk scenarios (urban farmers and children), specific and drastic measures may be considered, such as reducing the site frequentation by sensitive populations (child and pregnant women) or proceeding to control analysis of TM’s levels in blood for the most exposed peoples. The choice of parameters used in HQ-based method must be appropriated to the specificities of urban agricultural activities. The uncertainties in the choice of some parameters such as soil ingestion, vegetable intake and exposure frequency could result in an over- or under-estimation of the risk.

Reflection on Popular Concepts of Landscape Design

Guided by the values of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature,methods and concepts such as“biodiversity”,“sponge cities”,and“urban agriculture”have become popular.These methods and concepts are indisputable as a value orientation.But if conditional truth is promoted nationwide as unconditional truth,it will inevitably move from one extreme to the other.Starting from specific issues and practical experience,combined with the regional differences in the natural conditions,social customs and climate environment,the four popular viewpoints of“urban agriculture”,“biodiversity”,“local characteristics”,and“sponge cities”are reflected,and their“exclusion”reactions in certain regions are revealed,in order to awaken people’s rational thinking about popular concepts.

The Comparative Performance of Plug Preparation Using Different Fertilizer Sources and Concentrations

Plugs are crucial for initiating crop production in greenhouses, soil, and controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Vegetable, fruiting, ornamental, and other horticultural crops that utilize plugs for production have demonstrated superior transplant establishment rate, plant health, and total yield. The APS Laboratory for Sustainable Food at Florida Gulf Coast University investigated the quality of plugs grown based on different concentrations and fertigation sources using synthetic and organic sources. We carried out the growth of “Rex Butterhead” Lettuce (Latuca sativa) plugs with five different fertigation treatments, 1) full-strength synthetic starter fertilizer solution;2) half-strength synthetic starter fertilizer solution;3) full-strength organic starter fertilizer solution;4) half-strength organic starter fertilizer solution, and 5) no fertilizer for control. Fertilizer treatments were formulated following manufacturer recommendations. The seeds were sown in Oasis® Horticubes and saturated every day with the different fertilizer treatments. The plugs were cultivated for 15 days in a controlled environment until two leaves after the cotyledons had developed. After 15 days, we collected data which included wet weight (g), dry weight (g), leaf area (cm2), and chlorophyll concentration (mg/cm2). In addition, we derived data including the Leaf Area Index (LAI, cm2/cm2) and Specific Leaf Area (SLA, cm2/g). Descriptive statistics were used to describe the biomass data. A Tukey’s HSD test was carried out to understand the differences between the fertilizer sources. We determined there was a statistically significant difference (P = 7.34E−29) in the measured plug growth parameters due to the various fertigation sources. We found that all fertilizer treatments produced viable plugs except for the control treatment. Of all the treatments, we concluded the half-strength organic treatment produced the more vigorous plugs with the greatest wet weight (g) and largest total leaf area (cm2) which was statistically significantly different. Results from this study may inform growers about appropriate fertilizer options for plug production.

The Comparative Performance of Soil-Based Systems with Hydroponics

Conventional soil-based agriculture is resource-intensive, utilizing large amounts of land and water, thereby placing a strain on Earth’s natural resources. Soil-based agricultural techniques create environmental issues such as soil degradation, deforestation, and groundwater pollution from the mass implementation of fertilizers and pesticides. Agricultural crop production using hydroponics has shown promise to be less resource intensive and provide a faster turnaround in crop production. Soilless cultivation using hydroponics promises to relieve some pressure on Earth’s ecosystems and resources by utilizing lesser land and water footprint. The APS Laboratory for Sustainable Food at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) compared the growth of Lettuce Lactuca sativa “Rex Butterhead” crop grown using soil and soilless methods to analyze the growth performance in each setting. Crops grown in the soil-based medium were raised in the FGCU Food Forest, used a mix of soil and potting mix, watered regularly, and followed standard Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices. Crops grown hydroponically were grown in a thermally insulated grow tent with an artificial lighting source, ventilation, environmental controls, and the Deep-Water Culture (DWC) method. Lettuce plugs were grown for 15 days in controlled environments until two leaves after the cotyledons had developed and were ready for transplant. Plugs were transplanted into a 4 × 6 matrix at the FGCU Food Forest and the DWC growth system. Crops were grown to full bloom and ready for harvest in the soil (60 days) and soilless (30 days) based setups. We collected crop growth data, including wet weight (g), dry weight (g), leaf area (cm2), and chlorophyll concentration (μmol/m2). From the collected data, we derived the Specific Leaf Area (SLA, cm2/g) and biomass productivity (kg/m2). Descriptive statistics were used to describe the collected and derived data. We investigated the slopes of regression lines for each growth curve which derived the differences in biomass and productivity parameters between lettuce grown using soil and hydroponics. Both growing methods can grow lettuce crops to full bloom and to adequate harvest weight. The biomass parameters and productivity differ significantly between the growing methods. The lettuce crops grown using hydroponics increase in wet weight statistically and significantly faster than those grown in soil (p < 0.0001). Therefore, we determined that a hydroponic method of crop production may provide better crop output and biomass indicators measured than soil-based growth.

Nutrient Recycling Using Human Urine： Potential for Low Input Farming

Recycling human urine for farming was assessed in a peri-urban Kyanja parish, Kampala district, and in a rural Migyera parish, Nakasongola district, to demonstrate its potential and develop local use guidelines. Test crops were maize, Nakati （Solanum aethiopicum）, kale, spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, egg plants. Urine-water mixtures （0, 10%, 20%, 30% urine） were applied weekly or bi-weekly. At Kyanja, 30% urine weekly gave the highest maize yields. Within 2 months, 10% urine weekly increased Nakati yield from 5,444 to 24,667 kg ha^-1. 20% Urine weekly increased kale yield （7,556 to 16,111 kg ha^-1） and spinach （4,222 to 19,022 kg ha^-1）. At Migyera, 10% urine weekly increased cabbage yield （4,975 to 16,113 kg ha^-1） but 30% urine weekly decreased cabbage head-weight by 36%. Weekly applied urine produced heavier cabbage heads than bi-weekly （548 g vs. 427 g, P 〈 0.05）. LeafN was higher for weekly than bi-weekly applied urine （3.3% vs. 3.0%）, implying more protein in the former than the latter. From this study, the following guidelines are proposed： Kyanja area, maize： apply 30% urine weekly for 8-weeks; Nakati： apply 10% urine weekly for 8-weeks; Kale and spinach： apply 20% urine weekly; For Migyera area, cabbage and spinach： apply 10% urine weekly. Apply urine 15 cm around each plant starting 2-weeks after transplanting. So kale and spinach prolong urine application for continued harvesting.

Risk of Waterborne Parasitic Infection among Vegetables Producers in the City of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: An Attempt to Quantify Them Using the Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment Method

The use of wastewater in urban agriculture has been promoted as an alternative to water scarcity and as a means to increase soil fertilizer. However, the use of wastewater in urban agriculture raises major public health concerns, mainly due to the often high concentration of pathogenic micro-organisms. Waterborne parasites are a major health concern in this regard, especially in endemic areas, mainly due to the high environmental resistance of eggs/cysts combined with a low infectious dose. In this study, the parasitological risk to vegetables producers in Ouagadougou using polluted water was evaluated through the quantitative microbiological risk analysis method. For this purpose, the search for and quantification of viable parasite eggs and cysts in irrigation water was coupled with epidemiological surveillance of vegetables producers in Ouagadougou. Protozoa and helminths belonging to 9 species were recorded and samples analyzed. These include Ancylostoma sp., Ascaris lumbricoides, tapeworm’s sp, Strongyloides stercoralis, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia. Despite the variability of isolated parasitic species, Ancylostoma sp. eggs were common and severe to all types of water. Moreover, epidemiological approach showed that there were more parasitic species found in irrigation water and also other parasitic species circulating among vegetable farmers. In addition, there is no statistical significant association between the type of water used for irrigation and the carried parasites by vegetable gardeners. However, contamination of the groups using the raw wastewater is once higher than those using well water. When one is interested in the groups using treated wastewater as a source of irrigation, these risks of contaminations are halved. These contaminations are halved when one looks at groups using treated wastewater as a source of irrigation water. Still, whatever the type of water used by the gardeners, they have a probability of infection with Ancylostoma sp. of around 9.83 × 10−1 pppy.