Review Article |
Corresponding author: Purabi Mazumdar ( purabi@um.edu.my ) Academic editor: Yonis Gulzar
© 2024 Shu Hua Teoh, Gwo Rong Wong, Purabi Mazumdar.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Teoh SH, Wong GR, Mazumdar P (2024) A review on urban farming: Potential, challenges and opportunities. Innovations in Agriculture 7: 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3897/ia.2024.127816
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Urban farming has emerged as a promising solution to address food security in cities. It encompasses several farming models, such as community, indoor, rooftop, and vertical farms, equipped with various farming techniques like aeroponics, hydroponics, and aquaponics. However, sustainability and yield remain major challenges to fully realize its potential. To gain more insights, we have analysed scientific literature and interviewed urban farmers. Key challenges identified include limited land and water resources, incidences of pests and diseases, financial constraints for setup and maintenance, knowledge and skill gaps among participants, and lack of effective collaboration between universities, government, and industries. This review discusses global initiatives in urban farming, different types of farming models, their benefits and challenges, and explores opportunities to address these challenges. The insights gained from this study will serve as a resource for the establishment of urban farms and the development of strategies aimed at enhancing the sustainability of urban farming.
Aquaponics, farming models, food security, hydroponics, sustainability, vertical farming
An increase in population, rapid urbanisation, and conversion of arable land into urban architecture are emerging as key challenges for food security in urban areas (
Several studies highlight the benefits of urban farming over traditional agriculture in alleviating negative environmental impacts (
In recent years, the global urban farming market has experienced significant growth due to an increase in public awareness of the health benefits of locally sourced organic fresh produce (
Urban farming became increasingly popular since the COVID-19 pandemic which disrupted several supply chains due to movement control orders. Following the pandemic, several urban sites have stepped up for production of food to meet the increasing demand (
There are mainly four types of urban farming models, which are community (
Urban farming models | Advantages | Reference | Limitations | Reference |
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Community farm | Offer a dependable source of fresh, reducing reliance on imported food and mitigating the risk of food shortages during crises. | Yuan et al. 2022; |
Limited access to affordable land due to high cost, and restrictive land-use regulations. |
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Serve as hubs for social interaction and cohesion and strengthen community bonds. |
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Environmental factors such as access to transportation, and socioeconomic status affect community participation. |
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Restructuring unused land, fostering community development, and enhancing the psychological well-being of residents. |
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Relying on volunteer labor and donations to cover operational expenses or issue on resource allocation. |
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Indoor farm | Enable year-round production of crops regardless of external weather conditions, ensuring a consistent and reliable food supply throughout the year. |
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Significant initial capital investment, including costs for climate control systems, lighting, irrigation systems, and technology implementation. |
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Eliminates exposure to outdoor pests, significantly reducing the need for chemical pesticides. | Requires specialized knowledge and technical expertise to effectively manage and operate indoor farming facilities. | Mongia and Ravulakollu 2021 | ||
Precise control of growing conditions, including temperature, humidity, light, and nutrient levels, leads to higher crop yields. |
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Relies on technology and automation for monitoring and controlling growing conditions, irrigation, and nutrient delivery. | R |
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Rooftop farm | Utilizes urban spaces to grow food crops by maximizing vertical space, and provides green space for building occupant. |
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Fluctuation in temperature, sunlight, wind, and precipitation. |
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Enable the production of fresh with strong water management, improve air quality, and urban heat island mitigation |
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Optimizing plant selection is essential for successful rooftop farming. |
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Vertical farm | Maximizes space by growing crops in vertically stacked layers, allowing for high-density cultivation in urban areas where land is limited and expensive. |
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Requires specialized knowledge and technical expertise in areas such as hydroponics, and climate control systems to optimize resources and crop growth. |
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Enable year-round production of crops regardless external weather condition. |
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Empower the community members with the knowledge and skills for food production and self-sufficiency, promoting lifelong learning and resilience within the community. |
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Community farm refers to a collaborative farming model typically found in urban areas, growing crops in mostly outdoor conditions to provide local food to the communities (
Indoor farms are the most recognised and effective urban farm model where plants are grown in controlled conditions of temperature, humidity, and light (
A rooftop farm is a type of farming model which grows plants on the rooftop of the building utilising unused or underutilised space in urban areas (
Vertical farm is another urban farming model that involves growing plants in vertically stacked layers within, controlled indoor environments such as warehouses and skyscrapers, and incorporates advanced farming techniques like aeroponics, hydroponics, and aquaponics to optimise resources and crop growth (
Farming in urban areas isn’t a novel concept in developing countries. It emerged in the late 1970s, recognising the necessity for food production within urban spaces to tackle food security issues (
Company Name | System | Main crops | Variety | Location | Website |
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AeroFarms | Hydroponics | Microgreen | Micro kale, micro super mix’s red cabbage, micro broccoli, micro arugula, red bok choy microgreens, micro wasabi, and micro rainbow mix’s red cabbage microgreen. | United States | https://www.aerofarms.com/ |
Bowery Farming | Hydroponics | Leafy vegetables | Baby butter lettuce, baby romaine lettuce, crispy leaf lettuce, mixed greens, spring mix, baby kale, spinach, bok choy, and mustard frills. | United States | https://bowery.cp |
Herbs | Basil, cilantro, and parsley. | ||||
Berries | Strawberries | ||||
BrightFarms | Hydroponics | Leafy vegetables | Crisp lettuce, red baby lettuce, baby romaine lettuce, arugula, mustard, Cressida, leaf lettuce, bak choy, oakleaf, | United States | https://www.brightfarms.com/ |
Herbs | Basil, and mizuna. | ||||
Gotham Greens | Hydroponics | Leafy vegetables | Salad, baby butterhead, butterhead, crispy green leaf, green oak leaf, romaine, arugula, | United States | https://www.gothamgreens.com/ |
Herbs | Basil | ||||
Farm.One | Hydroponics | Leaf greens | Spritzer lettuce, iceplant, and lettuce. | United States | https://farm.one/ |
Microgreen | Spritzer lettuce, iceplant, micro sunflower shoot, micro red Russian kale, micro red cabbage, micro red amaranth, micro purslane, micro pac choy, micro okra, micro kohlrabi, micro Chinese cabbage, micro cabbage, and micro buckwheat. | ||||
Herbs | Akatade, anise hyssop, arugula, saltwort, and moringa leaves, | ||||
Edible flowers | Red blotch, chervil, kosaitai flowering brassica, bachelor button, and assorted viola flowers. | ||||
Freight Farms. | Hydroponics | No fresh produce. | - | United States | https://www.freightfarms.com/ |
Infarm | Hydroponics | Vegetables | Green crisphead, caravel, red oak leaf, green romaine, butter lettuce, red leaf, green leaf, crystal lettuce, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and radishes. | United States | https://www.infarm.com/ |
Microgreen | Basil microgreen, and arugula. | ||||
Herbs | Sage, Thai basil, coriander, thyme, dill, green basil, mountain coriander, green cress, and Bordeaux basil. | ||||
Fruiting | Strawberries, and tomatoes. | ||||
LocalGarden | Hydroponics | Vegetables | Broccoli, red cabbage, lettuce, | United States | https://localgarden.co.in/ |
Fruit | Capsicum, sweet corn, | ||||
Herbs | Mint, | ||||
Plenty | Hydroponics | Leafy vegetables | Baby red lettuce, baby leaf lettuce, baby romaine, baby arugula, baby red romaine, baby mustard greens, baby spinach, baby kale, baby mustard greens, baby spinach, baby kale, | United States | https://www.plenty.ag/ |
Square Roots | Hydroponics | No fresh produce. | - | United States | https://www.squarerootsgrow.com/ |
Access to land for urban farming is a significant barrier, especially in densely populated areas (
Urban farming faces a range of challenges, particularly concerning pests and diseases. This issue is compounded by the close proximity of crops to each other and human habitation, leading to significant yield losses (
Conventional chemical pesticides are often unsuitable for use in soilless cultivation systems due to the risk of contaminating water supplies and harming beneficial organisms essential for the functioning of aquaponics and hydroponics, such as fish or beneficial microbes (
Financial limitations are one of the obstacles to the success and expansion of urban farming projects. Setting up and maintaining urban farming systems demand significant initial investments in infrastructure, equipment, and necessary supplies like irrigation systems (
One of the significant challenges facing urban farming initiatives is the presence of knowledge and skill gaps among farmers, residents, and stakeholders involved in agricultural activities (
The lack of networking between universities, government, and industries leads to knowledge isolation. Each sector if operated independently, leads to limited sharing of research findings, best practices, and innovation (
Urban farming holds immense potential as a sustainable solution to address food insecurity, promote economic development, and enhance community resilience in cities. While it offers numerous benefits, such as increased access to fresh produce and environmental sustainability, urban farming also faces challenges related to land and irrigation access, pest and disease management, financial constraints, knowledge and skill gaps, and limited networking between universities, government, and industries. Insights from this study highlight the need for comprehensive strategies to enhance urban farming’s sustainability and productivity, emphasizing its critical role in urban food security, sustainable development, and resilience. This review underscores the importance of a multifaceted approach, including innovative financing solutions, supportive policies, advanced technological integration, targeted training programs, and stronger stakeholder networks to further enhance the sustainability and productivity of urban farming.
This work is supported by Grant from HAVVA Agrotech Sdn. Bhd. (PV004-2022) and Universiti Malaya Partnership Grant (MG015-2022).