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Written by Agritecture, based on research by Margarethe Karpe, Leo Marcelis & Ep Heuvelink (Wageningen University & Research), and Jeremias Lachman & Lili Wang (UNU-MERIT, Maastricht University)
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As the world races toward 2050, with 70% of us expected to live in cities, one question becomes critical: how will we feed ourselves sustainably?
A groundbreaking study led by experts from Wageningen University & Research and UNU-MERIT, and with Agritecture’s assistance, offers some answers. Using a global expert survey, the team explored how urban agriculture (UA) (from low-tech gardens to high-tech vertical farms) could help cities meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The verdict? Urban agriculture has big potential but also big challenges.
In the study, UA includes three main types of city-based farming:
These systems vary in technology and purpose — some focus on community-building, others on high yield. But they all share one mission: bring food production closer to urban mouths.
The researchers imagined a bold scenario: What if cities produced 30% of their own food by 2030? This "30 by 30" vision is indeed being pursued in places like Singapore.
To test this idea, they surveyed 108 experts from 31 countries, asking:
Agritecture played a role in connecting with industry experts and circulating the survey to ensure diversity in responses.
Figure 3 from the study: Countries of residence of participating experts.
Image source: https://whyhunger.org/introduction-urban-agriculture-community-gardens/articles/
Experts identified the following SDGs as most positively impacted:
Table 4 from the study: SDG targets where experts expect UA to help the most.
The researchers write:
"This inconsistency in opinion among experts [regarding SDG 7.2], i.e., 59.4 % anticipating positive and 12.9 % anticipating negative impacts of promoting UA on SDG 7.2 Increase share of renewable energy, highlighted unsustainable energy use as probable harmful side effect which the UA sector needs to mitigate."
Each UA system offers different strengths. Here's what the experts said:
|
SDG Goal |
Top System Contributor |
|
Food production (2.1, 2.3) |
Greenhouses |
|
Environmental impact (15.1, 15.5) |
Indoor farms |
|
Community & equity (11.3) |
Gardens |
Table 6: Experts' ranking of system contributions to specific SDGs.
In short:
But:
The researchers also clarify that “promoting one system over another and especially replacing one with another may result in fewer positive impacts than promoting system diversity.”
Experts from the Global South were consistently more optimistic about UA's benefits:
Why? Possibly because:
Not likely. Even with strong UA promotion:
Table 8: Most UA-related SDG targets will not be met on time, say experts.
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The study outlines key actions for UA to reach its potential:
"There is a need for cheaper techniques for greenhouse constructions using local materials. Otherwise food produced in greenhouses would be very expensive." — Expert from the Global South
This study shows that urban agriculture can be a powerful lever for sustainability — if we invest smartly, act locally, and plan for the long term. The mix of systems, from humble gardens to glowing vertical farms, all have a role to play.
At Agritecture, we're proud to support research like this and push the UA conversation forward. Whether you're a policymaker, investor, or grower, this is your call to dig in.
Agritecture has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs, governments, and developers plan, launch, and scale urban agriculture projects around the world. Whether you need a feasibility study, a greenhouse design, or a vertical farm business model, our consulting team is here to help.
👉 Contact us today to start growing smart