🌱 What drives or prevents household adoption of urban agriculture?

As cities continue to grow, agricultural land is increasingly converted to urban uses, while concerns about food security, environmental sustainability, and the resilience of urban food systems are becoming more important.

Urban agriculture offers a potential response — from producing fresh food in limited urban spaces to improving resource efficiency, supporting household food security, and generating social and environmental benefits. But one important question remains:

What actually prevents households from adopting urban agriculture?

In our new study, we examined the factors influencing household adoption of urban agriculture in Tehran and Alborz provinces, Iran, using survey data collected from 245 urban households in 2024.

🔍 Using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), we identified 12 underlying dimensions shaping household adoption, which together explained 65.5% of the total variance.

The factors were:

1️⃣ Operational capacity
2️⃣ Beginner-related factors
3️⃣ Economic factors
4️⃣ Psychological factors
5️⃣ Environmental concerns
6️⃣ Health-related factors
7️⃣ Sustainability
8️⃣ Infrastructure
9️⃣ Constraints
🔟 Personal choice
1️⃣1️⃣ Awareness and attitudes
1️⃣2️⃣ Barriers and risks

Three major insights stand out.

First, operational capacity emerged as the most important factor, explaining 20.9% of the variance. Households’ willingness to participate, attend training workshops, acquire knowledge, and continue urban farming despite challenges are central to adoption.

Second, lack of knowledge and skills represents a major barrier. Many households are interested in urban agriculture but may lack sufficient technical knowledge, practical skills, and access to training. This suggests that adoption is not simply a matter of willingness — households also need the capabilities to successfully implement urban farming.

Third, economic considerations matter substantially. Urban agriculture can contribute to household food security, reduce food-related costs, improve resource efficiency, generate income, and create value. However, the initial costs of seeds, fertilizers, equipment, water, and other inputs can discourage participation.

🏙️ The policy implications are clear.

If cities want urban agriculture to move beyond individual initiatives and become part of a more resilient urban food system, policy should focus on:

📚 Expanding practical education and extension programs for beginners
💰 Providing financial incentives, microloans, and input support
🏗️ Investing in suitable infrastructure such as green roofs, drainage, containers, and efficient irrigation systems
🌱 Promoting environmentally sustainable practices, including composting, organic fertilizers, and alternative energy
🤝 Strengthening cooperation among municipalities, agricultural organizations, local cooperatives, and educational institutions
📢 Increasing public awareness through demonstration farms, exhibitions, workshops, and targeted communication programs

💡 The central message is straightforward:

Urban agriculture is not only a question of whether households want to grow food in cities. Successful adoption depends on whether households have the knowledge, resources, infrastructure, confidence, and institutional support needed to do it successfully.

For rapidly urbanizing regions such as Tehran and Alborz, addressing these barriers could help transform underutilized urban spaces into productive components of a more sustainable, resilient, and food-secure urban system.

📌 Reference:

Nalbandi, N., Majidian, M., & Nikoukar, A. (2025). Examination of Factors Influencing Household Adoption of Urban Agriculture: A Case Study of Tehran and Alborz Provinces of Iran. Agricultural Economics and Development, 33(2), 23–46. DOI: 10.30490/aead.2025.367351.1648.

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