A system dynamics model based on leverage points to guide the sustainability of urban gardens in intermediate cities: a Latin American case study

This article presents a qualitative system dynamics model based on leverage points to guide the sustainability of urban food gardens (hereafter, urban gardens), using Xalapa-Enríquez, a leading city for this phenomenon in Mexico, as a case study. The multilevel model designed for intermediate cities highlights the importance of a systemic perspective grounded in agroecology as a management approach to promote agrobiodiversity, agroecological practices, learning communities, collaborative networks, and participatory governance in urban gardening initiatives. The model emphasizes the design of platforms for scaling up and the politicization of urban cultivation, as well as the role of territorially rooted paradigmatic intentions in shaping the success of urban agriculture. Rather than a prescriptive model, this case study offers a transferable and adaptable analytical framework for intermediate cities in Latin America.