Unlocking public support to scale urban agriculture for sustainable cities

Urban agriculture (UA) is increasingly recognized as a transformative nature-based solution for enhancing food security, community wellbeing, and urban sustainability. However, efforts to scale UA depend critically on public support, which remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the social, environmental, and psychological underpinnings of public support for UA by adapting the Value–Belief–Norm framework. Results reveal a strong and broad base of support spanning financial contributions, participation, purchasing, and policy advocacy, and suggest a shift from private-oriented behavior toward greater civic and institutional engagement. Our findings show that UA support emerges through distinct behavioral pathways across private and public spheres: donation is socially motivated, participation is experience-driven, and both purchasing and policy support are rooted in perceived responsibility. These insights highlight actionable and transferable strategies to mobilize diverse publics and translate broad societal interest into concrete support for scaling UA to advance urban resilience and sustainability.