As the city grows, what do farmers do? A systematic review of urban and peri-urban agriculture under rapid urban growth across the Global South

Rapid urban growth poses increasing challenges, but also opportunities, for urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). This systematic review explores the nexus between UPA and urban growth through a meta-analysis of research on UPA in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. We reviewed 92 empirical articles, reporting on 83 cities, by applying a framework focused on interactions between urban growth, agricultural production factors, and urban food markets. Results show that the most reported challenges facing UPA are agricultural land conversion and peripheralization. Yet, a number of studies indicate spatial expansion and intensification of UPA due to increasing and changing food demand. Urban growth-related dynamics in the availability of water, organic fertilizer, and labour can further foster or constrain UPA. Consequently, farmers respond and adapt to urban growth in multiple ways. These findings indicate a complex, multi-dimensional challenge for planners and policy makers seeking to manage UPA in rapidly urbanizing landscapes. Yet, our meta-analysis shows that few studies holistically address spatiotemporal dynamics, intra-urban variations, and complex multi-dimensional interlinkages of UPA under urban growth. To overcome these limitations and chart a new framework for future research, we reconceptualize the spatiotemporal dynamics of UPA under urban growth as a wheel of urban growth-related UPA dynamics. To apply this framework, we call for further mixed-methods research linking multi-temporal, remotely sensed data to longitudinal qualitative and quantitative fieldwork data, in order to better understand and critically assess the multifaceted and dynamic socio-spatial changes of UPA in cities across the Global South.