Table_1_Sustainability assessments of commercial urban agriculture – a scoping review.DOCX

The field of urban agriculture has seen an increase in development and attention in recent years, with a large share of literature addressing whether urban agriculture may pose a solution for food insecurity and combat environmental impacts. However, few studies have examined the many sustainability claims of urban agriculture systems, especially for urban farms intended for larger output and commercial ends. In this study, we analyze sustainability assessments of urban agriculture for commercial implementation. We do this by exploring the methods employed for conducting sustainability analyses, outlining the different urban agriculture cultivation systems, analyzing which sustainability aspects are considered, looking into what the sustainability analyses conclude, and studying how authors anticipate the knowledge gained from their sustainability assessments can be used. Environmental aspects of sustainability were more often assessed than other sustainability aspects, and LCA research practice was used for the majority of environmental assessments. Some studies compared the environmental benefits of different types of urban agriculture systems, but this was not conclusive overall as to what systems would be more environmentally beneficial. This suggests that urban agriculture’s sustainability cannot be universally categorized but should be assessed in relation to specific environmental conditions and urban contexts. Future research should aim to develop more nuanced frameworks for evaluating the environmental, social, economic and governance impacts of urban agriculture.

近年来，城市农业（urban agriculture）领域的发展与关注度持续提升，大量相关文献围绕城市农业能否作为解决粮食不安全问题、缓解环境影响的可行方案展开探讨。然而，鲜有研究对城市农业系统的诸多可持续性主张展开验证，尤其是针对以规模化产出与商业化为目标的城市农场而言。本研究针对商业化应用的城市农业可持续性评估展开分析，具体通过以下路径开展：梳理可持续性分析所采用的各类方法，归纳不同的城市农业种植体系，明确评估所覆盖的可持续性维度，探究现有可持续性分析得出的结论，以及剖析研究者如何设想将可持续性评估所获知识投入实际应用的路径。相较于其他可持续性维度，环境维度的评估更为常见，且绝大多数环境评估均采用了生命周期评估（Life Cycle Assessment，LCA）方法。部分研究对比了不同类型城市农业系统的环境效益，但整体而言尚无定论表明何种系统具备更优的环境效益。这表明城市农业的可持续性无法一概而论，而应结合具体的环境条件与城市语境开展针对性评估。未来研究应致力于构建更为精细化的评估框架，以全面评估城市农业的环境、社会、经济与治理影响。