Urban Agriculture examines the integrated science, technology and supply chain innovations required to develop a new urban agriculture industry.
Agriculture has been pushed out of urban environments because of the high value and competing demands for urban and peri-urban space, and because of the relative competitiveness of large-scale production combined with streamlined long-haul transport and distribution chains.
But recent developments in intensive protected cropping, hydroponic production and PFAL (Plant Factory Artificial Lighting) technologies have meant that it is becoming feasible to place agriculture back directly within urban environments.
Key areas of technology that need further development for this to become a significant part of the food system in our increasingly urbanised world are:
Although population pressures continue to displace traditional forms of agriculture from the urban environment, there are strong indications that a new intensive Urban Agriculture industry that can provide a significant proportion of the demand for fresh produce in cities the world over is becoming a reality.
The key challenge for those operating within the Urban Agriculture Theme is to build on and integrate developments across a broad range of fields in order to bring scale and efficiencies to this emerging industry.
This project explores sustainable solutions for urban agriculture by developing hydroponic fertilisers derived from food waste. Focusing on small-scale, circular systems, it evaluates the nutrient composition, plant growth performance, and environmental benefits of these novel fertilisers in intensive urban hydroponic setups.
Experimental trials compare food-waste based formulations with commercial products across key crop species. The study aims to close nutrient loops, reduce urban organic waste, and support resilient local food production. Outcomes will inform scalable practices for integrating waste valorisation with urban farming, contributing to greener cities and more sustainable food systems.
The mushrooms we eat in Australia are grown almost entirely in peri-urban settings, on farms surrounding the major cities. Our research investigates the microbial processes underpinning this commercial mushroom cultivation, focusing on growing oyster mushrooms on urban organic wastes such as spent coffee grounds, and on button mushrooms cultivated on straw-poultry manure compost.
We have a particular interest in the microbiome succession in mushroom compost and on microbes that can be used to develop biomarkers and rapid assays for compost quality, yield prediction, and disease monitoring. By using urban and peri-urban residues to produce high-value food, our research pioneers sustainable mushroom farming with a close link to the circular economy.
Composting offers a sustainable solution for diverting organic waste from landfills and transforming it into a nutrient rich soil amendment that facilitates carbon sequestration, helps improve physical, chemical, and biological qualities and increases organic matter and nutrient content of soil.
This project compares decomposition rates, time to maturity, and environmental conditions across composting methods within and between four community gardens in Sydney. We aim to assess how the quality (C:N ratio) of the organic materials used and other environmental, physical, and chemical factors influence compost decomposition.
Browning in white button mushrooms causes significant financial losses by reducing market value and consumer demand. Ethylene (C₂H₄), a plant hormone, has been linked to increased expression of bruising, while irrigation with calcium chloride (CaCl₂) can reduce sensitivity to mechanical damage (Kukura et al., 1998).
Despite these findings, adoption by the mushroom industry has been limited. This study aims to evaluate the effects of the ethylene antagonist 1 MCP, CaCl₂ application during production, and CRISPR breeding to enhance storage life and bruise resistance. Increased calcium content may also support health claims, with sustainable packaging providing an integrated solution for supply chains.
We explore the role of community gardens as spaces that support food production, biodiversity conservation, and human well-being. These vibrant green spaces offer vital floral resources for a wide range of beneficial insects—not just pollinators like native bees and hoverflies, but also natural predators such as ladybirds, lacewings, and spiders.
At the same time, they provide a place for urban residents to reconnect with nature. Our research focuses on how simple, evidence-based management practices can boost both the ecological value and social benefits of community gardens within urban landscapes.
Recent advances in robotics, machine learning, and precision farming techniques have opened new pathways to improve crop yield, quality, and resource utilization. Blockfarming is a new approach that combines traditional elements of open field farming and containerized horticulture with new agricultural innovations pioneered in controlled environments such as vertical farms and technologically advanced glasshouse.
By separating the interdependence between land surface area for light catchment and land fertility for crop growth, Blockfarming aims to improve the productivity of existing open field farms and enable the utilization of non-traditional farming areas, such as urbanized and semi-urbanized open spaces, for food production.
