Noor Azmi Nurul Syafiqah, Ng Yin Mei, Masud Muhammad Mehedi, Cheng Acga
Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Department of Decision Sciences, Faculty of Business and Economics, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Heliyon. 2024 Jun 20;10(12):e33365. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33365. eCollection 2024 Jun 30.
Adopting agroecological approaches to build resilient urban food systems has recently gained traction around the world, but there is little to no reliable literature on the knowledge, attitudes, and perspectives of urban farmers towards these nature-based solutions in many developing nations, including Malaysia. The present study conducted an online survey to determine the extent to which local urban farmers understand and employ agroecology, as well as to assess their awareness and views on using agroecological practices and sustainable farm management. We found that the majority of respondents are unfamiliar with agroecological principles, with 79 % agreeing or strongly agreeing that implementing sustainable agricultural practices is challenging. However, more than 90 % of respondents are aware of the environmental consequences of excessive input utilisation. Our findings highlight the need for improved initiatives to promote agroecological approaches among farmers by sharing knowledge and best practices. In light of the growing threat posed by urban heat islands and the rapid urbanisation, this study offers novel insights into the knowledge gaps and perceptions about agroecological approaches among urban farmers, challenges that must be addressed to promote sustainable agriculture, and the potential role of farmers in achieving the three fundamental pillars of sustainability-planet, people, and prosperity.
采用农业生态方法来构建具有韧性的城市粮食系统最近在全球范围内受到关注，但在包括马来西亚在内的许多发展中国家，关于城市农民对这些基于自然的解决方案的知识、态度和观点，几乎没有可靠的文献。本研究开展了一项在线调查，以确定当地城市农民对农业生态学的理解和应用程度，以及评估他们对采用农业生态实践和可持续农场管理的认识和看法。我们发现，大多数受访者不熟悉农业生态原则，79%的受访者同意或强烈同意实施可持续农业实践具有挑战性。然而，超过90%的受访者意识到过度投入利用的环境后果。我们的研究结果凸显了通过分享知识和最佳实践来改进举措以在农民中推广农业生态方法的必要性。鉴于城市热岛带来的日益严重的威胁以及快速的城市化进程，本研究为城市农民在农业生态方法方面的知识差距和认知、促进可持续农业必须应对的挑战以及农民在实现可持续发展的三个基本支柱——地球、人类和繁荣方面的潜在作用提供了新的见解。
