Planetary health risks in urban agriculture

Abstract

Urban agriculture is gaining recognition for its potential contributions to environmental resilience and climate change adaptation, providing advantages such as urban greening, reduced heat island effects, and decreased air pollution. Moreover, it indirectly supports communities during weather events and natural disasters, ensuring food security and fostering community cohesion. However, concerns about planetary health risks persist in highly urbanized and climate-affected areas. Employing electronic databases such as Web of Science and PubMed and adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we identified 55 relevant papers to comprehend the planetary health risks associated with urban agriculture. The literature review identified five distinct health risks related to urban agriculture: (1) trace metal risks in urban farms; (2) health risks associated with wastewater irrigation; (3) zoonotic risks; (4) other health risks; and (5) social and economic risks. The study highlights that urban agriculture, while emphasizing environmental benefits, particularly raises concerns about trace metal bioaccumulation in soil and vegetables, posing health risks for populations. Other well studied risks included wastewater irrigation and backyard livestock farming. The main limitations in the available literature were in studying infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance associated with urban agriculture.