Characteristic of Low-Income Community in Adopting Urban Farming as a Strategy to Enhance Food Security

Abstract: Urban farming has emerged as an effective approach to mitigate escalating issues of food insecurity in low-income urban communities, especially in swiftly urbanizing areas such as Malaysia. This study does a comprehensive analysis of current literature to identify the principal characteristics of low-income community that affect their adoption of urban farming. This work employs a systematic three-step Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology, identifying study characteristics, choosing pertinent literature, and summarizing findings, to assess the correlation between socioeconomic attributes and participation in urban agriculture. The analysis indicates that five fundamental characteristics; educational qualifications, employment status, dependency, financial condition, and attitudes which substantially influence the probability of engaging in urban farming efforts. Knowledge acquisition, perceived behavioural control, and affordability were recognized as prevalent variables. The results indicate that tailored policies and interventions that include these attributes can improve the efficacy and sustainability of urban farming initiatives for food security. The report recommends additional empirical research on the adoption lifetime of urban farming in low-income households to enhance inclusive food system policies.