Sugeng Harianto, Refti Handini Listyani, Dewien Nabielah Agustin, Rizky Trisna Putri, Ahmad Ridwan
Rapid urbanization in Indonesia has intensified concerns over food security, particularly for low-income households living in densely populated urban areas. This study explores how urban farming functions as a critical strategy for strengthening household food systems in Surabaya, a city experiencing rapid demographic and economic change. A total of 150 households—75 practicing urban farming and 75 nonfarming—were purposively selected from low-income neighborhoods. Employing a mixed-methods design, data were gathered over six months through structured questionnaires, semistructured interviews, and participant observation. The quantitative data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially via SPSS, whereas the qualitative data were thematically analyzed via NVivo to capture the motivations, adaptive strategies, and constraints faced by the participants. The findings indicate that urban farming is more than a supplemental food source; it is a multidimensional strategy that enhances household dietary quality, stabilizes food availability, and reduces vulnerability during economic stress. Beyond material benefits, it strengthens neighborhood ties, improves mental well-being, and generates environmental cobenefits by reducing waste and creating green spaces. Nevertheless, its wider adoption remains constrained by a combination of spatial limitations, financial barriers, inadequate technical knowledge, and sociocultural stigma, which collectively limit participation among the most vulnerable groups. The study highlights the urgency of treating urban farming as a strategic component of city development rather than an informal coping mechanism. Comprehensive policy interventions—including land access and legal protection for community gardens, targeted input support, microfinance schemes, technical training, and integration into urban planning—are recommended to enable long-term sustainability and scalability. By focusing on Surabaya, this research contributes context-specific evidence to the urban agriculture literature and offers a foundation for policy-makers, NGOs, and community actors to design participatory, inclusive, and climate-resilient urban food systems across Indonesian cities. © 2026, Malque Publishing. All rights reserved.
Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia
