Analysis of Importance of and Satisfaction with the Values and Major Achievements of Urban Agriculture

Abstract

Background and objective: Urban areas face various challenges due to overcrowding and unsustainable development. As a potential solution, urban agriculture is gaining popularity. This study aims to provide basic data for improving the awareness and promoting urban agriculture. This is achieved by conducting an importance-performance analysis (IPA) on the values and major achievements of urban agriculture. The analysis was conducted on experts involved in the formulation and implementation of urban agricultural policies and systems.Methods: For the final objective, 104 responses were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 25.0 (IBM Corp., USA). Reliability and frequency were analyzed to ensure consistency of the survey tool and understand the demographic characteristics of respondents. Descriptive statistics, paired sample t-tests, and IPA matrix analysis were conducted to empirically analyze the importance-satisfaction on values and major achievements of urban agriculture.Results: Both the importance of and satisfaction with the values of urban agriculture were highest in health functions, followed by social-cultural functions, environmental-ecological functions, and economic functions. In particular, it was found that awareness of health functions was high while that of economic functions was low, indicating that gradual efforts were needed to strengthen them. Next, for major achievements in urban agriculture, it was recommended to maintain and strengthen education and publicity, gradually improve networks, and manage specialized models with minimal concentration rather than excessive focus.Conclusion: The findings of this study, which explore expert perceptions toward values and major achievements of urban agriculture, serve as a foundation for strategic planning to expand and advance urban agriculture. They offer valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders seeking to promote sustainable urban development through effective urban agricultural policies and systems.