Urban Agriculture and Smart Cities: The Integration of Controlled Environment Agriculture, Community Gardens, and Public Health Policies

Resumo

Urban agriculture has emerged as a key strategy for building smart cities, fostering synergies between environmental sustainability, technological innovation, social inclusion, and food security. This article aims to analyze the integration of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), community gardens, and public health policies, emphasizing their contributions to urban resilience and sustainability. The study adopts a qualitative methodology, based on literature review, analysis of official documents, and case studies from Brazilian cities such as Salvador, Recife, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. Results indicate that CEA enhances productivity in small spaces with reduced water and input consumption, community gardens strengthen social cohesion, mental health, and local food supply, while public policies link these initiatives to school feeding programs, health promotion, and income generation. Despite significant progress, challenges remain regarding high implementation costs, regulatory gaps, and lack of institutional support. The findings reinforce the need to incorporate urban agriculture into master plans and legal frameworks, promoting research, training, and publicprivate partnerships. By combining food production, innovation, and policy integration, urban agriculture
positions itself as a structural axis for more resilient, sustainable, and equitable cities.