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Article summary:
1. This article provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of life cycle assessments (LCAs) of urban agriculture (UA).
2. It evaluates the environmental performance and resource intensity of diverse forms of UA, and identifies trends across UA profiles.
3. The article highlights the most impactful parts of different systems, but issues with the quality and consistency of LCAs prevent definitive conclusions about the environmental impacts and resource use of UA.
Article analysis:
The article is well-structured, providing an overview of the current literature on life cycle assessments (LCAs) of urban agriculture (UA), as well as a detailed description of what an ideal LCA should include. The authors provide clear guidelines for improving LCAs of UA, making a strong case that more research on this topic is necessary to improve understanding of the environmental impacts and benefits of UA.
The article is reliable in its presentation and analysis, providing evidence from peer-reviewed sources to support its claims. The authors are transparent in their methodology, providing details on their search criteria and selection process for studies included in their review. They also provide a comprehensive list of references for further reading.
However, there are some potential biases in the article that should be noted. For example, the authors focus primarily on environmental impacts rather than social or economic considerations when evaluating LCAs; while these are important factors to consider when assessing UA systems, they are not discussed in depth here. Additionally, while the authors acknowledge that external consequences can have large effects on LCA results, they do not explore this issue in detail or provide any examples to illustrate how external consequences can affect outcomes. Finally, while the authors make a strong case for more research on this topic being necessary to improve understanding of UA's environmental impacts and benefits, they do not discuss any potential risks associated with scaling up UA in cities or other areas where it is promoted worldwide.