Urban agriculture as regenerative infrastructure on a university campus in Brazil: challenges, opportunities and design requirements

Purpose Urban agriculture (UA) is a key strategy for fostering sustainable cities and university campuses offer ideal settings for innovative and demonstrative initiatives. This study investigates UA as regenerative infrastructure on a university campus in Brazil. It aims to provide a conceptual and methodological foundation for integrating UA into the campus, through assessing challenges and opportunities before the project’s implementation; and proposing design requirements to guide future projects. Design/methodology/approach Design Science Research is adopted, grounded in the university context. Data were collected through a questionnaire (n = 120) and interviews (n = 9), and analyzed using non-parametric statistics (SPSS). Findings Key challenges include maintenance, stakeholder engagement, risk of discontinuity and lack of institutional support. The academic setting presents opportunities through integration with teaching, research and outreach. Fourteen design requirements were developed, and an institutional UA policy is recommended. The campus community views UA positively, associating it with innovation. The results suggest that university campuses are strategic spaces for promoting UA as a regenerative infrastructure system. Research limitations/implications The proposed method for diagnosing challenges/opportunities and developing design requirements can be adapted to similar contexts. However, empirical results are not generalizable without additional studies in comparable settings. Originality/value This research offers theoretical insights for incorporating UA into regenerative infrastructure planning on university campuses, contributing to regenerative development and the Sustainable Development Goals.