La horticultura urbana incluye parcelas y bancales.

Because the subject of the sentence is La horticultura urbana, which is singular.
So the verb must also be singular:

• La horticultura urbana incluye... = Urban horticulture includes...

If the subject were plural, then you would use incluyen:

• Las huertas urbanas incluyen... = Urban gardens include...

Horticultura is a feminine singular noun, so it takes the feminine singular definite article la.

• la horticultura
• la agricultura
• la jardinería

In Spanish, nouns usually need an article more often than in English, especially when talking about a general concept.

Because urbana is an adjective describing horticultura, and adjectives in Spanish usually agree with the noun in gender and number.

Since horticultura is:

• feminine
• singular

the adjective must also be:

• feminine
• singular

So:

• horticultura urbana

If the noun were masculine, you would use urbano:

• el cultivo urbano

These are related but not identical words.

• parcelas = plots of land, divided sections of ground used for growing things
• bancales = raised beds or cultivated beds, often structured areas for planting

So parcelas focuses more on a piece or section of land, while bancales refers more to the prepared growing beds themselves.

In gardening contexts in Spain, bancal is a very common word.

Yes, especially in gardening, agriculture, and allotment-style contexts. In Spain, bancal often refers to a planting bed or a raised bed.

Depending on the region or context, learners might also see:

• parterres
• camas de cultivo
• bancales elevados = raised beds

But bancales is perfectly natural in Spain.

Because after a verb like incluir, Spanish often lists items without articles when speaking in a general sense.

So:

• incluye parcelas y bancales = includes plots and raised beds

If you added articles, it could sound more specific:

• incluye las parcelas y los bancales = it includes the plots and the raised beds

The original sentence sounds general and descriptive.

The normal Spanish word for and is y.

It changes to e only before words that begin with an i sound:

• padres e hijos
• España e Italia

But here the next word is bancales, so you use y:

• parcelas y bancales

Yes, it can, and it is a true cognate. But in everyday English, horticulture can sound more technical or formal than in Spanish.

Depending on context, horticultura urbana could also be understood as:

• urban horticulture
• urban gardening
• urban food-growing

So horticulture is correct, but the most natural English translation may vary by context.

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

la or-tee-cool-TOO-ra oor-BA-na een-KLOO-ye par-SE-las ee ban-KA-les

A few points:

• h in horticultura is silent
• c before u sounds like k
• ll is often pronounced like y in many parts of Spain, so incluye sounds roughly like in-KLOO-ye
• z is not present here, but in Spain many speakers use the th sound for z and soft c

Incluye is a verb form from incluir = to include.

Here it is:

• third person singular
• present indicative

So it means:

• he/she/it includes
• you include (formal usted)

In this sentence, it means it includes, referring to la horticultura urbana.

Yes, that is grammatically possible, but it changes the nuance slightly.

• incluye = includes
• consta de = consists of / is made up of

Incluye is broader and more flexible. It suggests these are some of the elements involved.
Consta de sounds more like a full composition or structure.

So in many contexts, incluye is the more natural choice.

Spanish word order is somewhat flexible, but this sentence uses the most neutral and natural order:

• La horticultura urbana incluye parcelas y bancales.

You could change the order for emphasis, but it would sound less neutral. For example:

• Parcelas y bancales incluye la horticultura urbana.

This is grammatically possible, but much less common in ordinary usage. For a learner, the original order is the best model to follow.

It is a very natural collocation, yes. It means horticulture or food-growing in an urban environment.

You may also see related expressions such as:

• agricultura urbana
• jardinería urbana
• huertos urbanos

They are similar, but not always identical:

• horticultura urbana is fairly broad and can sound slightly technical
• huertos urbanos refers specifically to urban vegetable gardens or allotments