Europe’s largest rooftop farm, Nature Urbaine in Paris, can produce 10 tons of produce each season.
Hundreds of immaculate white columns dotted with small cylindrical outlets cover the rooftop of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition center in the south of the French capital.
Fragrant basil, scarlet strawberries and unwieldy masses of dark green kale are among the colorful produce sprouting from each of the holes, which form part of a soil-less farming device known as an aeroponic growing tower.
“You see, there’s nothing in there,” says Eugénie Mercier, pulling out a bunch of kale to reveal its roots dangling freely inside the plastic structure. “When we water them, the plants take what is needed and we recycle the leftover water, so none is wasted.”
Mercier is manager of Nature Urbaine, Europe’s largest urban rooftop farm, which opened in spring 2020. At 14,000 square meters (150,000 square feet), its surface is almost as large as the playing area of the Stade de France football pitch not far away, and it can produce more than 10 tons of fruit and vegetables per season, using neither pesticides nor soil. According to manufacturer Agripolis, its computer-controlled hydroponic and aeroponic systems use 80% less water and produce 62% fewer CO2 emissions than a conventional farm for the same yield. Last year it was recognized by Ecocert, a French certification organization, as the first urban farm in the world to net offset carbon.
“It’s not just greenwashing,” adds Mercier. “This will really benefit the planet.”
Source link will ask you if you're a robot. Say no, I eat green veg
Who on earth won’t mind to have a sip of passion fruit juice to quench your thirst in this summer? Oh ohh I know this is a premier juice which you have to get from the market. But as I mentioned in my earlier posts passion fruit juices for sale doesn’t guarantee the actual nutrient. But at home you can have your own tray of passion fruits :).
Organic farming is the manthra.
MY SETUP
1) Washing machine drum - this reusable part can be a very functional planter because of the large area it provides for planting.
2) Used plastic fasteners for strings - being a climber, this helps a lot in its growth
3) Used fish nets - supports the climber to spread over an area and bear fruits spaciously
The reverse order of the pictures depicts the different stages of growth of the passion fruit plants at my home. I have also planted a few of them on the ground, that too has given a good yield.
PS: Passion fruit helps in improving immunity and its leaves are good for diabetes.
Why Rooftop Farming Is The Best Solution For Smart Urban Agriculture
By James Coffman, Director, Commercial Tower Garden Division
We lose more than 50 acres of American farmland to urban development every hour. And in that same amount of time, our population grows by 240 people. Less land to grow food + more mouths to feed = big problem. But, increasingly, forward-thinking farmers are eschewing the confines of conventional agriculture and growing on what’s traditionally been considered unusable space: city rooftops.
3 Reasons Rooftop Farming Is a Fantastic Idea
Besides helping meet the growing demand for food production, rooftop farms offer the following benefits:
Enhance the urban landscape (and human well-being). By cultivating lettuces, kale, arugula, and other crops, rooftop farms literally make cities greener. And studies have found that exposure to nature and vegetation provides an array of psychological benefits, from decreased anxiety to increased productivity.
Make cities more eco-friendly. Bare roofs in cities absorb and then radiate heat — a phenomenon known as the “heat island effect.”4 This increases energy usage and contributes to the poor air quality that often plagues big cities. But rooftop farms help cool buildings, ultimately reducing carbon emissions. And by growing food in the communities they serve, rooftop farmers lessen the environmental impact of food transportation, as well.
Increase the availability of real, healthy food. When farmers grow inside — or better yet, on top of — the concrete jungles and food deserts that many of us inhabit, more people have access to fresh, wholesome, and affordable food. And because it travels fewer food miles, hyper-local produce is often healthier and tastier, too.
5 Revolutionary Rooftop Farms
With so many advantages, it’s no surprise rooftop farms are sprouting up all over the U.S. Here are just a few inspiring examples:
1. Altius Farms in Denver, Colorado
Launching this year, Altius Farms will be the largest vertical, aeroponic rooftop greenhouse in the U.S. With 343 Tower Gardens, the farm plans to grow fresh food for Denver restaurants, food services, markets, and residents.
The rooftop farm will also offer tours, educational classes, special events, and on-the-job training for veterans and local youth.
2. Bell Book & Candle in Manhattan, New York
One of the first rooftop-to-restaurant farms in the U.S., Bell Book & Candle fuels its seasonal fare with 65 Tower Gardens in only 2,500 sq. ft.
Restaurant patrons enjoy a variety of fresh herbs, vegetables, and fruits just six flights of stairs below where it was grown and harvested by chef John Mooney and his team.
3. Rouses Supermarket in New Orleans, Louisiana
Imagine if you could to the grocery store and buy herbs that were grown on-site. Talk about fresh!
In 800 sq. ft., Roots on the Rooftop — America’s first roof-to-supermarket aeroponic farm — makes this dream a reality for Rouses shoppers in New Orleans.
4. Step Up on Vine in Hollywood, California
This housing facility for the homeless provides both shelter and — with 25 rooftop Tower Gardens — nourishment for its tenants.
Step Up on Vine is also LEED-certified and uses solar power, making it prime example of eco-friendly architecture.
5. The University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado
CU Boulder student lunches have never been fresher. And that’s because they now include ingredients from a 3,000 sq. ft. smart greenhouse full of 140 Tower Gardens.
In view of the Rocky Mountains, the CU rooftop farm boasts several high-tech features, including sensors that monitor temperature, humidity, and lighting. Farm Manager Alex Macmillan and his team use this real-time data to optimize fans and LEDs so that they may achieve the best growing conditions possible.
How to Start Your Own Rooftop Farm
Restaurants, schools, housing complexes, and even supermarkets — it seems as though almost everyone can benefit from a rooftop farm! That being said, obstacles do exist.
Space is limited, for example. And soil is heavy. So, a roof must be structurally sound enough to bear the weight. (Plus, you have to get the soil up there in the first place.)
Which is why, as you may have noticed, all of the farm examples above use Tower Garden — an aeroponic system that grows plants with only water and nutrients. Besides being soil-free, and therefore lighter, Tower Garden is a vertical system, allowing you to grow 10 times as many plants as a traditional row crop layout.
These are just a few of the many reasons Tower Garden is well suited for rooftop farming — and urban farming in general.
At Tower Farms, we’ve helped hundreds of farmerpreneurs plan, set up, and even finance rooftop Tower Garden operations. Because we’re on a mission to make real, healthy food available to all.
If you’re interested in starting your own rooftop farm, we’d love to chat with you!
Learn more about Tower Farms »
Want to hear James Coffman speak more about smart urban agriculture? Then come join us at AgLanta 2018: Smart Ag for Smart Cities! The 2-day conference in Atlanta on March 27-28 will be a unique opportunity to network with professionals from around the US and abroad. The conference's dynamic panels and workshops will cover a range of critical Smart City themes, all with a particular focus on urban agriculture and how it can make our cities smarter. Use code 10OFF for 10% off the standard ticket price, and come join the discussion!
Abu Nasser, 53, has grown 3,500 kilogrammes of organic produce without any soil, transforming his rooftop and concrete lot in Gaza City into an organic oasis. He grows a dozen different types of vegetables and herbs for his family, including eight children and eight grandchildren.
Using hydroponic techniques, Abu Nasser can grow twice as many crops than with conventional techniques, and he saves 90 percent more water by recycling nutrient-dense water. His broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce and cauliflower float on polystyrene squares with holes cut into them, while their roots absorb nutrients from the water.
Hydroponics
Iyad al-Attar, from Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, also received a UN grant to launch a hydroponic project after his family's rented farmland was bulldozed and annexed as part of Israel's buffer zone.
He spent years cultivating fish for his backyard aquaponic farm. After many costly experiments, he now grows 5,000 lettuce heads a year on water, along with a dozen other crops. To prevent crop diseases, he uses solutions mixed with natural ingredients, such as onions, hot peppers and olives, instead of chemicals.
"The most precious thing is the health of a human being," Attar said. "The situation in Gaza pushed me to pursue this project. There are too many buildings, the land is shrinking and clean water is scarce."
Solar Water Distillation
Last year, Gaza photographer Fayez al-Hindi created his own water distillation and purification system using solar energy. Tap water is poured into a three-metre-long basin, and as it evaporates onto the panels, it purifies and the clean water drops into a separate basin.
On an average sunny day in winter, his invention produces four to six litres of clean drinking water for his family.
"As human beings, we cannot live without water; we depend on water every day," Hindi told Al Jazeera. "But the cost of water filters is expensive and the economic situation is bad, so I was thinking of alternative ways to filter the poisoned water and to share it with people."
...
Unfortunately, Hindi says that he has found little support to expand his project...
(via Alternative farming on the rise in besieged Gaza | | Al Jazeera)
Wondering what’s cooking for the next few days??? How many of us can guarantee that the fruits & vegetables we buy from stores and market is fresh and of good quality? Apparently none . Its ok because this is how the market rolls, but not at the stake of our health. I would say, if you wanna live another 50 years or more, you should take this seriously. Keep your grocery bags away and step out of your house and observe the idle space around your house. Every nook & corner of your premises can be a dwelling place for your own FRESH HOME GROWN plants. Limited ground space? then move to rooftop. Not interested in spending money on pots? take your unused cans, buckets or even tyres.
In the upcoming days, you will be loaded with some easy organic farming techniques, rooftop farming, plant without a pot etc.So get ready with your gloves on, its time to have a good harvest! :)
