The excitement and potential of rooftop farming

There's something special about seeing the top of a building covered in the greenery produced by rooftop farming. Here's why it's gaining traction.

There's something special about seeing the top of a building covered in the greenery produced by rooftop farming. As more building owners, architects and occupants see the advantages, this practice continues to gain in popularity. Discover why.

Consumers are becoming more aware of the environmental costs that come with modern agriculture, which involves massive farms transporting produce for sometimes hundreds or even thousands of miles. They also want more organic choices and fresh flavour. Of course, traditional growing methods aren't available on a big scale in most cities. Neighbourhood plots provide some growing opportunities, but the unused space on roofs allows more people to grow food.

The combination of local sourcing with "greening" the urban landscape make rooftop farming a win-win situation. You can deliver produce the same day it's harvested and city dwellers can consume it for dinner soon after. Additionally, rooftop farming can substantially reduce the energy costs of a building. Heat disperses through the soil and radiates back instead of building up on a hot roof. Landscaping can be incorporated with walkways that provide a refuge for building residents as well.

The biggest inhibiting factor for expanding rooftop farming currently lies in engineering. For rooftop farming, the structure needs to be able to support at least 10 per cent more weight than a standard building. As new buildings go up with that in mind, the available roof area will increase.

What to plant depends on what crops will be most useful. If building residents can draw directly from the farming plot, they should be involved in the decision-making. When growing food for sale, you need to factor in local market forces. Most successful urban farms plant a variety of produce that will become harvest-ready at different times throughout the growing season.

Greenhouse gardens and farming plots are also gaining ground. By locating them on top of buildings, growers are discovering the side benefit of reduced energy costs to heat and cool the building. Regardless of the foods grown, the benefits of rooftop farming are apparent, and this trend will continue to expand in cities around the world.