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Urban Agriculture
Roofs can be used imaginatively. One part of making our societies more sustainable is to produce as much as possible of the city’s food supply locally. Roofs can be used for these purposes. They are also often protected against vandalism, which may be necessary in some places.
| One example of food production that is relatively easy to move onto roofs, is beekeeping. All you need is a relatively flat surface, which can take the weight of the beehive, and which is relatively easy to access. Cities usually contain loads of gardens that will provide the bees with nectar, even if your roof is not vegetated. Some trees are good nectar sources, and considering that bees usually fly up to 3 km away when foraging, they might also reach agricultural land. However, don’t worry if you’re far from the edges of the city - in many ways, the city is better than pure agricultural land, for the bees. The city has a longer flowering season. A test at Augustenborg, Sweden, showed no increased concentrations of heavy metals or other toxic substances in honey produced in the city. |
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| Some vegetables, or even better, drought tolerant herbs, can be grown in fairly thin soil layers or containers. These can be suitable for roof gardening. Irrigation will most likely be needed. Since your plants need fertilization, there is always a risk that excess nutrients are washed away in the water before the plants have time to take them up. To avoid polluting our natural waters this way, it would be wise to set up a system of recirculated water. This also helps us save on the valuable resource that fresh water is. The plants could also be irrigated with recycled rain water, harvested on the roof. |
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| If you have a roof that can take great weight, why not explore the possibilities of aquaponics? Grow your own fish! |
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