agricultural roofs in Gaza

Rooftop agriculture is taking root around the globe.  With its beginnings in 600 B.C.E. Babylon (present day Iraq), rooftop farming has arrived, full circle, back in the Middle East.  According to the online Lebanese newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour, Gazan residents are installing aquaponic gardens on their roofs to meet local food demands.

Rooftop farming in Gaza ||  photo by Mohammad Abed (published in L’Orient-Le Jour)

The February 4th article, written by an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist, stated that, “Gaza has 1.7 million people crammed into an area of [139 square miles].”  As one of the most densely populated areas in the politically-unstable region, Gaza’s ability to grow its own food is critical.  The article points out that 35% of Gaza’s arable land, which could be used for farming,  is located in the “buffer zone” barrier, instituted by neighboring Israel in 1994.  Farming within 330 yards of the border can be deadly, so Gazan farmers operate within safer areas whenever possible.  A fact sheet released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) notes that the barrier additionally excludes 85% of Gaza’s fishing territories.  Combined, annual losses from restrictions on agricultural and fishing territories exceed US$50 million, according to the fact sheet.

Gaza Strip || image by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

In response to Gaza’s food insecurity- which the FAO has deemed a “humanitarian crisis” – the FAO took interest in teaching Gazans how to efficiently grow their own food at home, in confined spaces.  With funding from the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium, the FAO established an emergency food production support project in 2010.  During the project’s first phase, deputy director Mohammad al-Chatali successfully facilitated the construction of 119 aquaponic gardens on the roofs of female-headed urban households.  Twenty-four additional gardens were installed in community and educational facilities.   In 2011, during phase two of the project, 100 more were constructed, for a total of 243 rooftop aquaponic gardens.

Aquaponic gardening consists of a closed-loop system that combines aquaculture (aquatic animal and plant cultivation) with hydroponics (soil-less plant propagation).  The technique simultaneously produces fish and vegetables, by re-circulating water through the troughs or barrels in which the fish and edible plants live.  In Gaza, tilapia is the fish of choice for these gardens.  Residents grow lettuces, peppers, broccoli, celery and herbs, among other edibles, which are all fertilized by the fish waste in the recirculating water.

One Gazan resident who received a home aquaponic system, Abu Ahmad, feeds his 13 member household with the vegetables and fish produced on his roof, thereby minimizing his need to buy groceries.  With additional rooftop gardens in the pipeline, Gaza is able to feed itself, one bite at a time.

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TED knows best

From a self-sustaining Lebanese town to Montreal’s urban center, Lufa Farms‘ founder and president Mohamed Hage pushes the limits of rooftop agriculture.  In his 2012 TEDx Talk, Mohamed discusses how rooftop agriculture will change the way we eat.

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collective brain power

From August 15-18, urban agricultural enthusiasts from around the world gathered in Toronto for the very first Urban Agriculture Summit.  The international conference, hosted by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities and FoodShare, attracted over 500 farmers, activists, educators, CEOs, design professionals, developers, and other industry leaders to discuss current initiatives and explore the future of urban agriculture.

Seated tightly in a lecture hall at Toronto’s Reyerson University, we listened to the conference’s opening remarks while fidgeting in anticipation of the lectures, panel discussions, and brain mingling to come.  Topics would range from social issues (food security and community building), to the sciences (urban ecology and technology), to implementation (planning, design, financing, and policy).  An astounding assortment of industry leaders were in attendance – all the hot shots were there.  Will Allen, Founder and CEO of the Milwaukee-based agricultural organization Growing Power, kick-started the conference with an inspiring keynote address.  Brightfarms CEO Paul Lightfoot maintained the conference’s momentum with an eye-opening talk about his greenhouse hydroponic company’s innovative business model.  High-profile rooftop farmers, like Ben Flanner from Brooklyn Grange, led workshops and sat on informative panels.  Architects and landscape architects offered insight on the practicalities of designing urban agricultural spaces, and community gardeners discussed best practices for maintaining them.

The conference’s emphasis on rooftop agriculture attracted quite a crowd.  I presented on rooftop production techniques to a room of 60 or so attendees, and the rooftop buzz hummed throughout the rest of the conference.  One of the most fascinating panel discussions I attended paired rooftop row farmer Ben Flanner with Kurt D. Lynn, co-founder of the Montreal-based rooftop hydroponic greenhouse company, Lufa Farms.  The two experts discussed differences in their company’s approaches to financing, business development, production, and sales outlets.  When viewed side-by-side, the contrasting business models revealed unique opportunities and challenges, specific to each approach.  The contrast was fascinating.

After the conference, attendees returned to Cuba, Germany, India, the U.S., and other home countries, to disseminate their freshly cultivated knowledge and excitement.  I hope, as do countless others, for a second Urban Agriculture Conference in 2013.

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the value of visibility

Rooftop farms and gardens are intoxicating when you’re up on the roof, but how the heck are you supposed to know they’re there from down on the ground?  Visibility is a powerful tool in spreading the word about a rooftop gem (well, maybe “emerald” is more accurate), and empowering people to start their own skyline initiative.  Visibility can be achieved through communication, such as media coverage, blogging, or word of mouth, or it can be achieved by physical means.  Here, we focus on the latter.  What simple steps can you take to ensure that your rooftop farm or garden is visible from the ground?

1|  Location location location!  When selecting the building on which you’ll build your rooftop haven, pick a busy neighborhood – the more foot traffic the better.  Some rooftop farms are visible to cyclists and motorists, but when operating a vehicle it’s best to keep one’s eyes on the road, and not in the clouds.  Pedestrians are more likely to look around while they’re in transit, and it’s safe for them to do so.

SHARE Food Program || image by Google Earth, diagram by Lauren Mandel

SHARE Food Program, in North Philadelphia, has plans to turn its warehouse roof into an active farm.  While raising the funds to do so, Bill Shick, the non-profit’s on-site farmer, won a grant to build a handful of rooftop raised beds.  Shick, with the help of the volunteers from the grant’s donor company, framed the beds two weeks ago, on the northwest corner of the 160,000 square foot (3.7 acre) roof.  Their goal?  To make the beds as visible as possible.  They selected a corner of the roof that is virtually eye-level with an adjacent bridge.  Both pedestrians, and in this case cyclists and motorists, can see the pilot project while in transit.

Pilot site next to an adjacent bridge || photo by Lauren Mandel

2| Build up, not out.  Most roofs have a low perimeter wall, known as a parapet.  When rooftop visibility is sought, you may decide to introduce vertical elements into your farm or garden design.  This may involve trellises, bean poles, sunflowers, fruit trees, or any other element that extends above the parapet.  Shick opted for bean poles in his pilot project to ensure that bridge travelers get a glimpse of green.  The poles themselves are simple: 2” x 4” pressure treated wood that extend six feet above the raised bed framing.  Each raised bed is equipped with six bean poles, which leaves plenty of real estate for climbers.

An army of bean poles extends above the parapet || photo by Lauren Mandel

Volunteers secure the 2x4s with screws || photo by Lauren Mandel

3| Advertise.  Even though your rooftop farm will be obvious to some, others will walk right by without noticing.  Get creative with street level advertising!  I recently met the founder of Walk Raleigh, a grassroots initiative focussed on promoting urban walkability through pedestrian-oriented signage.  The movement, which started as a guerrilla sign-hanging graduate thesis project, has gone viral.  With the help of a Kickstarter campaign and attention from the BBC and other media giants, Walk Raleigh has expanded to cities around the country.  Signage encouraging pedestrians to look up at your farm can take advantage of the same principles.  Draw arrows on the sidewalk with chalk; hang signs pointing up to the roof; do whatever it takes to grab people’s attention!  Just remember to keep it legal, and respect your neighbor’s property.  Hey, if you neighbors get hooked, maybe they can plant some signage too.

Street-level advertising would boost the visibility of SHARE’s pilot project (right) || photo by Lauren Mandel

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the hottest of hotspots

If the U.S. were a cupcake, and the rooftop farms and gardens dotted around the country were the sprinkles, then Brooklyn would be the cherry on top.  Thank you for bearing with me on that analogy.

Greenpoint, Brooklyn || Image by Google Earth

It’s true, though.  Brooklyn currently houses several of the country’s most innovative and inspiring rooftop farms.  Gotham Greens, a 15,000 square foot (0.3 acre) commercial greenhouse operation in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood, leads New York City in rooftop yields.  With high-end distribution channels and a solid business model, the success of this rooftop pioneer may be inspiring other entrepreneurs to follow suit.  Eagle Street Rooftop Farm is another critical piece of the cherry.  As the country’s first rooftop row farm, Eagle Street Rooftop Farm plays an important role in building community and demonstrating farming techniques.  With a picturesque backdrop, this farm is arguably Brooklyn’s “greenest” icon.  Brooklyn Grange, while not actually located in Brooklyn, contributes to the local skyline network as well.  Ben Flanner, founder of Brooklyn Grange, co-founded Eagle Street and then spread his seeds of knowledge to the Grange’s rooftop in Queens.

It is with this proliferation and contagious behavior that Brooklyn is booming – I mean, blooming!  The New York Times reports that Gotham Greens is scheduled to open three new rooftop greenhouse operations in 2013, totalling 180,000 square feet (4.1 acres).  Brooklyn Grange is also expanding, and construction of the farm’s new 45,000 square foot (1 acre) location could begin as early as spring of 2012.

Then there’s the Sunset Park Greenhouse.  Brooklyn residents should expect to see this 100,000 square foot (2.3 acre) hydroponic operation atop a former Naval warehouse in the not-too-distant future.  According to the New York Times, the project’s greenhouse development company, BrightFarms, anticipates that the farm will produce 1 million pounds of food per year.

With agro-icons and big projects in the pipeline, Brooklyn is hot hot hot.

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3… 2… 1… action!

Australian film crew at Eagle Street Rooftop Farm || photo by Lauren Mandel

While standing in the spotlight may be uncomfortable at times, the strategic rooftop farmer embraces the media and “eats up” it’s marketing potential.  Simply put, media coverage can be instrumental in disseminating a farm’s brand.  Print and broadcast media coverage can go a long way, and social media may go even further within certain demographics.  Regardless of whether a newspaper journalist, cinematographer, or blogger visits your rooftop farm, it will behoove you to be accommodating and put your best foot forward.  The media’s relationship with a rooftop farmer, as with any public figure, can be either helpful or harmful in building the farm’s reputation, so be prepared!

Over the past few years, Trey Flemming from Urban Apiaries has learned how positive media relations can go a long way.  Trey and his urban honeybees often appear in magazine and newspaper articles around Philadelphia, as well as in online articles, blogs, and documentaries.  With all the attention, the Urban Apiaries brand has reached new heights: corporate America.  While once available only at local co-ops and specialty stores, Trey’s honey is now available at Terrain – Urban Outfitter’s garden center.

Annie Novak, from Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, similarly embraces media coverage.  When I visited Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in 2011, Annie welcomed me to the roof while in the middle of a photo shoot on the other side of a kale patch.  With a warm air and magnetic disposition, it was no wonder that Annie simultaneously engaged a film crew, a foreign journalist, and myself (the aspiring author).

Annie welcomed each person to the roof with the same friendly smile, before she figured out who they were.  Just remember, out on a roof you never know to whom you may be speaking.

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the buzz.

If you mentioned rooftop farming a few years ago, most people would think you were crazy.  But now that rooftop farms and gardens have taken root across the country, more and more people are joining the conversation.  Groups like Cloud 9 Rooftop Farm, the Philadelphia Rooftop Farm (PRooF), NYC Rooftop Farm Initiative, and FarmRoof are talking the talk, and some are just beginning to walk the talk.

Rooftop place-making || photo and rendering by Lauren Mandel

Historically, aspiring rooftop farmers in the U.S. had to seek out rooftops and convince building owners to let the space.  Now, business owners in Philadelphia and New York City are elevating the buzz to new heights by planning for their own rooftop farms.  As the Rooftop Agriculture Specialist at Roofmeadow, I’ve spoken with several of these business owners during the past few weeks.  The prospective projects range in scale from 2,000 square feet (0.05 acre) to 66,000 square feet (1.5 acres), and include row farming and raised beds.  One prospective client even requested rooftop chickens!

Each business owner is interested in rooftop agriculture for a different reason.  Some value the marketing potential of a rooftop farm, others are interested in managing stormwater, and others want to supplement their commercial kitchens with roof-grown food.  Regardless of intent, the rooftop agricultural buzz is growing.  It’s growing all around the country, and it’s going to be big.

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farming in the sunshine state

I Grow My Own Veggies || photo by Lauren Mandel

Despite Florida’s abundant sunshine and rainfall, there is a surprising lack of rooftop agricultural activity throughout the state.  The growing conditions are perfect for food production at any altitude, and yet, most growing is reserved for the ground plain.

The one exception is I Grown My Own Veggies in Sarasota, FL.  This 3,000 sf open-air hydroponic farm rests atop a glass factory in a light manufacturing area of the city.  The farm’s Founder, Vincent Dessberg, began growing food on the roof of his factory in 2009 in an effort to grow food as locally as possible and empower his neighbors to follow suit.  His original concept was to build a restaurant below the farm, with the slogan “Your food travels 15 feet, not 15 miles.”

While the restaurant never materialized, the farm continues to produce an impressive variety of crops, including strawberries, chard, kale, tomatoes, basil, watercress, onions, and several varieties of leaf lettuces.  The hydroponic facility contains over 6,000 plants, which are grown in  stacked Styrofoam containers and drip irrigated from above.  Holes in the bottoms of these lightweight containers allow for water to drain from one pot down to the next, thereby minimizing water loss.

The farm produces three to four crop cycles per year, but according to Dessberg, growing during the summer months is tricky.  Marketing to local restaurants has also been tricky, since most of these businesses rely upon large quantities of a few select crops rather than the large variety that Dessberg has to offer.  Due to these difficulties and others, Dessberg brought on Don Gamin to manage the farm.  Gamin is poised to take over completely within the next few months, and is sure to bring some fresh ideas to the table.

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a financial giant and a pitchfork

While young metro-agrarian trend setters around the country dive elbow deep into compost, one financial giant wants to get its hands dirty too.  This multinational investment banking and securities firm (that prefers to remain anonymous), is constructing a raised bed production area on the roof of the firm’s newly acquired hotel in Lower Manhattan.  The hotel is located in the affluent Battery Park City neighborhood, and will contain a restaurant that aims to incorporate rooftop produce into its menu.

Cedar for raised beds || Photo by Lauren Mandel

The sophisticated rooftop design incorporates swaths of extensive green roof, decorative crushed glass, and rubber pavers in addition to the farm plots.  Ken Smith Landscape Architect designed this layout, and hired Roofmeadow (the green roof firm for which I work) as the project’s green roof consultant.  Roofmeadow maintains a national network of licensed green roof contractors, one of whom, the Sponzilli Landscape Group, is currently installing this project.  I had the good fortune of visiting the site this morning to perform construction oversight, and was able to see the farm plots first hand.

The raised beds themselves are much like those on the ground plain, except that these beds more intricately address the threshold between soil and underlying substrate.  Rooftop raised beds require a well-planned drainage system in order to maintain proper soil moisture in each plot.  A bed that does not drain effectively can become waterlogged and kill the plants growing within.  A bed that drains too quickly will require significant levels of irrigation, and will therefore produce weak plants while wasting water.  The Embassy Suits Hotel raised beds utilize specially engineered growing media that holds a specific amount of water between its particles.  This media sits on top of a sheet drain, which was selected for its specific transmissivity (or horizontal flow) rate.

Installing raised beds on a roof is much more expensive than on the ground, due mostly to costs associated with rooftop access and labor.  This means that the beds themselves should ideally last much longer on a roof than on the ground, so that they do not need to be replaced very often.  What material should be deployed, then?  Untreated wood typically lasts 3-4 years when used for raised beds in the northeastern climate.  Treated wood lasts longer, but proves toxic when containing edible crops.  Cinder blocks and brick are sturdy options, except that they can easily exceed rooftop weight limits.

Ken Smith Landscape Architect chose cedar for the raised beds at the Embassy Suits Hotel.  This wood naturally resists decay, and therefore acts as an ideal candidate for long-lasting rooftop raised beds.  The downside?  The specific wood used for this project may not have been sustainably harvested, and it was also extremely expensive.  This is a wood that may be prohibitively expensive for most professional projects, and certainly would exceed the budgets of most at-home installations.

So what is the best material to use for rooftop raised beds?  That’s up for debate.  What do you think?

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standing room only

The packed audience sat in anticipation as I introduced three panelists at the international CitiesAlive  conference on Friday.

The conference, held this year in Philadelphia,  is organized annually by the Toronto-based Green Roof Professional (GRP) accreditation organization Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.  Unlike other international trade conferences, CitiesAlive is unique in its ability to attract a multidisciplinary audience.  The three-day event acted as a magnet for designers, policy makers, scientists, material vendors, rooftop farmers, green roof enthusiasts, and industry leaders.  The diversity was moving, as was each presenter’s ability to capture the interest of these audiences simultaneously.

Out of the conference’s 12 panel discussions, two focused on rooftop agriculture.  The discussion that I was asked to moderate, Design for Food Production and Biodiversity, highlighted built projects that promote either rooftop farming or green roof biodiversity.  While other sessions on green roof policy and key international projects were moderately attended, this panel discussion was filled to the brim, with standing room only.  Rooftop agriculture is one hot topic.

Scott Torrance, Founding Principal of Scott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc, discussed his process of ecological green roof design.  He developed a biodiversity checklist for these rooftop environments, which considers species diversity, nesting habitat, water sources, and other elements that promote wildlife occupation.  Scott’s talk posed interesting questions with regard to the development of pollinator habitat and pollinator corridors on rooftop farms.

Next, Keith Agoada, President of Urban-Ag, energetically described a demonstration greenhouse that he built on top of a nightclub in California.  The structure was designed and erected with a “guerrilla” approach, without the assistance of an architect or waterproofing consultant.  The small greenhouse is visible from an adjacent elevated highway, and is visited regularly by guests and performers from the nightclub below.

Lastly, Anna Suardini, a Technical Sales Coordinator for American Hydrotech, Inc., discussed the Gary Comer Youth Center in Chicago.  This community center houses a 7,400 sf rooftop row farm that is completely enclosed by higher levels of the surrounding building.  The farm is shielded from the elements, and provides children from the surrounding compromised neighborhood with a chance to work with plants and soil in a safe environment.  The rooftop farm’s success quickly lead to the development  of a larger, at-grade farm near the building.  These community agricultural nodes are effectively fostering a positive food production ethic, whereby children and adults alike become reconnected with their food.

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