Green Roof Urban Agriculture

Green roofs used as a means of agriculture also provide aesthetic and physiological benefits for people in urban areas kortright 2011 p.

Green roof urban agriculture.

Soil temperature soil moisture crop health quality and productivity were monitored. Some green roofs incorporate urban agriculture and include herbs and vegetables that can be harvested for use by the building s occupants or the community. The project goal was to evaluate the feasibility of green roof technology for urban agriculture for peterborough and elsewhere testing the hypothesis that green rooftop agriculture is viable as an urban agricultural alternative. There are limitations to this on buildings mainly due to the load bearing capacity of individual roofs.

Using green roofs as the site for an urban agriculture project can reduce a community s footprint through the creation of a local food system. Urban agriculture is a productive form of green infrastructure that supports local economies creates jobs improves access to healthy fresh food and provides ecosystem services. The primary purpose of the rooftop garden according to director of sustainability ruairi o mahony is to educate passersby about the university s urban agriculture program. However some roofs can take the required substrate depths for.

Before green roof technology can be incorporated into urban agriculture on a larger scale installation costs must be reduced roof weight limitations should be assessed and appropriate management practices should be developed which will ensure that the benefits of green roofs such as energy savings and storm water management are still. In the uk especially london and elsewhere in the world there is a growing interest in utilising roof space for urban agriculture. A green roof can also provide a refuge for insects and birds that have lost their natural habitat due to urban development and the loss of green space. Green roof solutions is at the forefront of this movement and offers many products that can be used for urban farming both on rooftops and in the ground.

The availability of fresh produce in many areas of our cities is a real issue and urban farming is one of the answers to this problem. Green roofs once converted to produce food bearing vegetation create a social atmosphere mimicking that of a community garden. Grhc brings together urban and rooftop agriculture experts to share the benefits and challenges of urban agriculture projects at its urban agriculture symposium.