Algae Farming On Bangkok Rooftops
In Bangkok local downtown restaurants now serve fresh algae in their meals. The innovative rooftop farmers of EnerGaia have discovered that the rooftops of the city’s skyscrapers are perfect spots for producting the green vitamin-rich power food. Eating slimy green algae is probably not the first thing you think about when you enter a Thai restaurant, but hey, it’s healthy and very local.
In the past years the global urban farming movement has grown from a hobby club for hipsters into a serious business that finally has the power to make some change. The scene has its own supply chain, markets have grown mature, and we see the emerge of more efficient and intensified forms of urban food production. Aquaponics systems, mushroom farms, and now algae production focus on the core of the urban food issue while implementing innovative technologies.
EnerGaia takes urban farming to a whole new level. The project transforms empty skyscraper rooftops in Bangkok into massive urban farms with dozens of barrels. The algae double in size every day thanks to the tropical temperatures Thailand’s capital. The green goo gets harvested three times a week, spun dried, packed by hand into jars and sold to shops and restaurants. The nicely designed jars of Skyline Spirulina cost around $14 each.
