Brooklyn Rooftop Agriculture

The New Yorkers are busy reducing their foodprint, making plans to build skyscraper farms and doing experiments with innovative public urban agriculture. Green rooftop specialists like Chris Goode have a lot of work to do these days. Recently I came across an interesting rooftop farm project in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

On top of an industrial building overlooking the East River and the Manhattan skyline, sits a 6,000 square foot urban farm. The farmers hired a crane to pour 150,000 pounds of soil onto the roof and created an irrigation system. Seeds were purchased from organic seed savers like Seed Savers Exchange. A beehive has been set on another neighbouring rooftop and there are also plans to hold ten or so chickens on the roof. Awesome.

Once they’re ready to harvest, the group plans to provide local restaurants and other community organizations with their vegetables. “But only very local ones – they plan to transport everything they grow by bike”, is stated in the article. The ultimate goal of the founders of this rooftop farm is to set the mold for future rooftop farms to come in New York City.