Rooftop Farming

Have you ever been searching the idea or had the deep interest of fresh, organic and local food in your surrounding? Then, come out of the your comfort zone to make your idea got valued and converted into the productive one!!

The article mainly provides you the way  for doing something from the individual's side to secure food security. As, world is converting into urban planet where the land are being transformed into tall building, apartments, business world with the pace of increasing urbanization, the roof space are also increasing at the same speeds. So, why not to take the perk of peace environment and healthy organic food from our roof.. Day by day the world is metamorphosing into virtual world of social distancing with the safe masks and sanitized hand.

Rooftop farming, popularly known as "Kaushi Kheti" is the cultivation of different food crops in the roof of buildings which is usually done in the city areas where there is no adequate agricultural lands. Rooftop gardens provide nutritious food all around the year sufficient for both high income and low-income households. This special kind of farming are the man-made artificial green space on the roof / top of the house where the fresh air dances, with the peace voice of the moving cloud. We can vision this kind of farming in the industrial, commercial and residential areas to support the growing food demand of increasing population where food supply should be secure and sustainable.

A wide range of fruits and vegetables like spinach, cucurbits, cauliflower, citrus, tomatoes, garlic, onions, guava, strawberries, herbs and spices can be grown on vacant spaces on the rooftops.
People are slowly utilizing this farming model but are still lacking in some necessary technical aspects for improving their production. Realizing the attraction and necessity of people towards Rooftop Farming. In order to make our farming facilitated with the drainage and irrigation , the roof should be made stronger than the normal with the water proof cements and other modern technology to meet up the aim of farming either only for the home-purpose or to the industrial level as well as may designed to grow , produce, provide space, give shade and shelter or simply be a garden on the top of the building.

Roof with the pace of increasing urbanization is increasing too rapidly in the context of our country. As, we talk about the area like Kirtipur in 1950 and 2020, where the surrounding is full of fresh air with the view of white smiling mountain in 1950 and with the dirty , unhealthy environment full of building and hiding the smiling mountain in 2020 is a great example of rapidly changing rural area into urban are where the future seems the impacts of roof top farming in coming future. Almost 1.5 lakhs ropani of empty rooftop in Kathmandu alone gives the insight of opportunity to make ourselves busy with organic food or to employ the people seeking for their daily food. Similarly, Urban and peri-urban areas can contribute 70% of total vegetable need and 70% volume of the city waste is decomposable. Even the government is giving budget of KMC delineated for different years.

Most of the people are unaware about it because of different myth like;

1. Concern of weight on the house
2. I do not have the time
3. A well established roof is expensive
4. Concern of lack of ideas of farming

The top farming is a recreational activity and can be done for the decorative purpose as to make our roof beautifully green. The crucial points for doing the rooftop farming mainly include temperature control of the roof and surrounding air that leads to the overall cooling a local climate, architectural enhancement, hydrological benefit through hydroponics, habits or corridors for the flora and different fauna , Aeroponics, vermicomposting, organic farming and it's large are to the ecological benefit. However, it is an aesthetic importance as its view is green and that is good for quality of life. This gives to the positive impacts to the environment , as the world with the plant on the top and human on down is really mind-blowing. Thus, rain water is absorbed by the roof plant and reduce the problem of flood , landslide, and damage of the infrastructure. Besides the biodiversity essence , it create the employment opportunity and gives relaxing place.

Rooftop farming could be extensive and intensive where extensive which includes the herbs ,mosses giving fresh environment and ecological benefit and intensive farming is large area including all the species like trees, herbs, shrubs, foundation which needs strong roof with water proof technology.

People don't have to spend lots of money in creating the technique, they can use bottle , water jars, plastics bags , pots and other so many. Loamy soil , vermicompost ,Cocobit, and ash is usually with required amount in nursery bag is used in rooftop farming putting the plastics slip in the last part of the farming. The are with proper drainage system could long our farming to long time.

Amidst the covid-19 pandemic, most of the people are being in the lost of their job even house and some people with lack of family, in this condition rooftop farming is the best ideas to start-up for serving oneself firstly. Even the world is facing the food insecurity and the sustainable goal of zero hunger by 2030 is risk. The country like Haiti, Yemen are in the risk of malnutrition and hunger as in every 10 seconds , a single child is dying. In this world crisis time this is the best idea to be a productive one as self-sustainable incase of wasting our times in unnecessary works.

Bibliography:

1. https://img.thedailybeast.com/image/upload/c_crop,d_placeholder_euli9k,h_1440,w_2560,x_0,y_0/dpr_1.5/c_limit,w_1044/fl_lossy,q_auto/v1530027682/170626-Biba-rooftop-farming-tease_cgluzi
2. https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/uploads/media/JARACITYMAIN.jpg