Lets grow upwards

We constantly say that our cities are so congested, leaving little or no space for greenery. Well, here is a fantastic solution, that too from another major city – Paris.

Taking up space of two football pitches, an urban farm is being built at the edges of the city. It will have the capacity to supply one tonne of food per day. Known as Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, it will become the  world’s largest urban roof top farm.

It will have around 30 different types of plant. The will be grown in columns without soil and fed with nutrient-rich solutions and rainwater. This aeroponic method uses little water and means a large number of plants can be grown in a small area.

Visitors will be able to purchase produce as well as sample it in the rooftop restaurant. The farm will also host educational tours and various events. And citizens will also be able to rent space to grow their own crops.

The French Govt aims to cover 100 hectares of the city’s rooftops, walls and urban spaces with plants by 2020.

Well, do we ever hear our Govt’s ever talk about such things? And giving precious space to grow plants when revenue can be earned from realty? No way! This is precisely the reason why cities like Paris are stated to be developed as they have moved on beyond food, clothing and shelter and the Govt also has the maturity to understand the relevance of protecting space for greenery.