Naturcycle staff recently visited Newmarket Farm, the newest rooftop farm in Boston, Massachusetts, which was designed around our Urban Agriculture Green Roof Media, a specialized blend optimized for intense rotational agriculture in deep planters. This blend is free of weed seeds and contains a balance of natural minerals, silt, and clay. High in organic matter, this well-draining soilless medium is continually improved to grow a wide variety of plants, while retaining water to ensure crop success year after year. Newmarket Farm and the original Boston Medical Center rooftop farm demonstrate that urban agriculture is the future of food security and education.
Our hosts from Higher Ground Farm explained to us that many visitors to the farm saw how carrots and other vegetables are grown for the first time, tasted a tomato more flavorful than any they have ever had, or helped harvest the greens they had head about from their grandparents. Urban farms may never feed millions of people directly, but they can make people healthier, happier and more connected to their food sources, promoting interest in being outdoors and making healthier food choices. Urban farms nourish the souls of communities, while connecting kids to carrots, immigrants to taste of home, and senior citizens to the flavors of their youth. We wonder if the first and foremost benefit of these spaces is the education and connection they provide in a concrete desert. Linking people with nature is fundamental to landscape design and urban development since Frederick Law Olmsted envisioned a massive Central Park, a natural setting in a man-made landscape. At the intersection of science and architecture, urban farms of the future can be used as an education tool and enhance our built environment.
Complex urban farming systems can also provide food security as more rooftop space is dedicated to this purpose. Naturcycle recently completed another rooftop farm installation in New Rochelle, New York, which provides healthy, local fruits and vegetables. Fast growing crops excellent for quick-turnaround urban applications include mixed greens, tomatoes, radishes and carrots, which help feed communities even in small amounts. The acres and acres of rooftops around the world can provide nutritious food directly in areas where people need it most, reducing costs and alleviating food deserts. In New York City, Brooklyn Grange offers a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, combining resources with other local farms to distribute and expand access to a wide variety of fresh food.
As a leader in green roof media manufacturing and innovation, Naturcycle is excited about the future of urban agriculture and what our green roof media can offer. From the fruit trees growing on the roof of the Javits Center in Manhattan to Swiss chard still growing well on a cold November day in Boston, rooftop farming can provide critical food education in big cities, while offering a diversity of fresh produce to promote healthier diets and provide food security.
