Rooftop urban agriculture for the small stakeholder

Abstract

Urban agriculture (UA) has the potential to benefit inner-city communities, by reducing food transport distance, increasing awareness of how food is produced, and by improving the nutrition, health, and economic status of the same communities. In this study, green beans, cantaloupe, eggplant, squash and tomatoes were grown in a rooftop garden. Results indicate that water source quality and rooftop climatic conditions (solar induced temperature rise) can present limitations to the success of untrained rooftop gardeners. Some outreach and educational materials on how to overcome obstacles will be necessary to help untrained UA farmers establish productive gardens on the rooftop environment.