An urban farmer in France is pioneering a soil-free method of agriculture that if successful could help cities solve future food crises. One rooftop farm in Paris is growing strawberries, lettuce, basil, sage and peppermint inside spouts protruding from large vertical tubes, in which the plants’ roots hang in nothing but air. Meanwhile, tomatoes, chard and aubergines are grown in trays containing coconut fibre (coco coir).
The aeroponic tubes and coir trays have been developed by engineer and sustainable development consultant Pascal Hardy and installed onto the rooftop of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition centre. When the roof space is completely filled, he expects to be producing 1,000kg of fruit and vegetables every day, spanning 35 varieties. It is already supplying local residents, hotels, restaurants and caterers.
“If enough unused space – rooftops, walls, small patches of land – can be developed like this, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t eventually target maybe between 5% and 10% of consumption,” says Hardy, taking a realistic view of the potential for scaling up this model of urban farming. Despite the modesty, his consultancy Agripolis is attracting international interest from those who want to replicate his rooftop farm in their own cities.
The organic, soil-free method relies on enriched water that is recycled and uses space efficiently due to the verticle towers; it also creates a local supply chain that removes the need for food to be transported over long distances from farms to cities. Not every fruit and vegetable can be grown in aeroponic tubes or coco coir, and there are many other examples of urban farming around the world, but Hardy says his method is the most resource efficient and sustainable.
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An urban farmer in France is pioneering a soil-free method of agriculture that if successful could help cities solve future food crises. One rooftop farm in Paris is growing strawberries, lettuce, basil, sage and peppermint inside spouts protruding from large vertical tubes, in which the plants’ roots hang in nothing but air. Meanwhile, tomatoes, chard and aubergines are grown in trays containing coconut fibre (coco coir).
The aeroponic tubes and coir trays have been developed by engineer and sustainable development consultant Pascal Hardy and installed onto the rooftop of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition centre. When the roof space is completely filled, he expects to be producing 1,000kg of fruit and vegetables every day, spanning 35 varieties. It is already supplying local residents, hotels, restaurants and caterers.
“If enough unused space – rooftops, walls, small patches of land – can be developed like this, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t eventually target maybe between 5% and 10% of consumption,” says Hardy, taking a realistic view of the potential for scaling up this model of urban farming. Despite the modesty, his consultancy Agripolis is attracting international interest from those who want to replicate his rooftop farm in their own cities.
The organic, soil-free method relies on enriched water that is recycled and uses space efficiently due to the verticle towers; it also creates a local supply chain that removes the need for food to be transported over long distances from farms to cities. Not every fruit and vegetable can be grown in aeroponic tubes or coco coir, and there are many other examples of urban farming around the world, but Hardy says his method is the most resource efficient and sustainable.