Rooftop farming can be a game-changer for the country’s agriculture sector to help meet the local demand for food as well as face the global recession.
According to Rajuk, there are more than 40 million small and big buildings in the city. These buildings have a roof area of about 80 square miles which is about the size of a small country.
A recent survey conducted by the Dhaka North City Corporation has showed that there are more than 150,000 high-rise buildings in the city but nearly 3,000 roofs have been brought under rooftop gardening/farming.
Introducing rooftop gardening can reduce excessive heat, clean the city’s air, meet local food demand in a particular area, create job employment and so on.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations said that global food production will fall by 2.1 percent this year. Food crisis hits the world hard. Many countries may face famine next year which may last until 2024, according to the World Bank, IMF and Oxfam.
In this regard, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said several times that there may be famine next year. She also urged the countrymen to grow crops on every inch of land and to be frugal in all respects and not waste food. She further said that her government wants to ensure nutritious, balanced, and safe food.
According to the Worldometers data, Bangladesh’s population growth rate is 5.29 percent and food production growth rate is 4.14 percent. As the arable land is decreasing every year, rooftop farming can add another dimension to the food production system.
Agriculture expert and media personality Shykh Seraj earlier told Bangladesh Post that as a result of urbanization, including the construction of houses, roads, shops, industries for the growing population, the amount of arable land is decreasing day by day.
According to the data, with an increase in the population, the amount of land decreases by about one percent every year. In order to meet the food needs of the growing population, rooftop farming can be a game-changer.
Following the success of the Urban Agriculture Production Support (pilot) project, the authorities concerned are now looking forward to taking up such projects in other big cities across the country.
DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam said, “Rooftop farming is not posing the risk of dengue. Aedes mosquito breeds gain ground for leaving construction materials everywhere. There is likely to have famine next year. In this situation, if we can bring a good number of roofs under farming/gardening, we will be able to meet the local demand for food.”
However, Prashika Human Development Center will make 1,005 rooftop gardens in Dhaka North and South, Narayanganj and Gazipur City Corporations. FAO will finance the construction of this roof garden.
Finally, rooftop farming is the best way to easily de-pollute the air of Dhaka. This is easy to implement and cost-effective. Sixty percent of Dhaka city is occupied by empty roofs.
