For most of us, the notion of vegetation upon our roof tops is limited to terrace gardens with green patches. However, Peng Quigen from Shaoxing in China’s Zhejiang province clearly has a more ambitious idea when it comes to utilizing top level house spaces. This is quite evident from his unique roof top farm (yes, you have read that right!) perched 40 ft above the ground level, upon his four floored residence. Interestingly, the farm doesn’t just serve as a publicity gimmick; rather it has been in existence for years now, and practically grows its fair share of produce including rice, fruits and vegetables.
In terms of area, the roof top farmland constitutes 120 sq m (around 1,300 sq ft) of space. Now, this may seem expansive in architectural perspective; but as a conventional farm, the area is pretty small. However, the elevated field more than makes up for it by its sheer degree of fertility. Moreover, the compactness of the scope ironically helps on many levels, including the mitigation of water loss and soil erosion. When translated into produce figures, Peng Quigen was able to grow 400 kg of watermelon, which is actually 30 percent higher his regular ground level farmland.
The resourceful Chinese farmer has decided to take advantage of the higher productivity of his roof top farm by opting for rice in this year. His aim is to produce substantial quantity of rice that could sustain at least one person all throughout a year. The good thing is – Quigen’s neighbors also support him in his novel endeavor along with the local officials, who have turned a blind eye to the ‘illegal’ roof top construction. And, in a more collective scenario, such type of home-farmlands might just be the simple solution to humanity’s agricultural sustenance in the future.
All images are courtesy of Xinhua News.
Via: XinhuaNet
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