ROOF-TOP GARDENS

Poor food and nutrition security of the urban poor, combined with finite resources results in an urgent need for alternative solutions to feeding a growing population. This solution needs to create inclusive food systems that can provide vulnerable, low-income groups access to nutritious, affordable food and income-generating activities to support household livelihoods.

In response to this issue, the GTP has devised a project to establish roof-top gardens where pop-up greenhouses will be installed to cultivate food on an innovative modular tower system devised by African Grower. The growing hubs will be run by local agripreneurs, to achieve the dual goal of improving food security and providing economic opportunities for a network of local urban farmers.

The African Grower is a vertical, sustainable, soil-less growing system, consisting of multiple growing pods staked on top of one another. A single tower has the capacity to grow 16 fruit-bearing or vegetable crops and 8 companion plants.

The GTP is seeking to partner with business parks and building owners, schools, old-age homes, hospitals and clinics in Bellville who can offer their rooftops, parking lots, vacant spaces, or sufficiently well-lit interior spaces such as atria, lobbies or food courts, where the towers may be installed and maintained by trained agripreneurs.

With a network of these gardens installed across Bellville, it will be possible to significantly improve food security for our community.