On the roof of a six-storey building on Swadhinata Sarani, Badda, in the capital, Jane Alam Jony has built a garden of flowers, fruit and medicinal plants. In four years, the rooftop farm has become rich.

The building was completed in 2012, and the 6,000 square foot roof was planned for farming from the start. Seedlings were added one by one, and it is now a magical space of more than a hundred flowering and fruit plants.

He said most plants are fruit seedlings: lemon, star fruit, jujube, custard apple, amla and guava. Over four years, many flowers have bloomed, and some trees began fruiting from the first year.

Jony became attached to farming while living abroad, regularly watching Channel i's Hridoye Mati O Manush, which he calls his inspiration. He is now building an agriculture-based business.

The rooftop farm is a special place of recreation for his wife and young children, whose love of farming is growing. One side of the roof is set aside for children to play, and following their father, they are learning to care for plants.

Source: Shykh Seraj, Chhad Krishi. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.