On the roof of a three-storey house on RN Road in Jashore town, businessman Lutfor Rahman has set a remarkable example of farming success over eight years. The roof meets a large share of his family's fruit and vegetable needs and satisfies his wish to stay involved in farming.

The structure for rooftop farming was put in place when the building was constructed. Thirteen permanent beds hold deep layers of soil, where various fruit trees grow, and beneath them vegetables are grown several times a year.

Lutfor Rahman said he started the garden as soon as the roof was laid. It now supplies his household's food and he even sends produce to his village home.

A well-known Jashore businessman, he set up the farm eight years ago to keep farming in his life. It now meets almost 100 per cent of the family's fruit and vegetable needs.

There are problems too, he says, which he has to solve himself. Other family members also gain a great deal from the rooftop farm, and he now understands its value.

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