This green enterprise sits beside the Mohakhali flyover in Dhaka, and the dense greenery is visible from a distance or from above. Its owners, Hafsa Alam and Shah Alam Swapan, spent many years abroad and now live in Bangladesh. They wanted to stay close to green plants and enjoy growing their own crops, so they built a planned rooftop farm.
Growing their own food
In cities and villages alike, attitudes to farming are changing. More people want to produce their own food and, hoping for safe, toxin-free produce, grow crops wherever they have space. Being connected to farming is becoming part of urban demand and beauty, and rooftop farming has created that link.
Spices in bags
On this roof, spice crops are grown in many sacks. This bagging method is being adopted by many growers.
Climbing vegetables cover permanent frames, trellises and even trees, meeting much of the family's vegetable needs. The involvement of young family members matters most for the future of any venture, including rooftop farming.
Contact with soil and crops also inspires Hafsa Alam's literary writing. Despite busy lives, the couple practise regularly and get fresh fruit and vegetables. Roofs and spaces lying unused in cities across the country could be used the same way.
Source: Shykh Seraj, Chhad Krishi (episode 313). First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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