Almost out of necessity, many city dwellers are now taking up rooftop farming. Kohinur Akter of Nakhalpara, Dhaka, is one of them. She has loved farming since childhood, and after building her own house in 2018, she set up a rooftop farm hoping for safe vegetables and crops. On 2,700 square feet above the seventh floor, she grows toxin-free crops on two tiers.

The roof looks like a dense crop field; such a productive courtyard on a tall building is impossible without deep love for plants. She spends time here every day, drawn by the green crops.

Arum, cucumber, aubergine, chilli, lemon, tomato and other crops are arranged in layers of plastic crates, meeting the family's nutritional needs. She explained techniques for producing crops quickly at low cost.

She ensures biosecurity in production and keeps pigeons, an easy way to get organic manure for urban farming, she says. To give safe food to the younger generation and her ailing husband, she has become aware of the changing climate, and she saves seed of all her crops to keep production going.

The green space is a source of inner peace that helps her stay healthy in city life, she says.

Source: Shykh Seraj, Chhad Krishi (episode 314). First published in Bengali on The Agro News.