|
Planting seeds for rooftop farming in Hub
Feb 12, 2012 (Boston Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Plans are under way to get Boston's first commercial rooftop farm off the ground.
Would-be farmers John Stoddard and Courtney Bissonnette are in negotiations to plant the farm atop buildings in the South End's Newmarket Square area or Charlestown.
Higher Ground Farm would cover an acre or more of rooftop space, with plans to grow veggies and herbs -- and possibly raise bees, rabbits and laying hens -- beginning in 2013.
"Urban agriculture is really growing across the country and in Boston," Stoddard said. "We like the idea of contributing to a local sustainable food system and eliminating the transportation and congestion issues of trucking food in. We look at this as a new green business sector that can really take off."
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino also has recognized the value of city farming. In 2010, he launched the "Urban Agriculture Initiative" to increase access to affordable and healthy food, particularly in underserved communities.
Higher Ground's founders plan to sell its harvest at stores, including those in "food deserts" where fresh produce is hard to find, and through subsidized community-supported agriculture programs.
They're looking for rooftops ranging from 40,000 to 80,000 square feet and estimate that between 5 percent and 10 percent of Boston buildings are suitable. The buildings must have relatively new roof membranes for structural integrity and be accessible to the public.
"Our business model is to expand out and have a couple of different farms on rooftops and also possibly use other urban agriculture methodologies like hydroponic growing inside storage containers," Stoddard said.
Stoddard recently joined the international Health Care Without Harm to work on getting sustainable, healthy foods in hospitals, while Bissonnette runs the beverage service at South End restaurant Toro and manages Coppa Enoteca with her husband, chef Jamie Bissonnette.
For the South End space they're eying, the partners hope to find a chef interested in opening a restaurant in the building.
"We're looking for chefs excited about sustainable food and having a farm on site -- sort of like an urban Blue Hill at Stone Barns farm idea," Stoddard said, referring to the eatery at New York's Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. "An important component would be having events and dinners on the farm and utilizing the culinary talent in Boston to teach classes."
Stoddard estimates it will cost $250,000 to have Somerville-based Recover Green Roofs install a green roof system and get Higher Ground up and running.
dgoodison@bostonherald.com
___ (c)2012 the Boston Herald Visit the Boston Herald at www.bostonherald.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|
TMCnet LOGIN
Webinars
