-(19)becb5eccab674bb885ca46ce7d584a20.png?sfvrsn=53ac1554_0 "©FAO/Giorgio Grussu")
The state of the art rooftop garden on the terrace at FAO Headquarters in Rome is the first of its kind to ever be installed on a United Nations building in Italy.
Building synergies with the Food Gardens Initiative at UN Headquarters, the FAO rooftop garden aims to promote FAO’s leading role in food and agriculture, highlighting the role of innovative and sustainable technology, as well as the work of the Mountain Partnership on agrobiodiversity, agroecology, sustainable food systems and family farming.
Made up of moveable triangle-shaped modules, the rooftop farm is dynamic and can be reconfigured into different shapes. Each module is equipped with sensors that detect vegetation productivity and stresses – such as atmospheric pollution, water and climatic conditions – in real time. The modules are irrigated through an innovative water- and energy-efficient system. Data will be monitored and analysed by the Department of Environmental Biology of at Sapienza University of Rome.
The project serves to explore the possibility of using similar rooftop gardens in regions where urban agriculture is key to alleviating food shortages, as well as in regions where agricultural land is becoming increasingly limited, or in densely populated areas; as well as in regions where urban agriculture has the potential to reduce pressure on the environment and bring additional benefits to society in terms of stress reduction and social cohesion.
A great biological diversity of plant species – including crops at risk of extinction, neglected species and mountain varieties that have received the Mountain Partnership Product label – will be cultivated in the garden.
The rooftop garden is open for visits. FAO will donate the food produced on the rooftop garden to local associations.
Rooftop farm in the news
Flickr album
The prototype rooftop farm was unveiled at FAO on 17 November 2021 at its Rome headquarters. The initiative highlights how innovative technology contributes to making agri-food systems more sustainable and to increasing access to healthy diets. See the photos.
Partners
The FAO rooftop garden was made possible thanks to the contribution of NaturaSì, Ecobubble and Sapienza University-Botanical Gardens of Rome, in collaboration with Slow Food and supported by the Italian Development Cooperation and the Mountain Partnership.
.png?sfvrsn=3bd274d9_1)
In 2024, a hydroponic garden was added to the FAO rooftop garden. Sponsored by La Sapienza University, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat and the Italian Development Cooperation, the garden introduces innovative techniques that mark a step forward in traditional hydroponics, paving the way for better resource management in soil-less agriculture.
The garden allows tap water to be used, eliminating the need for demineralized water and thus reducing the waste of resources. Only organic fertilizers are used in it, reducing the system's ecological footprint - microorganisms dissolved in the water interact with the plants, increasing their resistance to stressors such as high temperatures and pests. In addition, the system is designed for outdoor use, eliminating the need for artificial light used in conventional hydroponics, thus maintaining exceptionally low daily energy consumption. Finally, the garden is built with 90 percent-certified sustainable wood, minimizing the use of plastic used instead in conventional hydroponic systems.
The hydroponic garden will serve as a test bed for research exploring the potential for improved resource management in soilless agriculture that can be an alternative or supplement to conventional agriculture, with potential applications in areas with scarcity of water and arable soil, such as mountains.
.png?sfvrsn=44110ae0_1)
