Rooftop Farming

What’s old is new again. That can be said for just about anything from fashion to farming. Take rooftop farming for instance, which seems to be the in thing to do now days. According to City Farmer News New York City had its first rooftop farm way back in 1904 on top of the Ansonia Hotel. That’s right, 109 years ago! Reportedly there were several hundred chickens, along with a few ducks, goats, and even a small bear. Guests and tenants of the hotel were treated to fresh eggs every morning by the hotel’s bellhop, and it was kept sustainable and profitable by selling surplus to the public in the hotel’s basement shops. But even back then it seems some city officials had a problem with seeing the importance and need for sustainable agriculture in an urban setting. The city’s department of health shut down the rooftop farm in 1907 and sent the animals to live in Central Park. Today more and more cities are seeing the benefit of turning vast acreage of flat rooftops into productive community food growing spaces, which really seems like a no-brainer when you think about it - a win win for everyone involved. Sustainable urban agriculture can be economically viable for just about every city, and thank goodness that today we can recognize that.