Fighting Food Deserts, South Bronx, NY

A new state of the art affordable housing complex planned for the South Bronx, NY, will feature a 10,000 square feet (930 sq meters) fully integrated rooftop farm, designed by BrightFarm Systems.

The greenhouse will use left-over heat from the residential portion of the building and water harvested from the greenhouse roof. The farm will be used to provide fresh, perishable vegetables to a local non-profit food cooperative. 

The rooftop farm will be able to supply enough produce to meet the annual fresh vegetable needs of up to 450 people. Like many inner city, low income communities, the South Bronx suffers from food deserts, where residents lack access to fresh vegetables at affordable prices.

The rooftop farm will make a significant contribution to food access and public health in the neighborhood.

http://brightfarmsystems.com/Sectors/residential-housing-systems
 

BrightFarm Systems is proud to have been chosen as design and engineering consultants to Top Sprouts urban agriculture company.

Top Sprouts partners with building owners to invest in their underutilized roof space. They develop rooftop greenhouse systems that grow fresh produce for urban consumers while greening the building and generating attractive returns for the owner. Their vision is to integrate rooftop greenhouse systems onto suitable urban buildings and create local, self-sustaining economies.

BrightFarm Systems is currently working with Top Sprouts to assess the viability of rooftop farming on a large college campus in Boston, Massachusetts.

http://brightfarmsystems.com/projects/top-sprouts
 

BrightFarm System’s Senior Partner and co-founder, Dr Ted Caplow will be guest speaker at the inaugural sustainable agriculture investment conference, Agriculture 2.0.

The one day event, to be held at the New York Marriot on September 17, 2009, has been organized in response to the growing interest among the investment community in sustainable and urban agriculture systems. It will bring together for the first time, entrepreneurs, farmers, scientists, academics, government officials, and heads of investment funds and will focus exclusively on sharing knowledge and experience of successful alternative agriculture practices.

Dr Caplow’s presentation will highlight the essential characteristics required for successful rooftop farming systems:

“To be effective at scale, urban farming systems must produce very high yields, exploit the excess thermal energy available in the built environment, and strictly conserve water. Systems with these characteristics can lighten our collective foodprint while improving the quality of city life.”

http://www.newseedadvisors.com/
 

Washington Post

A good Washington Post article about the emerging rooftop farming industry, featuring four of BrightFarm Systems’ clients.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/11/AR2009091103836.html

Dan Rather Reports

Managing Director, Benjamin Linsley was featured on Dan Rather Reports in a special round table discussion on vertical and hydroponic rooftop farms.

http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=ind_focus.story&STORY=/www/story/08-10-2009/0005075158&EDATE=
ption