1. General information
2. Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
1. Become the largest rooftop farm of Europe, being an example of urban agriculture projects in Europe and becoming an international research centre for vertical farming (1,2)
2. Be the start of a 'fresh revolution' and should inspire other cities to initiate similar projects. (2)
3. Grow vegetables and fish in a sustainable way (1,2,3)
4. Educate people on urban agriculture and thereby raise awareness of where food comes from and the possibilities of growing food in urban areas. (2)
5. Water use and waste reduction through the smart combination of horticulture and aquaculture, the project aims at water use reduction and waste reduction. (2,4).
6. Disrupt the unfair global food system by re-connecting good food with consumers locally (9)
7. Encourage people to buy local, eat fresh and stay healthy (9)
2. Be the start of a 'fresh revolution' and should inspire other cities to initiate similar projects. (2)
3. Grow vegetables and fish in a sustainable way (1,2,3)
4. Educate people on urban agriculture and thereby raise awareness of where food comes from and the possibilities of growing food in urban areas. (2)
5. Water use and waste reduction through the smart combination of horticulture and aquaculture, the project aims at water use reduction and waste reduction. (2,4).
6. Disrupt the unfair global food system by re-connecting good food with consumers locally (9)
7. Encourage people to buy local, eat fresh and stay healthy (9)
Quantitative targets
The target was to produce 45.000 kg of vegetables and 19.000 kg Tilapia fish annually. (7)
Monitoring indicators defined
In the aquaponics system, water quality is monitored 24/7 including dissolved oxygen and nutrients (3)
The amount of produced fish and vegetables is also monitored in kg. (2).
The amount of produced fish and vegetables is also monitored in kg. (2).
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Please specify "other Type of NBS project"
Innovative sustainable agricultural practice introduced in urban area
Implementation activities
- Construction of a 1200 sqm greenhouse in which vegetables are grown such as tomatoes, lettuce, egg plant and cucumber (1,3).
Installation of fish tanks of a total of 370 sqm where aquaculture is introduced and tilapia fish is cultivated (1,2,3).
- Application of the aquaponics system that combines horticulture with aquaculture (,1,2,3).
- Creation of 'field labs' in which solutions are experimented with, developed and implemented. Thereby, it creates a connection between research, education and policy regarding vertical farming (1)
- Organisation of activities such as daily tours and weekly roof markets in which the harvested goods are sold. (2)
- Network building with restaurants and specialized supermarkets to which part of the harvested goods are sold. (6)
Installation of fish tanks of a total of 370 sqm where aquaculture is introduced and tilapia fish is cultivated (1,2,3).
- Application of the aquaponics system that combines horticulture with aquaculture (,1,2,3).
- Creation of 'field labs' in which solutions are experimented with, developed and implemented. Thereby, it creates a connection between research, education and policy regarding vertical farming (1)
- Organisation of activities such as daily tours and weekly roof markets in which the harvested goods are sold. (2)
- Network building with restaurants and specialized supermarkets to which part of the harvested goods are sold. (6)
Type of NBS project
3. NBS domains, ES and scale
4. Governance and financing
5. Innovation
Type of innovation
Please specify technological innovation
It is the largest vertical farm of Europe that is created in an old office building. It also has aquaponics system, which is an innovative product/process for sustainable food production in which ancient agriculture techniques are combined with modern technology. Aquaponics combines horticulture with aquaculture as the nutrients produced by aquaculture (fish feces) are used as plant nutrients for growing crops and the fish filter the water that is used for irrigation. Waste water from crops flows back into the aquaculture basins and is reused. Thereby, it follows the principle of using as much nutrients from nature as possible. [2]. The aquaponics system is monitored 24/7 with an electronic real-time monitoring system including the monitoring of water quality such as nutrient and oxygen level. [3]
Novelty level of the innovation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Urban Farmers have created similar rooftop farms in Basel, Zurich and Berlin, but De Schelde is much larger than previous farms and has much more functions that sustainable production and consumption alone. [6]
Replicability/Transferability
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Urban Farmers will create similar urban farms in the coming years [2], but it is not likely that those farms will be this large and will also become an international research centre.
