A Year’s Worth of Fun Takes “Roots” in a Life of It’s Own
A years worth of fun takes roots in a life of its own at an urban rooftop farm in Santurce, the hip disctrict of downtown San Juan. What started as an automation training project by a Puerto Rico based industrial supplier has yielded unexpected benefits, interest and high yield crops. More than a year after its initiation, The Manic Green
Project is collaborating with local area restaurants with specialty crops catering to the farm to table concept that has been coveted by Chefs around the world today. The idea to create an urban rooftop farm was cultivated by its founder, Mario Franceschini, stemming from a combination of his passion for good food, sustainable lifestyle, nutrition and desire to consume locally sourced agriculture. In late 2012, Mario decided to put plans into action by enrolling in an Aquaponics course on the USVI, St. After much research and the recognition of the serious issue that Puerto Rico faces in its lack of agricultural resources, he decided to build the first urban farm in Santurce using Aquaponics. Mario’s initial intention for this farm was to build a functional demo/training system showcasing the process instrumentation and controls he works with and supplies to the local industrial sector, the very products that the company M. has been supplying to companies here on the island for over 50 years. The by products or secondary reason for the farm was to provide enough food to supply his team of over 25 employees with fresh locally grown food for their families. After much research into traditional farming methods and soilless based farming such as hydroponics, Mario decided on a more complete sustainable method of urban farming called Aquaponics. The aquaponics system is the marriage between aquaculture and hydroponics, plants grow in a soilless based medium within a recirculating aquaculture system. Aquaponics differs from the popular hydroponics method of growing in that the main nutrients for the system do not need to be added but are supplied by a unique symbiotic relationship between the fish, water, and the plants. In essence, it is a complete, full circle, sustainable system whose “roots” date back centuries to the ancient civilizations of the Aztec and Mayan people that used this system to grow crops on rafts. It has been a year of testing out the system that has turned their focus to supply local area restaurants with specialty crops such as several varieties of basil, microgreens, collard greens, kale, sage, lavender, and swiss chard. The focus now lies in the expansion of this system to more rooftop areas within the existing building and the future expansion to other rooftops in the urban sector of Santurce, downtown San Juan, Puerto Rico. Multiple growing technologies and methods are being tested with a focus on developing urban agriculture automated systems. The Manic Green Project is also collaborating with education programs where students will be able to learn about urban agriculture methods with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The growing system currently utilizes sensors, controllers and automation techniques. Multiple variables are being data-logged and controlled to cater to specific crops. is an industrial supplier of process equipment to the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, power, and mining industry established in 1961. Markets served include Puerto Rico, USVI and the Dominican Republic.
