Rooftop Roots

29/05/2018

Have some extra 2L cola bottles around your home? Why not make your own vertical garden out of them! Here are 13 inspirations for you to try that are super simple and will get you gardening, no matter how little space you might have around your home.

These 13 plastic bottle vertical garden ideas will interest you if you are a creative person, DIY lover and love to grow plants.

24/05/2018

This just in! Paris is committing to turning 1/3 of it's green spaces into urban farms! What do you think?

The French capital is aiming to cover itself with more than 100 hectares of rooftop gardens and green walls by 2020.

22/05/2018

Costa Rica plans on being the first country to ban all single-use plastics. Here's why:

17/05/2018

More DIY! Try some of these hydroponic techniques to start up your own urban garden at home!

John from http://www.growingyourgreens.com/ visits fellow YouTuber's place to see whats Growing On! In this episode you will learn about Art's Homemade Do It...

15/05/2018

Look! An entire aisle that is now plastic free just opened in Amsterdam! "The new pilot store will stock over 700 plastic-free products; a symbolic step towards reducing dependence on the damaging material." A great step in reducing our reliance on plastics!

This week saw the opening of a unique store in the Netherlands where items on its aisles are completely free from plastic packaging.

10/05/2018

Check it out: a guide to composting for urban farmers looking to reduce waste and reuse table scraps. Create your own organic fertilizer and help your plants grow!

Quick & easy guide to DIY composting. How to create organic fertilizer and help the environment, with as little smell and flying bugs as possible!

08/05/2018

Johannesburg isn't the only place with stunning rooftop gardens! Take a look of some pics from top rooftop farms around the world.

Urban farming has become one of the major international urban trends — a good reason for us to make a Top 5 of the greatest rooftop farms we've come across over the last years.

03/05/2018

Do you like to DIY? Try these simple gardening projects you can make at home to get more fresh produce onto your plate!

You want to start a garden, but don’t want to invest lots of money. Makes sense. You are interested, but don’t want to shell out the cash off the bat. I feel you on that too, which is why I am into DIY gardening projects. They might involve a time investment, but the result is […]

01/05/2018

Could this accidental enzyme help us handle our plastic problem?

The discovery may be a breakthrough in tackling the plastic pollution crisis.

26/04/2018

Want to start your own hydroponic garden? Here are some useful tips and tricks for those new to the systems:

Start a Hydroponic Garden: Tips for Beginners Scientists started experimenting with soilless gardening in the 1950s but the idea has been around sin

23/04/2018

You can grow almost anything with hydroponics! If you want the easiest to start your system with, check out these 10 suggested plants to try:

Are you wondering what plants you can grow hydroponically indoors if you don't have much space? Hydroponics, or the method of growing plants in nutrient-rich water rather than soil, can be used to grow a wide range of vegetables, herbs and other plants, but some plants are better suited for this soi...

19/04/2018

Get connected to the food system. Grow what you can where you can, and take a peek at this urban farm in the USA that's showing locals how to do just that! H/T NowThis Food

16/04/2018

Basil Pesto anyone?! Rooftop Roots is proud to announce that it has successfully planted its first fully commercial crops on both its rooftops over the past few weeks. 8,500 seedlings were planted including seedlings for basil, rocket and spring onion. This is a great achievement as it launches the project on a firm path towards sustainability. Most of the produce will go towards servicing a contract to one of our suppliers. We’re pleased with our progress and hungry to grow our city farms! Find out more about us by visiting our website: http://rooftoproots.co.za/

12/04/2018

#10: aquaponics! There's lots of ways we're using innovation to help save the planet, and aquaponics is just one of them. Here are a few more:

1. This bin collects garbage from the sea. Seabin has a pump that creates a flow of water. The garbage is caught in a bag, allowing water to flow out back to...

09/04/2018

Check it out! A rooftop farm in Hong Kong! Historically, most produce has been supplied by mainland China. These rooftop farmers are trying to change that. Take a tour of one of their rooftop farms and hear why they think local and organic is best:

Priyanka VermaWith its skinny office blocks and tall apartment towers Hong Kong might seem like an unlikely place for farming. But now thanks to its sunny roof tops and epic skyscapers a bunch of urban farmers are taking their plants to the skies. The farm is run by a three-year-old startup, Rooftop...

05/04/2018

Farms of the future will use 95% less water and NO soil! Here's how big vertical farms can get. H/T Focal Point

02/04/2018

9 Helpful Tips for using less plastic daily! Choose reusable items and lower your footprint in these simple everyday ways:

30/03/2018

This video is from 2016, but continues to be relevant today as we continue to find long term sustainable solutions to feeding our cities. Find out how a simple aquaculture system for fish farming can help feed an inner city in South Africa!

Profitable small scale but intensive fish farming in South Africa has now been introduced to the inner city and urban areas thanks to an easy aquaculture sys...

28/03/2018

Check it out! The power of micro farming in action in Cape Town. An example of how low income households are working to feed themselves.

Mama Christina Kaba is helping women in low-income communities in Cape Town to take charge of their lives and households through micro farming.… READ MORE : ...

26/03/2018

There's many ways we can take control and reduce plastic buildup. Here's one that's often overlooked. Used once, and then discarded, straws remain on earth forever. Do your part by lessening your use of straws, or cutting them out completely!

22/03/2018

as our partners at Bjala and Simanye discuss our in Joburg's CBD and how it's possible to use urban farming to feed a city! Take a look!

Food security stands as one of South Africa's top priorities and farmers are developing innovative ways to raise production. Johannesburg is looking towards ...

19/03/2018

Wits University has recently initiated a with the goal to provide universities with alternative, healthy meals that are meat, dairy and egg-free. Learn more here:

The is a global health programme directed to provide universities with alternative, healthy meals that ...

15/03/2018

Hacking the farm by making it "sexy" at TEDxjohannesburg:

Indoor farming, training projects and decentralisation of the industry were all discussed at TEDxJohanneburg, but the biggest change has to start with human relations.

12/03/2018

"The term may be new, but the concept isn’t. Indoor farming is made possible by agricultural technologies such as hydroponics (growing plants without soil) and aeroponics (in which plants are grown in air strung over containers). Food can be produced without direct sunlight or soil." Here's why that may be good for the overall environment in the short and long term:

But people can't live on microgreens and exotic salads alone.

26/02/2018

Don't throw it out! Here are some kitchen scraps that can go the extra mile. Reduce food waste and learn how to repurpose your scraps here: https://www.goodnet.org/articles/6-common-kitchen-scraps-you-put-to-good-use

Saving animal bones isn’t just for pinching pennies

20/02/2018

Want to have a different relationship with your food?
Check out these 5 Ted Talks that will inspire you to consider different ways of living, from embracing a vegetarian lifestyle (at least during the work week!), to turning your home into a garden: https://www.goodnet.org/articles/5-ted-talks-that-will-change-way-you-think-about-food

Nuggets of Nutrition wisdom for all

16/02/2018

Greenhouses, with all the energy expended by relying on lights and fans to control the inside environment actually create a lot of CO2. But if we made them PINK, we might be able to lessen that. Here's how:

09/02/2018

The ANDE SA team is conducting a mapping of the Gauteng Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, particularly the township areas. Do you provide support to small and growing businesses (SGBs) in Gauteng, South Africa? Then don't get left off the map! Fill out the survey here: http://survey.clicktools.com/app/survey/response.jsp

Do you provide support to small and growing businesses (SGBs) in Gauteng, South Africa? Then don't get left off the map!

ANDE SA is conducting an entrepreneurial ecosystem mapping of the Gauteng Province. The map will provide a snapshot of support available for SGBs in Gauteng, particularly township areas. This will help us identify gaps and opportunities in Gauteng's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.

The survey questions relate to basic information pertaining to your services and focus areas, which will be shared publicly in an "ecosystem snapshot map". The survey should take 10 - 15 minutes to complete.

Find it here to fill out the survey for your business or to share on your own social media to spread the word: UPDATED LINK: http://survey.clicktools.com/app/survey/go.jsp?iv=6n2lgkk51kwi

08/02/2018

Is ag-tech (like aquaponics and vertical farming!) about to see an influx of funding in 2018? Some think so...here's some thoughts from an investor as to why it's such a draw and what an ag-tech industry should do to attract funding: https://buff.ly/2EaROcu

Venture capitalist Arama Kukutai talks about what he looks for in agricultural technology investments.

07/02/2018

Check it out! Some amazing inventions from around the world that are cleaning our air and ocean...including a massive air filter that removes CO2 from the environment, and is pumped into a neighbouring greenhouse to boost plant growth! 2018 is proving to be an exciting time for environmental innovation already...

05/02/2018

Technology continues to change the way we farm! "And how this translates for South Africa, and indeed farmers on the greater African continent, is technology companies making good use of the data available right now (through existing technology implementations) and applying it to enhance farming operations productivity while maximising yield." Here's what the future of farming looks like, with lots of helpful tech advances becoming mainstream:

Emerging technologies, like the Internet of things (IOT), are changing the way entire industries work, enabling better resources conservation, more ef