Zurich University - Rooftop Farming

Researchers at Zurich University have developed an 'aquaponic farm’ on a rooftop in the city of Basel in Switzerland. The £500,000 project combines fish breeding and vegetable growing using 'hydroponics’, a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil.

Scientists at the University of Zurich worked out that if just five per cent of Basel’s roofspace was turned over to aquaponic production, these urban farms could produce between eight to 20 per cent of all fish and vegetables consumed in Basel.

Presenting the findings at an event at Scotland’s Rural College last week, Dr Valentini Pappa, said aquaponic farms were a "key technology for resource efficiency" in food production.

"Aquaponics can help secure food security by increasing the food production within an already used space, and because the food is grown so locally these systems are very low in food miles," he said.

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