Urban agriculture thriving in Brussels
The Abattoir site in the municipality of Anderlecht is developing one of Europe's largest rooftop aquaponics farms, combining plant cultivation and fish farming.
Over the past few years, we've been witnessing the sustainability of a real urban farm covering almost 4,000 m² in the Brussels region. All kinds of fruit and vegetables are growing on the ingeniously landscaped roof gardens of the Abattoir site in Anderlecht, with harvests destined for local businesses and restaurants.
But the real technical feat, making the site the only one of its kind in Europe, lies in the greenhouses that neighbour a whole field of solar panels. On one side, various fruits and vegetables are growing on a substrate, and on the other, there are fish swimming in large water tanks. These are the two essential components of this aquaponics project, in which plants and fish are combined through a biological filter. Thanks to this system, crystal-clear water is continuously supplied to the fish and, in the opposite direction, the same percentage of water, which has been naturally enriched by the fish, is returned to the plants.
Each year, the farm produces an average of 20 tonnes of salmon trout, 180,000 pots of herbs and 12 tonnes of fruit and vegetables.
Belgium's very first sustainable aquaponics farm also prides itself on being one of the largest rooftop aquaponics farms in Europe.