Urban agriculture on roof

NV Abattoir and BIGH operate together on the slaughter site of Anderlecht Foodmet, a city farm of almost 4,000m². All kinds of fruit and vegetables grow in the open air in an ingeniously landscaped garden on top of the roof. They are intended for local restaurants and Brussels businesses. But the real eye-catcher, a little further on opposite a whole field of solar panels, is the greenhouses. On one side tomato plants on a substrate, on the other young striped sea bass in water reservoirs. Both together form the essential components of aquaponics, the combination of hydroponics and aquaculture. Plants and fish are connected to each other via a biological filter. In addition to clean water, it provides the fish with 5% extra fresh water every day, while the same percentage of naturally enriched water is returned as food for the plants.

Foodmet also uses circular energy, reusing the heat produced by the huge cold rooms of the butchers' and retail stores on the ground floor. The same goes for the rainwater that falls on the roof of the greenhouses.

And with the 6,000,000 flat roofs in Brussels, there is still plenty of potential for further urban agriculture.