Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Winter 2019 - 6

this work and support our collective impact.
AT: The Urban Farm team has steadily grown as we expand
our programming and operations. We began the project in
2014 with two part time staff and 20 dedicated volunteers who
converted the Andrew and Pringle Environmental Green Roof
on the George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre into an
urban farm. Today we have three full-time staff, three part-time
staff and six paid student positions in summer and fall. Our team
will grow again in 2020 when we open our second site across the
street on the new Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex,
which will be the first purpose-built rooftop farm under Toronto's Green Roof bylaw.
LAM: Most of the rooftop farms I have visited have a robust relationship with the communities in which they operate. How do you approach
this with your farming operations? What would you say are the main
community benefits to having a rooftop farm nearby?
JW: It's funny you ask - the FOOD ROOF Farm came into
existence because our founder, Mary Ostafi, was a downtown
resident without access to green space. She and many other
downtown residents had the desire to grow their own food but
lacked a space to do so. They started a community garden first
by renting an under-utilized city lot, but were asked to relocate
several times. After moving the garden repeatedly, Mary and her
husband, who are both trained architects, began to look at the
available rooftop space downtown. The FOOD ROOF Farm
was built with community in mind and has ten garden plots
reserved for downtown residents, along with a community hub
space where we host educational workshops and events. One of
the biggest advantages of a rooftop farm in downtown St. Louis
is that it offers an opportunity to connect city residents with
a local food system. They don't need to go far to learn about
growing their own food or to see it in action.
AT: The Urban Farm is a very beloved space at Ryerson. It truly
is our campus farm. Everybody pitches in and helps out to keep
the farm running, whether on the farm or behind the scenes. No
matter how busy volunteers are throughout the academic year,
they never miss a shift on the farm as they say it's what allows
them to decompress and re-energize in times of stress.
BF: It is important to find locations where we can engage at
ground level too - especially by supporting the local economy.
Accessibility is also a huge priority for us as well. We want
to offer the public as much opportunity as possible to visit.
We have free open days at two farms, now on both days of
the weekend, every weekend through the season. In terms of
events, we are dedicated and proud to offer dozens of affordable
educational workshops per year. This year, we were particularly
excited to partner with a local food pantry. We secured funding
via a generous grant that allows us to harvest, deliver, and donate
thousands of pounds of free food, where it will be distributed to
LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / WINTER 2019 / 6

A SOCIAL GATHERING AT FOOD
ROOF FARM IN ST. LOUIS

THE ROOFTOP FARMS: BY THE NUMBERS
ABOUT URBAN HARVEST STL AND THE FOOD ROOF FARM
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 6
NUMBER OF FARM SITES: 7
AVERAGE FOOD PRODUCTION ON THE FOOD ROOF: 2,500 LBS/YR
TOTAL NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS: 828 VOLUNTEERS + 37 INTERNS;
2,344 VOLUNTEER HOURS
TOTAL AMOUNT OF PRODUCE DONATED: 50 TO 60 PER CENT

ABOUT BROOKLYN GRANGE
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 20 FULL AND 20 SEASONAL
NUMBER OF FARM SITES: 3
AVERAGE FOOD PRODUCTION: 100,000 LBS/YR
TOTAL NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS: NA. HOSTED 20,000 VISITORS, 2019

ABOUT RYERSON ROOFTOP FARM
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 3 FULL, 3 PART AND 6 SEASONAL
NUMBER OF FARM SITES: 2 (AS OF 2020)
AVERAGE FOOD PRODUCTION: 8,900 LBS/YR
TOTAL NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS: 100 HOSTED 800 VISITORS IN 2019
TOTAL AMOUNT OF PRODUCE DONATED 2019: 18 PER CENT

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Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Winter 2019

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