A huge greenhouse built on a warehouse roof in the city of Roeselare, in the Belgian province of West Flanders, looks set to deliver high-quality, sustainable vegetables in the most urban of settings. The 9 000 m2 structure has been designed and constructed through the ERDF-supported Crop on Top Agrotopia project. The greenhouse maximises energy and water use while developing best practices for hydroponic systems.
Belgian project takes urban farming to new heights
- 30 September 2021
With the rooftop greenhouse we aim to set an example of high-tech urban farming which can support innovation of the greenhouse sector in Belgium and EU-wide. The goal is to sustainably integrate food production in the urban environment.
The greenhouse is situated in the city’s agricultural auction market and became operational in the summer of 2021. Great care has been taken to ensure sustainable production. Residual heat is supplied to the greenhouse by the city’s waste incinerator and a cogeneration installation that primarily serves the warehouse below.
Efficient use of water is ensured through five cylinders which store around 2 000 m3 of rainwater, to be used for irrigation.
About 6 000 m2 of the greenhouse is dedicated to soilless cultivation of both leaf and fruit vegetables. In addition, a compartment for indoor growing with artificial LED lighting and a 12 m-high section of vertical greenhouse allow for the development, validation and demonstration of cutting-edge best practices for vegetable hydroponic systems.
A living innovation lab
The project has established a living lab to help develop innovative greenhouse and urban farming technologies. A wide range of partners from the agricultural sector will be involved in the innovation and research processes.
The living lab approach has been implemented in three ongoing initiatives: Hy4Dense which aims to design a new hydroponic system to grow densely sown vegetables; Vertihydro where growers, researchers and technology suppliers have defined parameters and bottlenecks for the design of the greenhouse’s vertical growing systems; and Entomoponics where growers brainstorm and test how to use the greenhouse space more efficiently.
Since September 2020, the living lab has been certified by ENOLL, the European Network of Living Labs.
Building a collaborative space
Agrotopia’s location offers a unique opportunity to interact with the agricultural sector. Researchers, growers, technology providers, knowledge institutions, educators and members of civil society can meet and collaborate in the living lab. Agrotopia promises to provide an inspiring research environment and serve as a real world example of urban vegetable production.
Beneficiaries
'Agrotopia’s Living Lab has given us a unique opportunity to jump-start the development of our technology platform for microbiome health management in horticulture. The state-of-the-art infrastructure, coupled with its expert staff and the modular layout of the facility, enable us to conduct highly controlled experiments on various crop cycles in parallel.'
Ruben Props, co-founder of microbiome technology start-up company Kytos
'As an R&D centre, Agrotopia is the indispensable link for Roeselare and the region to realise professional urban horticulture in a growing region. Agrotopia puts Roeselare, as the Valley of Food, on the European and world map as a unique, innovative ecosystem for agriculture and horticulture.'
Kris Declercq, City of Roeselare Mayor
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Crop on Top: Agrotopia” is EUR 10 951 589, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 900 000 through the “Flanders” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency”.