Growing Food in the City - Urban Rooftop Farm in Downtown Toronto

So many people are interested in local and organic food these days, but students from Ryerson University in Toronto have taken the movement one step further by converting a green roof on campus into an urban rooftop farm! As of 2017 they were producing 10,000 lbs of fresh fruits and veggies on their green roof.

They sell the produce at a farmer's market, to CSA (community supported agriculture) customers, and they give some to the campus food room, which is a place where students can have access to free food.

In addition to growing food on the rooftop, they also have a variety of programs and workshops available to help educate students, faculty, staff, and community members about how to grow food, including a 10-week market garden program.

A multitude of different people are interested in this project, from nutrition and urban planning students, to community members who want to learn how to grow food in their own yards and balconies, to other universities who want to replicate the project on their own campus.

You can follow Ryerson Urban Farm here:
https://www.instagram.com/ruurbanfarm/
https://www.ryerson.ca/university-business-services/urban-farm/

To learn more about the City of Toronto's green roof by-law:
https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/official-plan-guidelines/green-roofs/green-roof-bylaw/

A special thank you to Saba Zubair, Jayne Miles and Arlene Throness for sharing their connection to the Ryerson Urban Farm (RUF) with us, and to Kate Davies for the farm photos.

The Ryerson Urban Farm is located on the Andrew & Valerie Pringle Environmental Green Roof, on the George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre.

Thanks for watching!

Mat & Danielle

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VIDEO CREDITS
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Music & Song Credits:
All music in this video was composed, performed, and recorded by Mat of Exploring Alternatives.

Editing Credits:
Mat and Danielle of Exploring Alternatives

Filming Credits:
Mat of Exploring Alternatives

Photo Credits:
Kate Davies