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Europe’s first rooftop farm ‘Dakakker’ in Rotterdam shows the sky’s the limit for Urban Agriculture, connecting people with their food & their community, whilst also helping to cool down the city and manage rainwater in the smartest possible way.
The Dakakker in Rotterdam includes a smart-roof test site for water collection and management, while vegetables, edible flowers & fruit are grown and roof bees are kept.
The DakAkker is a model for other rooftop farms
The DakAkker is a 1000 m2 rooftop farm on top of the Schieblock in Rotterdam in The Netherlands. Vegetables, edible flowers and fruit are grown and bees are kept on the DakAkker — the largest open-air roof farm in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Some of its innovative features include a sensor-equipped smart roof, a much larger water storage capacity than is usual for rooftop gardens, and six beehives. The Dakakker adds multiple values to the city such as nature and biodiversity while acting as an insulation layer and drastically reducing the number of food miles. Brought to you in partnership with SustainableUrbanDelta.
Organic fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs are grown on the Dakakker and honey bees are kept in hives. Wouter Bauman, nature and spactial planning consultant at the Rotterdam Environmental Center and also beekeeper affiliated with the Ambrosius Beekeepers Guild, is responsible for the management of the DakAkker, together with a large group of enthusiastic volunteers. Source: Facebook/DakAkkers
For growing the crops, rainwater is collected and used. Bistro ‘Op het Dak’, located on the roof, uses the superfresh harvest of the Dakakker in the menus. Vegetables, fruits are also delivered to local hotels and restaurants. This makes the Dakakker a good example of adding green sustainable value to hospitality. Source:MS Fotografie
The Dakakker brings multiple values to the city of Rotterdam. The Dakakker brings nature and biodiversity into the city. For its educational purposes, it is visited by groups of students and schools. It also acts as an insulation layer. The building is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Source: Facebook/DakAkkersThe Optigrün natural roof system was chosen on the DakAkker with the rooftop vegetable garden substrate as top layer. The rooftop system is made up of different layers: a protective absorption layer (not rootresistant), a drainage buffer layer, a filter layer with the rooftop vegetable garden substrate on top. Roof chickens wander around on it oblivious. Source: Facebook/DakAkkersThe Optigrün rooftop vegetable garden substrate is spread over the entire roof. Depending on the maximum load of the roof in some places considerably thicker (30 to 40 centimeters) than for example in the weakest places (10 to 20 centimeters). Characteristic of this substrate is high waterbuffering with good waterpermeability. Source: Facebook/DakAkkersThe conditions on the DakAkker are comparable to a Mediterranean climate: dry rocky soil, a lot of wind sometimes quite warm. That is why herbs such as mint, lemon verbena and lavender are grown on the DakAkker, as well as vegetables such as Jerusalem artichoke, beetroot, carrot, radish and garlic varieties such as onion, leek, garlic and strong plants such as raspberry, rhubarb and pumpkin. The edibleflowers of the roof are the top product and are delivered to six restaurants in the immediate vicinity of the rooftop-farm. Source: Facebook/DakAkkersOrganic seed and planting material is used at the Dakakker rooftopfarm. No fertiliser is used and no spraying with poison — a 6-year alternating crop schedule is used instead. Source: Facebook/DakAkkersA herbal blend grows in the ‘Heemtuin’ (a small botanical garden) on the “beemeadow” of the Dakakker. It is also a testsite of HEEM natural vegetation foundation for more biodiversity on green-roofs. Pictured, honey from the roof bees. Source: Facebook/DakAkkersThe amount of nutrients used is adapted to the needs of the cultivated crops. Thanks to this experience, the substrate has been optimised and made suitable for vegetable gardens on rooftops. Source: Facebook/DakAkkersWorm compost In the wormhotels on the rooftopfarm, compost worms make wormcompost that is used on the roof but is also sold as “RotterdamWatershit” (an excellent liquid compost for your plants!). De ‘wormtea’ is for sale online on Ecomondo, Stadstuinwinkel Stek and Dille & Kamille in Rotterdam. Source: Facebook/DakAkkersSlimdak (Clever Rooftop) Since 2018, the DakAkker has a test site for a clever water storage system: Het Slimdak. This polder rooftop is installed on top of the pavillion that is built on the rooftop of the Schieblock building. It functions as a testsite for a water storage rooftop. Provided with sensors for a downpour-proof Rotterdam. The Slimdak on top of the pavillion is a clever water storing rooftop with smartflowcontrol that is controlled by the weather forecast. When extreme rain is predicted, the smartflower control reacts by making extra water storage capacity available 24 hours in advance. Source: Rotterdamsedakendagen.nlBesides the rooftop farm a botanical garden has also been created. This flowery herb-mixture creates and stimulates the biodiversity in the city center environment. Source: Facebook/DakAkkersThe edible flowers of the roof are the top product. These are delivered to six restaurants in the immediate vicinity of the rooftop farm. Source: DakAkker.nlFresh ‘roof products’ are delivered to local restaurants and sold during festivals. In the high season every Friday vegetables are sold at the roof pavilion to visitors. Source: Facebook/DakAkkersThe DakAkker is maintained and organised by the Environmental Centre Rotterdam. In the growing season every Friday there is a “roof working day”. Source: Facebook/DakAkkersEmile van Rinsum. Volunteers can sign up and help out with the harvest. If you are interested, please note that currently there is a waiting list since such an enthusiastic crowd has signed up to volunteer. Source: BrightVibes
This article was first published on BrightVibes on 14 July 2021.
Embark on an eye-opening journey around the world's most inspiring pioneers to discover the future of food producing cities. From climate change and biodiversity loss to obesity: all the big challenges the world faces today are interconnected. And most of them can be solved by bringing sustainable food production back to the city. In the documentary ‘Sustainable Urban Delta; The city and the green belt’, Dutch entrepreneur and change maker Meiny Prins takes us on an eye-opening journey around the world’s most inspiring food producing cities. Enjoy!
