Lufa Farms literally screams from the rooftops about urban farming.
On August 26, 2020, the Montreal-based urban agriculture company severed the ribbon on the world’s largest rooftop greenhouse. Almost three soccer fields the size and capable of supporting 10,000 families, the construction of this megalithic garden enabled the company to double its production.
Photo: Courtesy of Lufa Farms
It was a huge step towards a self-sustaining city that could use its urban space to provide its own population with food.
That is the good news.
The icing on the cake is how creating gardens like the one at Lufa Farms helps minimize the heat island effect, as green helps reduce the heat that human activities like fuel-powered cars and electricity create in urban areas.
While all green things (grass and trees for example) evaporate water and cause cooling, concrete and asphalt do not.
Photo: Courtesy Lufa Farms / Benjamin Mallette-Vanier
If you don’t know Lufa Farms? The Montreal-based company is building these rooftop gardens and building a network of local farms and food manufacturers – all audited for transparency and sustainability – and making everything available through an online marketplace with no subscription fees.
Orders placed by Montrealers online can either be delivered directly to their door via a fleet of electric cars for an additional charge of $ 5. However, the current surge in demand due to the pandemic has resulted in additional trucks being deployed to accommodate as many people as possible, so it’s not 100% green at the moment. It can also be delivered to a pick-up point, usually located at a nearby depanneur or pharmacy.
What’s next after you’ve built the largest rooftop greenhouse in the world?
We caught up with Lauren Rathmell, Co-CEO of Lufa Farms, to ask what the company’s urban farming plans for Montreal are and how it could envision the city in 2050 if we meet our challenge with the green Grab your thumb.
How was the reception of Lufa’s newest – and largest in the world – greenhouse?
Lufavores are pumped. We are again growing a dozen or so varieties of tomatoes, including heirlooms and others that they have been longingly waiting for. And the reception in general was amazing, especially at these times.
It’s a big milestone for us (the greenhouse doubled our production in one fell swoop) and for urban agriculture (it’s actually the largest rooftop greenhouse in the world) and for Montreal (we’ve successfully converted a huge industrial building in our district).
We did the math: we’d only need the equivalent of rooftop greenhouses worth 19 shopping centers to deliver all the vegetables Montreal needs.
How far does Lufa want to go with its urban agricultural company? Does it want to feed all Montreal residents one day? Is that possible?
Yes! Our vision is to make cities self-sufficient and to reconnect people with growing their food. We definitely hope to keep adding to our cohort of Lufavores. And we did the math: we’d only need the equivalent of rooftop greenhouses worth 19 shopping centers to deliver all the vegetables Montreal needs.
Right now we feed about two percent of Montreal, so that’s where we’re going. We also plan to replicate our model and expand it to cities outside of Montreal in the near future.
Photo: Courtesy of Lufa Farms
Can you tell me something about Lufa’s plans for the future in urban agriculture? Any cattle? Chicken coop for eggs? Honey production?
Well, good ideas, but not yet. We stay with the roof vegetables. However, we work with hundreds of partner farms and food manufacturers to make everything fresh, local and responsible – eggs and honey included!
Is there anything that Quebec is not currently producing that Lufa sees a future for in producing itself?
We grow tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, peppers, vegetables and herbs – dozens of varieties in total – year round, so we can offer daily harvested local vegetables during the winter months, when local produce is typically less abundant. We have a random banana tree that one of our greenhouse teams planted for fun, but we stick with the vegetables and keep trying new varieties.
Photo: Courtesy Lufa Farms / Benjamin Mallette-Vanier
So what makes a good relationship between city dwellers and the food they buy?
The most important element is transparency. People should know where their food comes from, who grew it, how it was grown, and be able to trust the whole chain. The direct connection we have with our air memories is so great (and) they challenge us, give us feedback and urge us to get better every day.
If Montreal could grow its own food, from rooftop farms to community gardens and everything in between, and working with farms and food producers across the province to become a hyperlocal ecosystem, that would be incredible.
How difficult is it to build an urban greenhouse like the one from Lufa Farms?
Our first page was tough. We ran this crazy Google Maps survey of practically the entire island of Montreal to find suitable space, then scouted the buildings and liaised with builders until we found the needle in the haystack that became our first rooftop greenhouse. It’s still one of the most difficult parts of our job, far from copying and pasting, but we’ve learned a lot about how to find and adapt buildings and how to design rooftop greenhouses that get bigger and better every time.
What does Lufa envision for Montreal’s future in 2050?
Wow, okay, how about a town with rooftop farms? If Montreal could grow its own food, from rooftop farms to community gardens and everything in between, and working with farms and food producers across the province to become a hyperlocal ecosystem, that would be incredible. And every form of urban agriculture, especially rooftop farming, will improve the urban quality of life so incredibly – creating more green spaces, providing educational resources, balancing out heat islands and building sustainable infrastructure. That would be a great city.
This interview is part of an on-going series from Time Out Montreal called Future Cities, Now! where we examine what surprising innovations, creative ideas and amazing thinkers are creating a brighter future for Montreal.
Do you think you know someone who should be introduced? Email us and stay up to date on everything we cover in Montreal by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The latest from Time Out
– Chef Hakim Chajar’s new Fried Chicken Rubie’s is golden, crispy and gluten-free
– This Montreal pop-up van delivers botany and gastronomy to your door
– Montreal unveils its design for a city forest in the middle of the city center
– The US-Canada border will remain closed to non-essential travel until November 21
– The new Lebanese Café Chez Téta des Plateau fires Manakish in an imported 1.5-ton oven
Comments are closed.