In New York City, farming on a rooftop is not just an idea. Brooklyn Grange farms more than two and a half acres of rooftops in Brooklyn and Queens, and then sells what it produces to New Yorkers. A special soil mixture is used to minimize weight on the roofs and allow rapid drainage during heavy downpours. The farmed rooftops also house chickens and an apiary.

Click to learn more about cities’ growing rooftop-farming movement.

By 2050 we’ll need to feed two billion more people. Click here for a special eight-month series exploring how we can do that—without overwhelming the planet.

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Image captured from interview. Source: National Geographic Society