FOOD ROOF farm

““FOOD ROOF in St Louis is one of the best rooftop farms I’ve been to: a great combination of technical, horticultural and social smarts, transforming a bare rooftop into a vibrant community place. I was amazed at what kind, thoughtful people Urban Harvest STL brought together. Add FOOD ROOF to your must-see and support list!””

— Annie Novak, Co-Founder or Eagle Street Rooftop Farm and Author of The Rooftop Growing Guide

Entire view of the FOOD ROOF Farm featuring farm rows, walkways, greenhouse in foreground of downtown STL building scape.

Inside greenhouse with tomato and tomatillo plants

Speckled black and white chicken in front of chicken coop on rooftop farm

Hands washing white daikons in sink - splashing water

West perspective of farm showcasing trellises, greenhouse, farm rows, shed, and downtown buildings in the background.

North perspective featuring white hydroponic tower, community hub space with wooden tables and counter space, and farms rows.

Little girl in pink dress kneeling and inspecting some chard

Closeup of green tomatoes hanging with farm rows and shed in the background

FOOD ROOF Farm, the first rooftop farm in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, is a model for urban agriculture, sustainable building, stormwater management and community development. Not your typical farm, Urban Harvest STL led the collaboration of architects, landscape architects, green roof experts, horticulturalists, structural engineers, agronomists and urban farmers to create this internationally recognized project.

This exciting 8,500 square foot rooftop is a dynamic example of a green infrastructure, and so much more. For example, the FOOD ROOF farm design is proven to capture up to 17,000 gallons of stormwater per storm event resulting in the reduction and mitigation of stormwater runoff issues in downtown St. Louis.

The farm was also designed to maximize food production while providing a unique community green space and education center, and currently grows over 200 varieties of edible plants. Other design elements include a shaded and multi-functional community hub space, state of the art greenhouse, chicken house (with a green roof), living wall, and hydroponic towers integrated into a beautiful green space for the enjoyment of the surrounding urban community.

The FOOD ROOF serves as a “living laboratory” where urban farmers experiment with various growing techniques – from rooftop soil farming to hydroponics and vertical farming – to test side-by-side which methods work best in St Louis’s microclimate and to inform future rooftop farms in the region.

Urban Harvest STL grows food where people live and empowers communities to cultivate equitable access to healthy, sustainably grown food. By placing a farm in the heart of a dense urban core of St. Louis, Urban Harvest STL educates, feeds and inspires people of all ages where they live, while raising awareness around health and nutrition, so that they become empowered to take action in their own lives.

This innovative project can be replicated to increase resiliency in local food systems worldwide, further positioning urban environments for climate adaptation. Every day, Urban Harvest STL proves that if we can grow food on a rooftop in downtown St Louis, then food can be grown anywhere!