They might not be as large as nationally designated parks, but these urban farms (be it on the rooftop or in our homes), provides a small garden that we can enjoy. As they are akin to green roofs, rooftop farms might be able to reduce the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. The UHI effect is the phenomenon where cities and urbanised areas have considerably higher temperatures than rural areas due to the trapping of heat around built surfaces. This is caused by the lack of vegetative cover, anthropogenic activities and construction of buildings. While urban farms and green roofs might not be able to suppress the UHI effect entirely, they are able to provide some degree of heat dissipation and alleviate the issue. These urban farms are also able to improve air quality.

These small pockets of farms can also provide food and shelter to critters like butterflies. Urban farms planted with crops that flower and bear fruit are able to provide food to pollinators like bees and butterflies. These insects provide important ecosystem services like pollination, and are essential for the ecosystem to function. Urban farms can also provide habitats for them, acting as a second refuge besides parks and gardens.

The presence of green plants (and vegetables) contributes to the hydrological cycle. Plants and vegetables transpire, where they give off water vapour through their leaves as they “breathe”. This water vapour rises into the sky and eventually form clouds and consecutively, rain. Rooftop farms can also help to reduce stormwater runoff in the city, as they intercept rainwater before it reaches the ground. The growth medium and soil in these urban farms provides a form of porous surface that absorbs rainwater and decreases the surface area of impervious surfaces in the city. This lessens the stress on the drainage network and helps to reduces the risk of flooding in the area.

Carbon footprint refers to the amount of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, released into the environment as a result of a particular process or action. Cultivating your own urban farm reduces the need to purchase certain food items from the supermarket. Since most of the food in Singapore is shipped from other countries, many of the products sold in supermarkets often incur a large carbon footprint. The amount increases when food is transported via air, or by cold chain supply systems. As such, being able to provide our own food items means that there is smaller distance to cover from the source to stores. This reduces the amount of fuel used, and hence the amount of carbon dioxide produced. Less greenhouse gases are released!