Greening cities in Bahrain one rooftop at a time

Manama, Bahrain, 16 February 2024 — When Eman Shaker first heard of rooftop farming, she struggled with the limited space in front of her house and the limited exposure of her plants to the sun.

Shaker, a retired physiotherapist, barely had experience with gardening or farming before she took an early retirement to care for her five children. She started gardening in her front yard three years ago.

“At first, I thought it would be hard and labour-intensive to move the plants, soil, and all farming essentials to the rooftop, but once I started, it slowly got easier until I filled my rooftop,” said Shaker.

Today, Shaker spends a lot of time in her garden, planting new varieties and even utilizing time in-between seasons to start sprouting seeds.

Ahmed AlHayki, a Marketing and Sales Specialist, started by planting a pepper seedling on his rooftop as he lacked space outside his home.

“It was strange for me that I was able to plant pepper. I started researching, asking others, and watching YouTube videos to learn about rooftop farming. While many people were bored at home during COVID-19 lockdowns, I was eager to use my spare time to develop my knowledge on rooftop farming,” he said.

Though he started with pepper plants, AlHayki’s rooftop now holds vegetables and small fruit trees like green almond and fig trees.

Shaker and AlHayki described their rooftops as unused “dead space” without purpose before turning them into green rooftops.

“When we built our house, we didn’t plan on using the rooftop for anything and air conditioning compressors were scattered over the rooftop, so when I started planting, I had to move them around to avoid their heat harming the plants – I highly encourage those who are moving into new homes to keep this in mind,” Shaker explained.

A survey conducted by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in collaboration with Bahrain’s Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture and National Initiative for Agricultural Development in Bahrain found that the majority of respondents who gardened in their homes do so to green and beautify the space and to develop a hobby. Forty per cent of the respondents, many of whom are avid gardeners, use their rooftops.

AlHayki said people weren’t receptive to the idea at the beginning: “People, in the beginning, thought it was a strange idea and asked: how are you going to plant and produce on the rooftop? Now, these people eagerly follow the production of each season.”

Shaker notes her children’s enthusiasm to help her garden, eat vegetables and fruits, and spend time on the rooftop significantly increased after she started planting on the rooftop.

“I planted a tomato variety called Myriam, and my daughter’s name is Maryam. She doesn’t like to eat tomatoes, but she checks them daily to see if they have grown or if their colour has changed, and she updates me. She became very excited!”

Gardening, she added, also “served as therapy” for her 18-year-old son, Mohammed, who has mild autism features.

While farming on the rooftop started as her project, it became an outlet for Shaker’s entire family. Her husband plants with her, her children help her care for the plants and her father does some woodwork for her on the wall so she can decorate and plant flowers on it.

 A sense of community

The growing sense of community among amateur farmers extends beyond their homes and families.

AlHayki said he started from scratch three years ago, and with no background in farming, he reached out to other local farmers: “They were extremely cooperative and shared useful tips which I applied on my rooftop. It surprised me that many of them were women, and they had extensive experience.”

AlHayki and Shaker said local amateur farmers share seedless and pots among each other, and  collaborate in various forms.

AlHayki, whose other hobby is woodwork, built a bench surrounded by two large cultivation basins and wooden frames to grow climber plants for Shaker’s rooftop.

According to the survey conducted by UN-Habitat and partners, for many, gardening becomes a way to connect with the community, including inspiring others to start their gardens with their help and helping teach their children about plants. “It strengthens the bonds in our community,” one person commented in the survey.

Greening Bahrain

“Rooftop farming offers a quick and easy way to improve air quality and reduce overall heat while providing a green retreat for urban residents in their homes or communities. This is a critical solution to bring nature into dense urban areas where people are most depleted from green areas,” said Fernanda Lonardoni, Head of UN-Habitat Bahrain.

UN-Habitat and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are working together with Bahrain’s Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture and in collaboration with the National Initiative for Agriculture Development (NIAD) to promote the transition towards more sustainable, inclusive and climate-resilient urban systems.

The project aims to promote innovative agricultural practices among households, including unlocking spaces for afforestation, elevating the ecological quality of green spaces, and involving communities in afforestation practices.

“One of our key priorities with FAO is to support Bahrain’s National Afforestation Plan to increase green spaces in the urban fabric of the Kingdom. We hope to continue engaging with the community to encourage sustainable agricultural habits that contribute to a green and sustainable urban future for the Kingdom,” Lonardoni said.

Jaafar Sami Al-Tajer, Director of the Local Agricultural Production Department at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture, pointed out that rooftop farming and effective use of water are among the most important steps to rationalize water in agriculture by converting empty rooftops into vertical gardens or suspended agricultural fields. This allows for the provision of additional agricultural crops without consuming large amounts of water.

Al-Tajer also highlighted the Ministry´s efforts in promoting the use of soilless farming techniques through sharing the knowledge and providing training on the necessary techniques to grow plants on rooftops and save water effectively.

And Shaker to conclude: “Most homes today are small and don’t have gardens, while rooftops are empty and lifeless. Why? Let us utilize it and make it beautiful.”