One man in Hanoi's centre has surprised his neighbours by operating a small farm on the rooftop of a five-storey building.
Safe vegetables grown in styrofoam boxes
Nguyen Manh Tien's farm is not limited to vegetable growing, he also raises pigs, poultry and fish. He uses the produce for consumption by his family and neighbours, and has been doing so for over a decade.
Since then, he has added two additional terraces to the rooftop to expand his venture.
“We’ve grown our own food for several years and sometimes, and are almost completely self-sufficient. Occasionally we buy a little beef or fruit,” said Tien.
Home-raised fish
He decided to build such farm after he became aware of food security problems. While he traveling as a fisherman, he picked up the methods of vegetable growers and raisers of animals and brought them back to Hanoi. Seeing that many farmers used unsafe pesticides and other chemicals, he decided to farm his produce naturally.
"In the first year we had 800 kilos of fish, and we had to sell the extra. I'm very happy with the results now," he said.
Unique farm in capital city
Pigs
He added that some of the pigs can grow to be more than 100 kilos and have to be taken down by pulley.
With 150 chickens and wild geese, along with 200 vegetables growing styrofoam boxes, his family rarely has to buy food.
Chickens raised in clean environment
His neighbourers are also very happy to buy safe and clean food from his family and to know the source of their food.
“I intend to introduce my produce to more people in the near future, and hope others are willing to adopt similar techniques,” he added.
