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YONKERS, N.Y. A floating greenhouse is pioneering an urban farming revolution in Yonkers.
Despite sitting on the Hudson River, the Science Barge, a one-of-a-kind cultivating oasis, has become a prototype for rooftop farming, an idea that has gained momentum recently in places like Brooklyn and Queens.
The goal of the Science Barge is to show people that urban farming can be done, said Jamie Korb, director of arts for Groundwork Hudson Valley, the non-profit group that operates the boats.
It seems as though that message has been heard. Inspired by a trip to the barge, the Manhattan School for Children created New York Citys first rooftop garden on a school two years ago. In Brooklyn, Gotham Greens, a leader in the rooftop farming revolution, is employing some of the ideas first cultivated on the Science Barge in Yonkers.
And New York City officials are working to bring a 200,000-square-foot farm to Hunt's Point in the Bronx, a plan that, if fulfilled, would create the largest rooftop farm in the country.
All those ideas, we were the first inspiration for urban farming, said Robert Walters, director of the Science Barge. This is where the seed is planted and where the idea of change happens right here in Yonkers, floating on the Hudson River.
First docked in Yonkers in 2008, the 135-foot greenhouse is powered by electricity from solar panels, wind turbines and biofuel, making it completely independent of the outside world. With the help of nearly two dozen volunteers, Walters and his team run the self-sustainable barge seven days a week, from April to November.
Together they use innovative growing practices, including a man-made dirt substitute and irrigation with rain water collected in huge drums, to raise lettuce, tomatoes, melons, eggplant and dozens of other types of fresh produce. And they are doing it in just a fraction of the space required by a traditional farm.
Korb said the techniques are important assets in an age when the fresh water supply is limited and quality top soil is at a premium.
Many experts agree, saying the urban agriculture boom is expected to continue at a much more rapid pace in the near future. As a result, Walters said he has no doubt that the growing strategies first employed by the barge will continue to spread.
This is going to be the biggest thing since Smiths apple pie, he said with a laugh.
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