Egypt: Creating a model for rooftop growing

After becoming accustomed to growing plants in containers on his rooftop, Samir Seif, an agricultural engineer, decided to replace each container with a vertical tower composed of stacked soil layers.

The towers are designed as modular and detachable structures that can be assembled, dismantled, and reconfigured at different heights according to production needs, while maintaining a fixed diameter. This design allows a single tower to host many times the number of plants that can be grown in the same land area, while using much less water.

"Anyone can expand their available growing space, whether on land, a rooftop, or even a balcony, using vertical farming towers that offer a great deal of flexibility in cultivation," Seif said.

"A tower can be placed on a balcony since it is only 60 cm in diameter, and it can be mounted on a wheeled base and moved so that plants receive sunlight evenly. Some towers also include separate soil compartments, allowing different crops to be grown within the same structure, such as plants that like the sun on one side and shade-loving plants on the other."

"I produce hot peppers and aubergines during the winter season, although these crops are not typically available at that time, because you have far more control over growing conditions in farming towers than in open-field agriculture. If there is too much rain, the towers can be covered with plastic sheets, and if there is too much sun, they can be placed in locations with reduced sun exposure," he noted.