A greenhouse was built on the roof of a school in Andijan region (Uzbekistan)

A greenhouse was built on the roof of a four-floor school building in Andijan, the administrative center of the Andijan region of Uzbekistan. Hydroponics technology, i.e. cultivation without the use of soil, is used for the production of vegetables and berries in the greenhouse, EastFruit experts say.

Andijan region is the most densely populated region of Uzbekistan. The population density in the region is almost 10 times higher than the national average, and the administrative center Andijan ranks second after the country’s capital in terms of population per square kilometer. It is not surprising that it was here that they began to master the technology of creating greenhouses on the roofs to make the most efficient use of urban space.

The total area of the hydroponics greenhouse created on the roof of the four-story building of the private school “XXI asr akademiyasi” (“Academy of the XXI century”) is 4.5 acres. The greenhouse brings income to its owners about 170 million UZS ($15 100) per year, according to «Khalq suzi» (“People’s word”).

«There are advantages of building a greenhouse on top of a building. First, there is no need to search for an additional plot of land for this purpose, i.e. the greenhouse is created on the land already used under the building. Secondly, in this case, the air circulation between the plants is better than if the greenhouse was located on the ground. Thirdly, the lighting is better in such a greenhouse.

Currently, we grow strawberries, sweet peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes in the greenhouse. Thanks to the use of hydroponics technology, the yield is many times higher compared to traditional methods», says businesswoman Shakhnozakhon Shodmonova.

Recently, EastFruit wrote about the establishment of rooftop greenhouses in Singapore to reduce production costs. The greenhouses make full use of urban spaces, provide jobs for residents, and have lower production costs than vertical farms.