Plantation on the headquarters' terrace produces 1.7 tons of food per month that is donated to the population of Osasco (SP)
Tops of buildings are great places to do a farewell show, city viewpoints or host restaurants with views jaw-dropping. More recently, they gained yet another functionality: serving as a space for urban gardens. This is what happens on the terrace of the iFood headquarters, in Osasco (SP).
There, the empty space that existed on the seventh floor was transformed in 2021 and became an ally in the attempt to combat hunger and the food insecurity. In an area of 950 m², 1.7 tons of organic food are produced monthly.
Of everything that is harvested from the iFood garden, part is used in the company's cafeteria and part is donated to the Osasco Food Bank, which serves more than 3 thousand families registered in the local city hall's action for the combat food insecurity and hunger.
As the plantation is very close to the final consumer, some transport steps in the food chain are eliminated, which reduces food waste and pollution generated and extends the “shelf life” of that food, which arrives fresh, fresh to those who go eat.
The project, carried out in partnership with Begreen, futuretech Specializing in urban farms, it produces pesticide-free leaves, fruits and vegetables. There, lettuce, arugula, beetroot, tomatoes, zucchini and watercress are planted using the hydroponics technique, a system in which the roots develop in water and not in the soil, which generates savings in water use (90% in relation in the traditional way) and fertilizer.
The iFood vegetable garden greenhouse protects vegetables from pollution and has an air conditioning system that allows remote temperature control and an artificial lighting system that complements sunlight. All of this contributes to substantially greater productivity (28 times more compared to conventional cultivation).
Check out the photo gallery below to see what the iFood urban garden looks like.
