Gwanak-gu Daycare Centers and 8 Public Institutions Create Rooftop Gardens

Sharing with Neighbors in Need through Eco-Friendly Crop Cultivation without Chemical Fertilizers or Pesticides

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Junhee) has created and completed a total of 430㎡ across 8 Seoul-style rooftop gardens this year.

A rooftop garden is a healing space within the city that creates a garden on unused rooftop spaces to respond to climate change such as urban heat islands and to produce safe food.

The newly established rooftop gardens this year are located at ▲4 daycare centers (Gang Gamchan, Sinsa, Aram, Cheongneung Daycare Centers) and ▲4 public institutions (Gwanak Veterans Hall, Gulcham Village Community Facility, Boramae-dong Community Center, Seogwang Senior Center), selected for their high accessibility to residents and their benefit to the educational environment for young children.

The daycare rooftop gardens provided ecological learning opportunities for children, who had restricted outings due to COVID-19, by allowing them to plant and cultivate crops, while also helping improve their eating habits.

The district monitored the four daycare centers with rooftop gardens and found that children's curiosity and observation skills regarding plant growth greatly increased, and by directly cultivating crops, their aversion to vegetables decreased and their intake increased.

The rooftop gardens established at public institutions such as community centers and senior centers also contribute to emotional healing for residents exhausted by COVID-19, enhance understanding of agriculture, and promote urban agriculture.

In particular, in line with the purpose of ‘Gwanak-gu Eco-friendly Agriculture,’ various autumn crops such as radish, napa cabbage, and green onions, grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, are awaiting harvest. The harvested crops will be shared with neighbors in need, including low-income families and elderly living alone, through kimchi-making events.

The district is continuously promoting the Seoul-style rooftop garden project and currently operates 3,280㎡ across 43 locations including public institutions, schools, welfare centers, and daycare centers.

Mayor Park Junhee said, “While cultivating eco-friendly crops in rooftop gardens, I hope this becomes a space for healing the weary hearts due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a place for production, sharing, and communication among residents. We will actively expand urban agriculture activity spaces that residents can easily access, such as small rooftop gardens and urban regeneration gardens within the city.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.