In 2020 the European research project GROOF guided ten 'roof pioneers' in France, Belgium and Luxembourg who aim to reduce CO2 emissions by building a greenhouse on their roof. In this process, PAKT inspired the 'early adopters' with its story. Lessons learned, do's & don'ts, ... were shared about both the cultivation aspect and the feasibility of the urban agriculture model. In June, PAKT organized a webinar for the roof pioneers, followed in October with an inspiration afternoon on the rooftop farm, followed by a one-on-one coaching session for a French start-up, Lilotopia.
GROOF, Nicolas Ancion: “PAKT bridges the gap between urban farming and“ classic ”farming by giving the region's farmers visibility through their weekly market and online platform. It is an inspiring example of diversifying on- and off-ground farming on a renovated industrial estate. In other words, traditional vegetable cultivation is mixed with newer techniques such as roof planting of old warehouses based on low-tech knowledge, aquaponic systems, ... "
Alix Réquillart, Liloptopia: “We are a young organization from Lille that is currently working on the start-up of an urban farm. Setting up a feasible socio-economic model is not easy. We want to find a balance in our operations in which we can involve different generations, different cultural and social backgrounds. PAKT has a very similar model, we want to strive for something like that. We were inspired by their story as well as the practical elaboration with, for example, the various member contributions, the free access for members, the setting up of a digital administration, legal structure,… ”
