What if rooftops created space for health and connection?
In cities, we’re always searching for space, for housing, work, movement, and greenery. But the most overlooked space lies right above our heads. Roofs aren’t just architectural necessities, they’re opportunities. Opportunities to literally give health, connection, and social change a place. In California, Deep Medicine Circle shows how that opportunity becomes reality. Their program Farming is Medicine proves that a rooftop can be the foundation for a healthy and just society.
Food, health, and equity on the roof
When we think of a rooftop garden, we often picture a few herbs or some lettuce in raised beds. But the Rooftop Medicine Farm in Oakland, California, shows just how far this idea can go. It’s the largest rooftop farm in the western United States, right in the heart of the city. And here, it’s not just about growing food. It’s about restoring health, rebuilding communities, and healing ecosystems.
None of the food grown here ends up in supermarkets or high-end restaurants. Everything is distributed directly to those who need it most, people living in poverty, often trapped in a cycle of food insecurity, poor access to healthcare, and unhealthy living conditions.
According to Deep Medicine Circle, this isn’t by accident, it’s the result of political decisions and a system where food production revolves around profit. Their vision is radically different: nutritious food is a right, not a luxury. Hunger is not a natural phenomenon, it’s a consequence of socio-economic policy.
Farmers as health workers
What makes this project truly unique is the way it connects agriculture, health, and social justice. The farmers of Deep Medicine Circle aren’t just seen as food producers, but as guardians of health, for both people and the planet. They work with agroecology, a farming approach based on healthy soils, biodiversity, and respect for ecosystems.
And that’s urgently needed. Scientific research shows that people in U.S. urban areas have the lowest biodiversity in their gut microbiome, with direct consequences for health. A depleted microbiome is linked to inflammatory diseases, mental health issues, and weakened immunity.
By growing food in living, healthy soil, without pesticides or chemical residues — the result is nutrition that not only fills but truly nourishes. And just as important: the food is decoupled from the market system. No profit margins, no marketing, just free, direct access for those who need it
"Health, movement and connection. It all fits… right on the rooftop."
More than a rooftop garden: a broader movement The rooftop garden is just one part of a much larger story. Deep Medicine Circle also operates a larger farm just outside the city and trains a new generation of farmers. This combination of urban and rural, of food production and social impact, demonstrates how agriculture can be a driving force for positive change.
The project is also deeply connected to the movement for land return to Indigenous communities. This work not only contributes to ecological restoration but also to repairing historical injustices.
What this example teaches us Europe faces similar challenges. Space is limited, health disparities between social groups are growing, and the demand for sustainable, healthy and socially inclusive cities is increasing. At the same time, thousands of square meters of rooftop space remain unused on city buildings and industrial estates.
The question is not whether we should use this space, but how. Deep Medicine Circle shows that rooftops are not only suitable for solar panels or green facades, but also for something more fundamental: building health, social cohesion and a livable future.
Rooftops can:
- support healthy, local food production
- strengthen climate adaptation through water retention and biodiversity
- reduce social inequality by making food and health more accessible
- connect residents and raise awareness
- make cities more resilient to future crises
From rooftop to society What began in Oakland is now an inspiring example for cities around the world. It shows how we can turn forgotten spaces into places of hope, connection and practical solutions. It also reminds us that health doesn't begin in hospitals — it starts in the street, on the rooftop and in the soil. And that food production is not a separate sector, but a vital part of how we live together.
Marcel de Visser Co-Founder Sports + Vitality