What if rooftops made space for health and connection? In the city, we are always looking for space. Space for living, working, moving, greenery. But the most forgotten space is right above our heads. Roofs are not just an architectural necessity - they are an opportunity. An opportunity to literally give health, connection and social change a place. In California, Deep Medicine Circle is showing how that opportunity is becoming a reality. Their programme Farming is Medicine proves that a roof can be the foundation for a healthy and fair society.
Food, health and fair opportunities on the roof
Those who think of a roof garden often think of some herbs or a few trays of lettuce. The Rooftop Medicine Farm in Oakland, California, shows that it can go much further. This is the largest rooftop garden in the western United States, right in the middle of the city. Here they are not just growing food, but working on something much bigger: restoring health, communities and ecosystems.
The food from this garden does not end up in supermarkets or expensive restaurants. Everything grown here is delivered directly to the people who need it most. People living in poverty, often in hopeless situations of food insecurity, poor access to healthcare and unhealthy living conditions.
According to Deep Medicine Circle, this is no coincidence, but the result of political choices and a system in which food production is mainly about profit. Their vision is radically different: nutritious food is a right, not a luxury. Hunger is not a natural phenomenon, but a consequence of socio-economic policies.
Farmers as health experts
What makes this project unique is the way it connects agriculture, health and social justice. Deep Medicine Circle's farmers are seen not just as food producers, but as guardians of health - for people and planet. They work with agroecology, a farming method based on healthy soils, biodiversity and respect for ecosystems.
And that is much needed. Scientific research shows that people living in urban areas in the United States have the lowest biodiversity in their gut microbiome. This has direct health implications. An impoverished microbiome is associated with inflammatory diseases, mental problems and reduced immunity.
Growing food in living, healthy soils, without pesticides or chemical residues, creates food that not only fills, but really nourishes. And just as important: food is disconnected from the market system. No profit, no marketing, but direct, free access for those who need it.
"Health, exercise and connection. It all fits... on top of the roof."
More than a roof garden: a wider movement
The roof garden is just one part of a bigger picture. Deep Medicine Circle also runs a larger farm just outside the city, training a new generation of farmers. That combination of urban and rural, of food production and social impact, shows how to use agriculture as an engine for positive change.
The project is also inextricably linked to the movement for land restitution to indigenous communities. This not only works towards ecological restoration but also redressing historical injustices.
What this example teaches us
We face similar challenges in the Netherlands. Space is scarce, health disparities between groups are large, and the call for sustainable, healthy and social cities is growing. At the same time, thousands of square metres of roof surface lie unused in cities and business parks.
The question is not whether we should use that space, but how. Deep Medicine Circle shows that roofs are not only suitable for solar panels or green facades, but also for something more fundamental: building health, social cohesion and a liveable future.
Daken kunnen:
- Contributing to healthy, local food production
- Strengthen climate adaptation through water collection and biodiversity
- Reducing social inequalities by making food and health accessible
- Connecting residents and raising awareness
- Making cities more resilient to future crises
From roof to society
What started in Oakland is an inspiring example for cities worldwide. It shows how we can transform forgotten space into a place of hope, connection and concrete solutions. It also shows that health does not start in the hospital, but on the street, on the roof, in the soil. And that food production is not a separate sector, but is intertwined with how we live together.
Farming is Medicine proves that the future of healthy cities is not only built on the ground floor, but also on the roof. And that if we dare to think around, there is literally room for health, food and social justice.