Assessment of the linkage of urban green roofs, nutritional supply, and diversity status in Nepal

Abstract

Rooftop garden is growing in popularity and can be seen as a green roof for the local production of crops in urban buildings. This study focuses on the nutritionally important plants grown in the rooftop garden and their diversity index and evenness in urban roofs. A total of 103 respondents were selected randomly and interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire from the 12th of February to 23rd of May 2020. The findings suggest that the average area under rooftop gardening is 13.52% in Dhulikhel and 7.32% in Kathmandu and all of the respondents have a positive response regarding its continuation because of its multiple benefits from rooftop gardens. The plant species used for edible purposes were 43 species among the reported 91 species. The Shannon diversity index of Kathmandu was 3.58 and of Dhulikhel was 3.04. Due to lack of technical knowledge and fear of heavy load, rooftop garden in Nepal is suffering. Still, the respondents had problems regarding its management and further extension. Thus, this paper recommends the management of proper training to the growers regarding rooftop gardening, its management, and further extension and continuation. Also, much more research is necessary for developing a good crop calendar for rooftop farming.

Keywords

• urban farming
• shannon–weaver index
• roof damage
• reduced urban waste
• nutritional supply