French posties transform Paris rooftop into picturesque farm

There is a post office in the heart of Paris where workers do more sorting of soil than mail.

On the building’s rooftop lies a paradise for green fingered staff who want to grow their own crops or even breed their own poultry.

Surrounded by high towers, around 500 postal workers grow fruit and vegetables including lettuces, aubergines and tomatoes, and breed chickens on 90 tonnes of earth deposited on the roof.

The organisers say the sustainable project helps people reconnect with nature in an urban environment that’s increasingly becoming a virtual world.

“Maybe a few tomatoes, a few strawberries, looking after little things like that every day can help you enjoy life more,” said volunteer Corinne Lienhart. We’re in front of computers so often, we live in a virtual world, so doing these little things helps people reconnect with each other, with the living.”

Inauguration de la ferme sur le toit de la Poste La Chapelle. Beau projet ! Bravo ‍ #facteurgraine #Parisculteur #fairepousserlesreves pic.twitter.com/7hfkH2LOjg— Alyssia (@Alyssia19) September 15, 2017


Facteur Graine, or seed postman in English, is one of 33 projects Paris authorities are sponsoring to develop urban agriculture.

Around 30 post office staff tend to this garden but it’s attracting more and more workers from across the capital who are keen to harvest the fruits of the labour in a different way.

By 2020, the French capital will host more than 100 hectares of rooftop gardens and planted walls, the Paris City Hall said. Of this, one third will be devoted to urban farming.