Rooftop Farming Business Plan: Sustainable Urban Farming in the UK

This report presents a comprehensive business plan for a rooftop farming enterprise in the UK, addressing environmental issues such as pollution and food quality. The plan includes a product description focusing on organic farming, a mission to provide healthy food, and a vision for increased organic farmland. Market analysis, including PESTLE and SWOT analyses, identifies opportunities and challenges. The report details segmentation, target market, business cost plans (fixed and variable costs), and the management team structure. It also covers start-up considerations and concludes with a discussion of the venture's potential for income generation, job creation, and environmental sustainability, including references to industry data and competitor analysis. The plan emphasizes sustainable practices, local food production, and the reduction of carbon footprint through home delivery options.

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Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Long-term prospects and industry analysis............................................................................................2
Product description................................................................................................................................3
Mission..................................................................................................................................................3
Vision....................................................................................................................................................4
Market analysis......................................................................................................................................4
Segmentation and target market............................................................................................................6
Business cost plan (Fixed and variable costs)........................................................................................6
Management team.................................................................................................................................7
Start-up..................................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................8
References.............................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
The report brings out a discussion on new business plan. The plan is in accordance to the
current environmental issues in UK. New venture plan is rooftop farming company. Several
uncertainties related to environment such as Air pollution, waste treatment, soil
contamination, litter, and climate changes, which lead to excessive pollution, impure air, and
lower food quality. Rooftop farming is the sound principle to preserve resources and consume
self-grown foods. The aim of the report is to create sustainable business plan by availing
blueprint short-term goals. The plan is an effective tool that can recognise, want, and
elaborate how financial needs will be fulfilled.
Long-term prospects and industry analysis
The industry reports state that this industry does not face severe competition. The industry
anticipates growth of 25 percent every year. Organic farming undertakes the target with
supportive strategy so that industry can explore more on the market based approach. Global
data says that increasing global organic farmland and number of organic producers reaching
all time at high demand with data of 181 nations. The data supports trade centres by revealing
global market reaching 97 billion US in 2017 (Allied Market Research, 2019).
Market size of vertical farming is valued at $2.23 billion in year 2018, which is anticipated to
reach $12.77 billion until 2026. Some of the core competitors in this industry will include
Aerofarms, Illlumitex, Urban Crop solution, Hort Amercians, and Sky Greens.

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(Source: Allied Market Research, 2019)
Product description
The rooftop farming product will consider organic farming by incorporating with 35
employees. The organisation will aim to avail rooftop farming in overpopulated places
especially UK with wide variety of crops. The organisation has UK presence as formulator,
manufacturer, marketer, and protection of crops with wide variety of crops and vegetation as
per environment. The organisation can arrange appropriate irrigation and drainage system
with the help of 10 civil engineers with more than 15 farmers when catering type of
agricultural crops when the customer want. Rooftop farming is quite viable for urban
agriculture because of lack of agricultural land by continuously enhancing the life (Hyder,
and Lussier, 2016).
Mission
The company must comply with the opportunities available to the local people so that they
can eat healthy food. Mission is to provide best tasting fruits for people living in house. It can
use several sustainable farming types, and freezer’s health.

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Vision
The prospects will depict the increase in the organic farmland with comparing it to 2016. The
service will include distribution inclusive of home delivery option where the distribution has
lower carbon footprint with driver and truck (Hyder, and Lussier, 2016).
Market analysis
PESTLE Analysis-
Political and Legal conditions-
It has great impact on influence of regulations on organisational plan and spending power of
consumers and businesses. Conditions will include awareness for the healthy population,
government stability, and the policies for the actions for agriculture. These cooperative can
allow low interest loan for the organic sector. Determination of growth of healthy people with
less burden on government to serve basic food to the people (Muzellec, Ronteau, and
Lambkin, 2015).
Economic conditions-
The economic factor can depend on spending of PDI (personal disposable income),
unemployment, inflation, monetary issues, and financial crisis. This initiative of cultivating
the basic crops in house can reduce the inflation in the basic amenities. Shifting to seasonal
crops can reduce the imports of extravagant foodstuff (Muzellec, Ronteau, and Lambkin,
2015).
Social conditions-
The demand of organic food has increased that has certainly decreased gross expense. The
consuming nature of consumer changes become healthier. Roof garden can reduce excessive
heat from sun where greenery will cool down the environment.

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Technological conditions-
One can adapt new irrigation facilities by using excelled technology. Drip irrigation is one of
the technique while optimising crop yields.
Environmental conditions-
Due to increasing pollution, rooftop farming becomes quite necessary that do not keep client
in its thinking before serving plants. Rooftop farming can improve the environment and limit
the environmental issues, which has created several diseases because of UV radiation.
SWOT Analysis-
Strengths Opportunities
Organisation will get share of sales even
before the sale starts where a customer will
render services.
The cost of establishing is not costly, as it
needs low capital (Sanyé et al., 2016).
The organisation can lead to sustainable
relationships with members.
Many farmers will include traditional
farming tools where the company will stand
out of crowd with the certification to the
organic stamps.
It will include certification of the organic
stamps with approval.
Threats Weaknesses
Entrants with same business carries threat,
which has been mitigated in the farming
period as the competitors can head.
Inappropriate amount of pesticides can
further damage the crops (Hyder, and
Lussier, 2016).
The corporate must derive solutions to
provide diversity through the seasons.
The product is labour intensive where
cleaning, sorting, and packaging, plantation,
and being harvested (Sanyé et al., 2016).
The retention is the way where the members
are not happy that will lead to additional

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cost.
Segmentation and target market
Organisation has targeted people who earns more than $50,000 especially people who own
terrace in building. Farmers miss the target of providing services when they focused on
traditional farming only after the organisation obtain certified organic approval stamp.
Organisation focus on energies so that they can offer festive atmosphere, availed local
organic products, and door-to-door services (Wynne, 2016).
It covers USP, in which organisation stand out competition with different vegetables. From
point of marketing positioning, differentiation in product is core idea where marketing
strategy can engage members. The price of goods can be lower when comparing it to the fruit
seller that is core-attracting reason for rooftop farming. Apart from this, website can contain
link of upcoming books of the organic farming as being availed by the cash flows in terms of
unproductive months. Marketing programs can work to engage with members. In creation
with brochures with position to work at the community places such as farmers market.
Organisation can emphasise on USDA certified stamps of approved when it is being linked to
the national approvals (Dring, 2014).
Business cost plan (Fixed and variable costs)
Important factors will include revenue generation options such as municipal regulations,
accessibility to safety of rooftop, electricity, and solar panels.
Fixed cost Amount ($)
Plumber salary 58
Farmer`s Salary (10*$40) 400
Engineering cost 100
Warehouse storage 120

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Variable cost Amount ($)
Tools (levelling tools, Digging tools,
fertilisers tools, and pouring tools)
600
Maintenance and cleanliness 20
Seeds 180
Construction cost 440
Fence (depends on length and breadth of
customer`s terrace)
310
Pesticides 200
Management team
Organisations have appropriate structure as being wholly operated, and subsidised through
owners. These owners can perform office functions, accounting with garden costs, seeds
costs, and planning time. The company can decide to apprentice the farmers through
additional efforts that can be cultivated (The Guardian, 2019).
The owner has to manage actions and operations where management responsibilities can
include creation of detailed guidelines and creating living soil. Organic and sustainable
methods use farm inputs and other chemical fertilisers (Hyder, and Lussier, 2016). Growing
options include covering the crops, crop rotation, and application of the finished composition,
motivating through beneficial insects, and harvesting concerns. Owner can manage farmers
and educate with training sessions with slow months both in terms of e-books that will sell to
contribute for the revenue generation (The Guardian, 2019).

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Start-up
The owner can manage family farms for upcoming 15-20 years. The farming install
greenhouse with warm lights for early starting. The owner can invest pickup in the delivery
of vegetable crops to the members. Rooftop garden can pass the rigid needs with an aim to
qualify specific certified organic items certified by USDA. More costs will include start-up
costs that will include supplies, insurance premiums, storage rents, licence, starting inventory,
and working capital. Total costs will include certain assets, vehicles, equipment, leased
improvements, fixtures, trucks, and building. Many business plan will have to undertake
management source of funds (Dring, 2014).
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it is seen that core features include the generation of income as
providing employment to the local farmers. Further, it can help to generate an unused rooftop
into an earning source, contributing to sustainable environment, and establish food security to
avail fresh, safe, and healthy production. Moreover, it can reduce heat for the residents on top
floor, which can assist to save electricity with less use of air conditions. Prospects will
include increasing maintenance of nature with green spaces. Green roof systems can retain
and control the climate changes, as it will lead to the protection of ultraviolet radiation in the
temperature that can cause membranes to destroy and finally leading to leakages. Vegetation
can maintain cool at the rooftop where plants can further act as the insulation layer shading
roof-grasping heat.

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References
Allied Market Research, (2019) Vertical Farming Market Outlook - 2026. Available on:
https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/vertical-farming-market [Accessed on: 15/12/2019]
Dring, R., (2014) The rooftop revolution. Available on:
https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/articles/can-urban-growing-feed-cities/ [Accessed on:
15/12/2019]
Farrell, B., 2017. A place for food within sustainable urban masterplanning. In Building
Sustainable Cities of the Future (pp. 117-139). Springer, Cham.
Hyder, S. and Lussier, R.N., 2016. Why businesses succeed or fail: a study on small
businesses in Pakistan. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, 8(1), pp.82-
100.
Muzellec, L., Ronteau, S. and Lambkin, M., 2015. Two-sided Internet platforms: A business
model lifecycle perspective. Industrial Marketing Management, 45, pp.139-150.
Sanyé-Mengual, E., Anguelovski, I., Oliver-Solà, J., Montero, J.I. and Rieradevall, J., 2016.
Resolving differing stakeholder perceptions of urban rooftop farming in Mediterranean cities:
promoting food production as a driver for innovative forms of urban agriculture. Agriculture
and human values, 33(1), pp.101-120.
The Guardian, (2019) on rooftops and in tunnels, city farms lead food revolution. Available
on: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/urban-farming-feeding-cities-of-
the-future [Accessed on: 15/12/2019]
Wynne, H.S., 2016. 4 Wynnes Boating Manufacturing Company: A Market Analysis and
Business Plan for Northwest Arkansas.