A branch of Carrefour has installed a vegetable garden on the roof of its Villiers-en-Bière hypermarket in Seine-et-Marne as part of its urban agriculture initiative.
The French retailer said the goal of the project is to provide high quality, environmentally-friendly produce while shortening distribution channels and thereby reducing carbon emissions and cutting food waste.
Students from a nearby agricultural college will cultivate the fruits and vegetables at the 1,200m2 Villiers-en-Bière hypermarket, which will then be sold in-store.
They will also market the fruits and vegetables to customers and share details of the scheme with local schools.
Carrefour plans to roll out the project to other regions in France, including Merignac in Gironde, Essonne and Paris.
The retailer is aiming to have 100ha of production in the French capital by 2020.
