Is the grass greener on the other side of the fence, even if it grows on concrete? Thirty-three-year-old Chicago native turned Brooklynite Annie Novak, author of “The Rooftop Growing Guide,” thinks so. 

Known locally for her work as a co-founder of the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Novak recently published “The Rooftop Growing Guide” with a national tour, launching the book in New York City at the Brooklyn Brewery on March 1.

“The Rooftop Growing Guide: How to Transform Your Roof Into a Vegetable Garden or Farm” is an illustrated handbook on utilizing urban and suburban spaces to grow vegetables, herbs, flowers and trees. It is based on Novak’s extensive work and research as an urban farmer and food activist.

“It was born of the things that I learned at Eagle Street Rooftop Farm. It’s very much about all the different possibilities of our urban landscape and our rooftops, and that includes containers and greenhouses and green roofs and hydroponics and soil-based projects and vegetables and leeder plants and edibles and non-edibles,” said Novak.

In recent years, urban farming has grown from a popular trend to a serious business as the price of food has risen. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, roughly 15 percent of the world’s food supply is grown in urban areas today.

With Novak, who is considered to be an expert on urban agriculture, at the forefront of the growing movement, her fellow Brooklyn residents are embracing the idea of cultivating vegetables at home.

“I saw the event online and it looked interesting so I thought I would come,” said 29-year-old Kat Watt. “I have a small windowsill garden. There’s not much space so I can’t really grow anything. But I wish I had space to do more.”

Another Brooklyn resident, 27-year-old digital analyst Kat Earls, said, “I think it’s incredible what she’s doing. I think sustainable agriculture is something other businesses should be thinking about.”

As more New Yorkers turn to urban agriculture, farming in an urban landscape may prove to be a healthy, sustainable food system for all. This is a clear vision―at least for Novak.

“Whatever your level of gardening is, I think this will be a useful tool for you. It was a lot of fun to make and I wrote it with the intention of this book moving forward in the world as something that everyone can use.”