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Vertical farm - great opportunity!

EUTeens4Green Team

05/05/2023 19:30

Ongoing

💡 Description: Vertical farm will be acquired as new way of growing food which will be installed inside the Sisak industrial-craft school (IOS Sisak). For thousands of years, agriculture was a natural process that did not harm the land on which it was carried out, but with the origin of modern agricultural practices, the process of agricultural pollution began, which causes the deterioration of ecosystems, land and the environment. One of the main problems is the use of agrochemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) which are partly absorbed by the plant, and pollute the water and soil. As a result, agricultural production is not ecological and unhealthy grown food is consumed widely. This project wants to make the local community and the general public aware of that problem. To at least partially solve the problem, the local community, especially the existing farmers, will be introduced to a new way of growing food. Vertical farm will be acquired, which will be installed inside the Sisak industrial-craft school (IOS Sisak). Vertical farms are buildings in which plants are grown on vertical and horizontal stands under customized LED lights, and the closed space protects the plants from pests, diseases, and dirt, and for this kind of cultivation, there is no need to use various agrochemicals. This results in high-quality food that preserves human health but also preserves the environment. In addition, the vertical farm provides higher yields compared to conventional agriculture, but also significant space savings. Once the vertical farm construction parts are procured, 20 students and 5 professors of the IOS Sisak will be educated, they will gain knowledge about its assembly and maintenance, and will receive information about the benefits that result from growing food this way. On the occasion of the school presentation day, which is traditionally held every year in Sisak, IOS will use the opportunity to present the vertical farm as one of the alternative ways of growing healthy food without the use of agrochemicals. Open days will also be held to which the target group will be invited, but other interested public will be able to attend. The success of this way of growing food will also be demonstrated through research on food yield on a vertical farm compared to the classic way of growing, but of course, ecological production, i.e. without the use of agrochemicals. The project will promote sustainable habits, sustainable agriculture, and food habits. Farmers and unemployed people will be supported to build skills for green jobs or new small businesses, during and after the end of the project activities.
🎯 Target Group
🌱 Expected Results: Expected results should be reflected in quantitative manners. For example: Number of events / Number of participants / Number and type of material distributed / Expected research findings / Number of training hours, etc. At the beginning of the implementation, 20 student volunteers will be selected to participate in the project activities, and a supporting team will be formed, which will consist of the director and 4 professors of the Industrial - craft School, and will be available to the students during the implementation of the project. Student volunteers and professors will together draw up a time plan for the implementation of the project so that all activities are carried out within the given deadline. Next comes the procurement of construction parts for the vertical farm that will be set up in the Industrial - Craft School. After the delivery of all the parts, there will be an education that will last 2 days, and which will be intended for student volunteers, teachers, and the school principal, where they will learn how to assemble a vertical farm, how to maintain it and what are all the advantages of this way of growing plants. If necessary, the educators will be available for all ambiguities related to the vertical farm during the project. After the student volunteers and the supporting team have acquired knowledge, they will start assembling the vertical farm and planting strawberry seeds, which will be procured by the Industrial - Craft School. This way of growing plants will be presented to the target group, but also the rest of the interested public through the Open Days, where they will be able to get all the information about the vertical farm. Also, the students will have the opportunity to transfer their knowledge about the vertical farm at the school presentation that is organized every year in Sisak, and in this way, we want to introduce as many people as possible to this method of growing plants. As part of the project, research will also be carried out on the yield of food, in this case, strawberries that will be grown, on a vertical farm compared to the classic way of growing strawberries, but of course, organic production, i.e. without the use of agrochemicals.
✉️ Contact: vidovicgabriel3@gmail.com
🔗 More Info: http://ss-industrijsko-obrtnicka-sk.skole.hr/