Educational project – Hydroponic cultivation, Argentina

Project name: Educational project – Hydroponic cultivation

Project location: San Isidro Hippodrome, San Isidro, Argentina

Website: http://www.fundacionreciduca.org.ar/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reciduca/

Project description:

Reciduca Foundation accompanies young people at risk of dropping out of school to finish their secondary studies, expand their employment opportunities and promote environmental care. The hydroponic project consists in cultivating vegetables (lettuce) according to a NFT hydroponic system, in the San Isidro Hippodrome greenhouse. Hydroponics is a growing system that allows plants to be cultivated without the use of soil, and permits to save up to 50% of water consumption, as it works according to a circular system.
It has two major functions: educational, as part of the foundation educative program, and productive. The main idea is to give young people, between 16 and 18 years old, a space where they could acquire skills related to environmental care. They attend the program 2 hours per week, per group of 15 young people, between May and November, during which they receive training classes about responsibility, sustainability and on how to become committed citizens in their community.

Goal and purpose of the project:

• To develop an educational practice for young people to promote sustainable development, give them the opportunity to develop labor skills, introduce them to the culture of work and improve their employability.
• To promote the cultivation of healthy lettuces, grown without chemicals, only nutritive products, at a local scale.
• To carry-out an eco-friendly project that save up water consumption.
• To foster good practices among the community through visits and training.
• To finance, in the long-term, the program carried out by the foundation, thanks to the selling of lettuce.

Motivation of the applicant / applicant team:

As we strive to create a more sustainable society, we are always looking for good quality program and events that can have a long-term impact. We consider the youngest generation as the future of our country, and thus they need to be educated regarding environmental issues. That’s why we plan to organize guided tours in the greenhouse for primary and secondary schools so as to raise awareness among children, even a very young age. Divided into 4 groups according to age (5 to 7 / 8 to 12 / 13 to 15 / 16 to 18), they will receive classes on plants cultivation, on good food practices and also perform activities on how to cultivate lettuces in an eco-friendly environment.

Use of prize money:

The Prize Money will be used to restore the greenhouse (facilities, installation), and provide with the necessary tools (gloves, gardening tools etc.) so that the young people could work in good condition and receive better learning. It will also be used to give better classes during the guided tours.