Secondary pupils at Lornshill, Alloa, Alva and Dollar Academies are testing the waters of sustainable agriculture by using hydroponic growing towers to raise crops that they put to use in their school every day.
The state-of-the-art growing towers were supplied by Stirling-based environmental charity FEL Scotland, which supports a variety of educational and lifestyle initiatives in the region to increase community sustainability and educate young people.
Stuart Guzinski, Project Coordinator for FEL Scotland, said that the growing towers serve the double purpose of teaching future generations about sustainable, scalable agricultural practices while also kickstarting the basis for local food systems.
The project is part of a £10,000 pilot programme funded by the Scottish Government's Vacant and Derelict Land Fund. Because hydroponic towers are vertical structures and require much less water than traditional farming, they can open up agricultural opportunities in areas with nutrient-poor or damaged soil.
Alloa students have said that they are learning how vertical growing can support a growing population, and first-year Reggie Kiff believes towers like these "will help feed man in the future."
Source: alloaadvertiser.com