Sacred Heart School, Kalyan introduces Hydroponics as part of the school curriculum
This farm-to-dining table model should be adopted across all institutions and Sacred Heart School, Kalyan is leading the way, being the first school in the world to have a hi-tech Hydroponics lab.
The post-Covid world needs a host of new innovations and ideas. Keeping the need of the hour in mind, Sacred Heart School, Kalyan has introduced Hydroponics as part of the school curriculum. Leading the way in breaking ground through education, the school is the first institution in the world to establish a hi-tech Gen Z Hydroponics lab. Advocating the idea of including Hydroponics in all future urban planning in the country, the school is supporting its students to grow a range of fruits and vegetables including iceberg lettuce, strawberries, holy basil and spinach.
The concept of Hydroponics has been gaining ground internationally for quite some time. It is urgently needed that we, as a nation, include this evolved method of farming in our urban planning. What makes Hydroponics so fascinating is that it is a soil-less farming technique, carried out in a controlled atmosphere with less than 1% wastage of precious resources like water and fertilizers. Such sustainable initiatives are especially necessary at a time when regular farming methods cause 90% of raw material and 30% of transportation and delivery losses. This not only hampers industrial production, but the extensive usage of pesticides in agriculture also has an adverse effect on the health of consumers. With Hydroponics, such in-efficient methods can be avoided for better utilization of resources.
Moreover, since it is carried out in a closed atmosphere, model use of pesticides is almost zero percent. Zero transportation costs and cheap solar power are two of the many ways in which Hydroponics becomes an extremely profitable activity. No wonder that this farm-to-dining table model should be adopted across all institutions. The government should incentivize Hydroponics in all future buildings by offering free mandatory F.S.I. in every building plan. This is our chance to opt for smarter urban planning through such innovative initiatives.