Urban Green Farms will supply schools with Aquaponic farming systems as well as courses for students and teachers to apply in the classroom, and MainStream Aquaculture will supply the live Barramundi needed for the Aquaponic ecosystem for plant and food production. The initiative is set to help Australian schools educate students on the importance of sustainability by providing an alternative to conventional farming, as Aquaponics and Aquaculture go hand in hand.
This collaboration will be the first of its kind, providing educational solutions that offer a hands on approach to learning through a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) based curriculum that also offers onsite excursions to Australia’s leading Aquaculture facility.
Urban Green Farms Managing Director, Andrew Meseha said, “ We’ve spent years working with the Education sector in the development of our sustainable Aquaponics programs. I’m thrilled we’ve partnered with MainStream Aquaculture. Urban Green Farms has always been about Australian innovation and strong partnerships. This collaboration is uniquely designed to provide a holistic, interactive approach to sustainable STEM Education, and it’s really fun”.
Schools will also have access to MainStream’s state of the art facility for excursions which cater for education on topics including engineering, water science, biology, waste management, aquaculture, and a holistic approach to sustainability and food production methods used to reduce the impacts on our environment.
MainStream Aquaculture operates the world’s largest Barramundi hatchery, and is one of Australia’s leading growers of Barramundi both locally and internationally. MainStream combines a deep understanding of marine biology, with state-of-the-art technology and a scientific approach to fish raising, reflecting their values for providing seafood for the future that is produced sustainably.
MainStream’s Chief Scientist and Founder Dr Paul Harrison said, “we have a responsibility to do everything we can to create a healthier, cleaner and happier planet. Partnering with Urban Green Farms to teach Australian students sustainability and fish raising practises fits perfectly with our values and is a project we are extremely excited about”.
Schools are now adopting more sustainable practices by supporting school farms and projects in order to educate students on the need for urban farming. Closing the gap on climate and environmental issues caused by conventional farming practices by upholding accountability through an understanding of agriculture and biodiversity and its importance in a functioning society.
Lara Griffin, High School Ag Teacher said, “the Urban Green Farms Aquaponics units have made a fantastic addition to our agriculture program. The students love the hands-on learning and the system brings to life the concepts of water sustainability and responsible production. Whilst we’d had home made Aquaponics systems in the past, the Urban Green Farms units are so much easier to use and they really inspire the students”.
This type of innovative thinking applied to the Education sector is a unique solution for schools to truly become more engaged in sustainability, future problem solving and innovative programmes.
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