The WasserFarm is an innovative and practice-oriented educational project funded by the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU).
The project consortium supports pupils and teachers in the design, construction and research-based use of hydroponic cultivation systems – depending on the location, on the windowsill of the classroom, in a corner of the STEM lab or in a greenhouse in the school garden.
Hydroponics is a soilless and therefore location-independent method of growing plants. The plants are supplied with all the important nutrients by a nutrient solution. By continuously reusing the water, i.e. recycling this water-based nutrient solution, hydroponic cultivation is characterized by high resource efficiency and the avoidance of environmentally harmful excess nutrients, pesticides, insecticides and herbicides. Against the backdrop of increasing droughts and falling groundwater levels in Germany, the site-adapted integration of the WaterFarm learning element offers pupils the opportunity to develop experimental design skills and raise awareness of global challenges in terms of education for sustainable development (ESD).
Over the course of the project, an individually adaptable teaching and learning concept on this topic will be developed with the help of three partner schools from Brandenburg and Schleswig-Holstein. Characteristic of this is the participatory and iterative approach, which provides for the joint development of learning materials that are continuously evaluated and adapted in order to maximize learning success and ultimately obtain a proven concept from which other educational institutions can also benefit.
A key role is played by the teachers and students involved, who in the first phase of the project determine the focus and learning objectives within the framework of curricula and their own interests
The aim of the project is to create a learning framework through an object-related interdisciplinary training concept in which students can learn about interdisciplinary topics such as sustainable food production, the functioning of recycling technologies, nutrient and water cycles and resource efficiency through participation and co-creation, thus developing an awareness of global challenges and solutions in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, students should be given the knowledge and resources to set up and operate a hydroponic system on their own. This is intended to promote sustainability and design skills and raise awareness of global challenges and solutions in times of climate change. The project is being carried out at three pilot schools in two federal states (Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein).
Further information is available on the project website: www.wasserfarm.org
