How can hydroponics be meaningfully integrated into everyday school life? In cooperation with the State Institute for Schools and Teacher Training (LIBRA), a 3.5-hour training workshop for teachers was dedicated to this question on January 15, 2026. The aim of the workshop was to present the practical teaching and learning materials developed in the WasserFarm project (supported by the German Federal Environmental Foundation- DBU) for research-based and interdisciplinary learning in the context of education for sustainable development (ESD). The WasserFarm concept was presented as an innovative approach to interdisciplinary experimental learning with hydroponic design elements. The concept was met with great enthusiasm and offered a wide range of application and follow-up possibilities.
The close collaboration with the teacher responsible for hydroponics at the pilot school in Stahnsdorf proved particularly enriching. As part of the water farm project, this teacher supervises a hydroponics club with students and acts as the central contact person for the topic at the school. Thanks to her experience gained in the project and her pioneering work in the school context, she was able to provide valuable insights into the practical implementation of hydroponics. This led to a professional exchange in which different areas of expertise brought together diverse perspectives on the topic of hydroponics.
In addition to jointly developing new implementation ideas, practical challenges such as time resources, curricular integration, technical maintenance, and organizational framework conditions were also openly discussed. It was precisely this open dialogue that made the workshop particularly practical and relevant.
Workshops such as this one and the accompanying support during implementation are intended to enable the integration of hydroponics into teaching at other schools in the future.
Further information is available at: https://www.wasserfarm.org/