There have been several initiatives to promote organic farming at schools, but these projects often fall short when it comes to sustainability. Naipunnya Public School, Thrikkakara (Kerala, India) has figured a way to overcome this crisis.
Here, the school auctions produce of its terrace farming among teachers and reinvest the earning back into farming.
“Teachers spend more than the market rate to buy the produce and this enthusiasm shown by them serves as a motivation for students. Every single penny that is earned via auction is put back into farming to ensure that our terrace farming project continues to sustain itself,” said Francis K A, principal of the school.
The project was initiated in August and the school has so far held five such auctions. School authorities suggest that the farm produce often gets auctioned entirely for around Rs 2,000 every alternate week.
“We had the space to undertake the terrace farming project. Once we proposed this idea, the school assured full support. Right now, we have around 200 grow bags on the terrace, where we farm vegetables such as okra, eggplant, tomatoes, bitter gourd and cauliflowers. Farming is very interesting for students because when they participate, they are taught to understand several things about soil, farming techniques and use of fertilizers,” said Daisy Jacob, a teacher at the school.
The auction, which is conducted after school hours, is often casual and playful get-together of teachers.