Kamil Muslim College in Yalalevu, Ba, is launching an initiative to bolster the local community with fresh leafy vegetables by setting up nurseries and selling their produce.
Assistant mathematics and physics teacher Rinal Prasad emphasized that this initiative will also generate income for the school.
“Our vision is to transform Kamil Muslim College into a sustainability hub. We aim to undertake various green projects. Previously, we have implemented a Bio duster and installed both on-grid and off-grid solar panels,” he said.
Prasad noted that the school has already installed hydroponic systems.
“We have expanded our beehive farm and now plan to implement hydroponics to supply fresh leafy vegetables to students and nearby communities. With over 5000 people living nearby, we also plan to expand this hydroponics initiative,” he said.
He added that the long-term goal includes scaling up to around 400 plants per month.
“We plan to buy the remaining seedlings from Go Global, where prices range from 15 to 20 cents per seedling. Once the lettuce or other vegetables are ready, we aim to sell them for $2 to $2.50 each, depending on size. We will sell these vegetables,” he said.
“There are numerous advantages. Although the initial setup cost is high, it becomes easier and more beneficial over time. We use nutrient-based water and operate without soil since it’s hydroponics. It falls under horticulture and is a subset of hydroculture that we are engaged in. We have started with lettuce and plan to cultivate cabbage and other vegetables like coriander.”