Kamil Muslim College in Yalalevu, Ba, is leading an initiative to support the local community by establishing nurseries and selling fresh leafy vegetables.
Assistant mathematics and physics teacher Rinal Prasad noted that this project will also serve as a source of income for the school.
“Our vision is to make Kamil Muslim College a sustainability hub. We are planning to undertake various green projects. Prior to this, we have implemented a Bio duster and installed both on-grid and off-grid solar panels,” he said.
Prasad mentioned that the school had already installed hydroponic systems.
“We have expanded our beehive farm and now plan to use hydroponics to provide fresh leafy vegetables to students and nearby communities. There are more than 5000 people living nearby, so we plan to expand this hydroponics initiative,” he said.
He added that the long-term plans included scaling up to approximately 400 plants per month.
“We intend to purchase 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,” he said.
“There are numerous advantages. Although the initial setup cost is high, it becomes easier and more advantageous over time. We use nutrient-based water and operate without soil, since it’s hydroponics. It is a subset of horticulture that we are engaged in. We have started with lettuce and plan to cultivate cabbage and other vegetables like coriander.”