Kamil Muslim College in Yalalevu, Ba, is leading an initiative to support the local community with fresh vegetables by establishing nurseries and selling their produce.
Assistant mathematics and physics teacher Rinal Prasad highlighted that this initiative will also provide an additional 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. Previously, 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 set up hydroponic systems.
“We have expanded our beehive farm and now plan to use hydroponics to provide fresh leafy vegetables to students and the nearby community. There are more than 5000 people living nearby, so we also aim to expand this hydroponics initiative,” he added.
He revealed that long-term plans include scaling up to around 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. We will sell these vegetables,” he explained.
“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.”
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