Kamil Muslim College in Yalalevu, Ba, is leading an initiative to support the local community with fresh leafy vegetables by establishing nurseries and selling their produce.
Assistant mathematics and physics teacher Rinal Prasad highlighted that this initiative will also serve as a source of income for the school.
“Our vision says we want to make Kamil Muslim College a sustainability hub. So, we are planning to undertake all green projects. Prior to this, we have implemented a Bio duster and installed both on-grid and off-grid solar panels,” he said.
He mentioned the school had already installed hydroponic systems.
“We have expanded our beehive farm and now plan to implement hydroponics to provide fresh leafy vegetables to students and nearby communities. There are more than 5000 people living nearby, so we also plan to expand this hydroponics initiative,” he said.
He added that 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. We will sell these vegetables,” 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 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.”