Water is life, and as a country with high inequality and large portions of the population living in informal settlements, the water crisis in South Africa has a bigger effect on the poor who rely on agriculture for an income. Our goal is to implement innovative and sustainable water solutions to schools around the country, helping to relieve them of their dependency on large amounts of water for agriculture, as well as helping to provide self-sustaining meals to students all year.
South Africa has been facing a water crisis for many years and the effects of this have been amplified due to high demand for water and climate change. Unfortunately, because of poor infrastructure and many people living in rural settlements, water distribution is also incredibly unequal which further adds to inequality and is harmful to people who rely on agriculture for an income and provide for their communities.
Innovative agricultural solutions use integrated organic farming systems that combine vermiculture, aquaponics and small livestock to provide higher yield with fewer resources. The system only needs 10% of the water normally used for gardening, making it possible to farm even during extreme drought. By developing this system at schools, teachers get the opportunity to use it as practical teaching material, feed their students or sell the crop produced to generate income and be self-sufficient.
By providing schools and institutions with solutions which provides a high yield of produce regardless of soil and rainfall, schools in Africa will no longer be reliant on outside support. This will reduce the need for funding to purchase school resources, and the support required for feeding programs.
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