1. General information
2. Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
1. Teach students about the importance of sustainable development and empower them to make educated choices about their own impact on the environment.
2. Bring to the local level issues of global concern: climate change, the efficient use of water and energy, how to build greener cities, and how to grow a secure and healthy food supply.
3. Teach students about plant life cycles, green technology, sustainable farming practices, how much energy is used to produce food, and the relationships between diet and health, food and the environment.
4. Promote the greening of vacant space and increase biodiversity in the city.
5. Decrease the heat island effect, water runoff, and improve air quality.
6. Implement a holistic learning approach, where students make connections between what they are learning in science and social studies and how all of it is reflected in the world in which they live. (ref 1)
2. Bring to the local level issues of global concern: climate change, the efficient use of water and energy, how to build greener cities, and how to grow a secure and healthy food supply.
3. Teach students about plant life cycles, green technology, sustainable farming practices, how much energy is used to produce food, and the relationships between diet and health, food and the environment.
4. Promote the greening of vacant space and increase biodiversity in the city.
5. Decrease the heat island effect, water runoff, and improve air quality.
6. Implement a holistic learning approach, where students make connections between what they are learning in science and social studies and how all of it is reflected in the world in which they live. (ref 1)
Quantitative targets
Unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
Variables in humidity, temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, and dissolved oxygen in the farm strata (ref 1, 2)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Implementation activities
1. The place features an open rooftop farm and a glass-roofed science laboratory with a vertical hydroponic vegetable farm and an aquaponic fish farm.
2. Growing potatoes, vegetables, fruit, herbs, seeds, and fungi; farming fish; keeping beehives.
3. Selling food to local restaurants.
4. Coffee waste is used as compost for the fungi .
5. Fish produce waste which is used as an organic food source for the growing of plants, thus forming a closed loop system which purifies the water and feeds the plants.
6. There are plans to make use of beneficial bugs for pest control, introduce chickens, and replace commercial fish food with worms grown on-site. The chickens will eat the bed of seed and greens that remains after the wheatgrass is harvested, and also produce manure for the crops.
7. A rainwater harvesting system is in place to irrigate the farm on the roof. (ref 1, 3, 4, 7, 8)
2. Growing potatoes, vegetables, fruit, herbs, seeds, and fungi; farming fish; keeping beehives.
3. Selling food to local restaurants.
4. Coffee waste is used as compost for the fungi .
5. Fish produce waste which is used as an organic food source for the growing of plants, thus forming a closed loop system which purifies the water and feeds the plants.
6. There are plans to make use of beneficial bugs for pest control, introduce chickens, and replace commercial fish food with worms grown on-site. The chickens will eat the bed of seed and greens that remains after the wheatgrass is harvested, and also produce manure for the crops.
7. A rainwater harvesting system is in place to irrigate the farm on the roof. (ref 1, 3, 4, 7, 8)
Type of NBS project
3. NBS domains, ES and scale
4. Governance and financing
5. Innovation
Type of innovation
Please specify technological innovation
The Urban Farm is a product innovation because it introduces a novel way of providing educational services - not by learning, but rather by experiencing science. The educational content itself is also innovative because it presents the latest techniques in sustainable farming.The farm also introduces locally and sustainably grown food products into the area, which is an alternative to the products available in the supermarket. (Ref. 1)
Novelty level of the innovation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Driven by the success of a rooftop farm at the Chocolate factory in Dublin, representatives of the Urban Farm start-up decided to continue developing the idea at the Belvedere College. (Ref. 9)
Replicability/Transferability
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
There are other urban farming projects implemented by Urban Farm, however there is no mention of whether they were influenced by the success of the Belvedere College Urban Farm. (Ref. 1)
6. Evaluation and learning
7. Sources
Please specify other source of non-financial contribution
University provided their empty rooftop and the students maintain the farm with their voluntary services. (ref 7, 8)
