In mid-July, the Caohu Street (Suzhou, China) Public Welfare Summer School was officially opened. Of particular interest this year is the newly added intelligent hydroponics program. Through the introduction of VegeSense Smart Mini-farm, students were not only able to practice the whole process of lettuce growing, but also experience the innovations brought to agriculture by technologies such as IoT and AI. This was widely reported in the press and media.
Not only are the programmes of the summer school rich, but the ‘content’ of the summer school is also being continuously upgraded. Focusing on the promotion of traditional culture, the ‘centralised curriculum’ summer school will lead children to participate in smart farm planting activities, enhance young people's ability to think logically and work with their hands, bring together children's wisdom, and inject vigour and vitality into the development of the community and society.
Research - Explore Hydroponics
Through the hydroponics programme, students experienced new technologies in the community, learnt about the theory of soilless culture and planting techniques, observed the Smart Microfarm in the field and learnt how to use the Smart Microfarm, which stimulated their strong curiosity and creativity.
Learning - Soilless Seedling
The students are experimenting with hydroponic seedlings: a sponge is soaked in water so that it absorbs all the water. The seeds are then placed in the holes of the sponge and pressed gently to ensure that they are in contact with the sponge. The sponge is regularly kept moist.
Take Care (of) - Thrive and Grow Green
Water and fertiliser management is a crucial part of a hydroponic growing project. Students learnt how to test the pH and conductivity in the hydroponic tanks and adjust the nutrients in the culture solution to ensure that the plants could get sufficient nutrition. Through hands-on practice, they not only learnt scientific knowledge, but also developed hands-on and problem-solving skills.
Meanwhile, VegeSense Smart Microfarm has also attracted the attention of Suzhou TV, expecting to further promote more communities and children to explore and practice in the field of technology and agriculture.
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