The Amun Shea Aquaponics Greenhouse goes much further than your traditional school project. It is a serious proposal for diet improvement and stable food production in the face of drastic change in weather patterns. It is making an impact in the community as well, with curiosity leading the way to see how it´s done. As word spreads further, groups are arriving to check it out and asking if we could help them start one in their community.
The current greenhouse has been financed through GlobeMed and it has provided a great experimental training process. We are ready to move forward now with the second edition, which will benefit from the experience gained on the first model. For that, we need your help, please continue your support and invite your friends and family to join in. Thank you!
We are very happy to announce the inauguration of our first Aquaponics Greenhouse, which is now in full production. With the presence of local organizations, representatives of the UN and other international institutions and the press, Amún Shéa students explained the greenhouse design, the cultivation process and how math, science and language are all integrated into the production and commercialization of the greenhouse produce.
Our students fielded questions from participants, both during the presentation and the tour of the facilities, which showed their knowledge and experience with regard to aquaponic greenhouse production. Many visitors were surprised at the level of participation all of our students have in the project, including kindergarten. We are slowly breaking the concept that "real production" is for adults and that while a school may have a nice project, it would not have real impact.
This project is now seen as a very real proposal in the face of climate change, both for food production as well as to improve diet and nutrition locally. A national organization has expressed interest in duplicating the experience in nearby communities, a proposal with which we fully agree and are happy to share our experience.
With this first greenhouse in full production, it now becomes urgent to complete the GlobalGiving Aquaponics Project. Two greenhouses with alternating and complementary production will establish the format and setting for Amún Shéa to become a training resource in aquaponics for the region.
During the inauguration, Denis Garcia, a sixth grader, proudly recalled that this current aquaponic project actually grew out of his fourth grade science fair project. Please help Denis take his project to the next level: to a regional outreach and training in aquaponics, by helping us complete the funding goal for this project. Please share this with your friends, as well.
Thank you!
Links:
First fruits of our aquaponics greenhouse are a smashing success. Roman leaf lettuce was chosen for the startup production. It turned out to be a very good selection, going from transplant to harvest in one month. We continue to harvest from this first planting, while the second transplant gains strength and weight.
This is the first of two aquaponics greenhouses planned for our Amun Shea, Center for Integrated Development. Developed as a viable option for food security and production in the face of ever-changing weather problems which have disrupted traditional basic grain cultivation throughout El Salvador and all of Central America.
As the funding builds for the second greenhouse, we will be applying lessons learned through the experience of operating the present structure. Controlled ventilation, water/nutrient distribution and further options for plant management are areas in which adjustments will continue.
As expected, the participation of the students in this project has caused an impact in their eating habits. Green salads included in school lunches no longer are pushed aside, but heartedly consumed by our students. This is a principal goal of the project, to improve diet and eating habits.
Real and working proposals for food security in the face of climate change are few and far between. This is an opportunity to join in with us and to actually build solutions. Join in, today!
Links:
The first of two projected aquaponics greenhouses at Amún Shéa Center for Integrated Development is well on the way to becoming reality. Once both are in full production, we will maintain Amún Shéa students in fish and veggies all year around, as well as a bit of over-production for the local market.
While one aquaponics greenhouse is requested through GlobalGiving, the other was approved by our friends and partners of GlobeMed, from the University of Michigan. We certainly hope to be able to build the second one upon completion of the first and build gradually into full production.
Aquaponics production has been incorporated into the study plan for Amún Shéa students, in all grade levels, with an emphasis on nutrition, alternative production and measures to offset climate change.
The final design structure was a product of student investigation and design. A modular construction method was determined. This method is energy efficient in that no electric soldering is required, as well as creating a building which may be moved or modified without great effort or equipment, as all of the components are bolted or screwed together.
Our friends from South Korean Agency for International Cooperation, KOICA, have agreed to seek a food processing expert to place with Amún Shéa as a volunteer, which will elevate the project to higher levels.
We hope that each and every one of you join with us in this adventure of creating new productive options and in forming young people with the attitude and ability to change their world for the better. Please spread the word; let´s get this dream fulfilled.
Amún Shéa students in El Salvador are improving their nutrition through raising Tilapia fish and growing vegetables for the school cafeteria. Through several years of experience they have honed their green thumbs and even gotten into the kitchen to learn how to prepare a well-balanced and nutritious meal.
The Tilapia fish farming is a recent addition, beginning just 2 years ago with a bathtub sized "pond" as a first grade project. In 2014, the project grew with the reconditioning of a natural pond and the purchase of over three thousand fingerlings. The students are still enjoying the fruits of that project, with fish included at least once a week in school lunches.
They are looking forward now to combining these two activities with the aim of making both much more efficient and less vulnerable to the ever increasing abrupt changes in weather patterns. The amount raised to date does not allow a full implementation of the Aquaponic project. Nevertheless we are moving forward as best able.
Thank you for your support. Please share this project with your friends and let´s push this forward together.
Links:
Project Reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you will get an e-mail when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports via e-mail without donating.
We'll only email you new reports and updates about this project.
