Students at École KLO Middle School in Kelowna could soon have a new place to pick vegetables for their lunches.
At a Central Okanagan Public School board meeting Wednesday night, school principle Ashley Ragoonaden proposed a new modular farm to be built at the school in partnership with Presidents Choice Children Charity.
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The school board received funding for the project after winning a grant from the charity. While it’s still not known just how much money it received for the project, Ragoonaden said it will likely be in the hundred of thousands of dollars.
Ragoonaden said the farm will give students an opportunity to learn about sustainability through local farming.
“It’s an opportunity for students at École Middle School to learn about concepts of sustainability. We ultimately want the kids to decide what they want to grow — but lettuce, kale and any kind of greens are options.”
The aim is to get the paperwork approved for the project by the school board and the city by November.
Ragoonaden said the project will have an impact on the entire community.
“With the modular farm, we could teach children more about numeracy, literacy and leadership within our own school. We’re also looking at reaching out into the community to connect with other middle schools, high schools and universities to make sure it’s a community of learning.”
The proposed greenhouse will use a hydroponic-vertical process to grow vegetables with plants placed at an angle to allow water to more efficiently reach their roots. Similar farms have been built as far north as the Arctic Circle and can operate in temperatures as low as -40 decrees Celcius.
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