How aquaponics benefits children and the community

Two years ago, Laerskool Kempton Park embarked on an innovative project to introduce aquaponics in its school curriculum. The produce from this system not only provides nutritious food, but teaches the learners essential life skills, says Janet Lee Ogilvie. Janine Ryan reports.

- Janine Ryan

In his State of the Nation Address in February 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced government’s plan to introduce six new subjects in schools’ curricula. One of these is aquaponics, and the aim is to teach learners technical skills, as well as how to produce food to ensure food security.

At the time of the announcement, Laerskool Kempton Park (LKP), a full-service school in Ekhurhuleni Municipality, was already ahead, having been teaching aquaponics since 2017. The school is thus leading the way in terms of introducing practical and technical skills in schools.

The project, led by humanitarian development organisation INMED and funded by Air Products, has greatly benefitted the children and staff members of the school, as well as its immediate community, according to LKP’s principal, André Page.

INMED South Africa, an affiliate of INMED Partnerships for Children, which aims to improve the lives of children and their communities, was approached by Air Products to inspect LKP as a possible site for the aquaponics project. Air Products, a manufacturer of industrial and speciality gases in Southern Africa, was already involved in several other community service programmes and was assisting the school with other projects.

According to Janet Lee Ogilvie, operations manager at INMED, Page had seen an aquaponics system at one of the other schools supported by Air Products, and had indicated that a similar project would be highly beneficial to the learners and staff at LKP. Air Products then approached INMED, who investigated the site’s suitability and came up with a special design for the space available.

Building on the project began in June 2017, and the project was launched in September of that year. The fish and vegetables produced in the system are used in the school’s feeding scheme.

A NUTRITIOUS MEAL