GRETHEL, Ky. (WYMT) – Seventh-graders at John M. Stumbo Middle School are planting a new program to address the food crisis in the region.
Students are learning how hydroponics- growing plants without soil- could change the future of farming in their area.
“What we’re trying to do is create a way where, in Eastern Kentucky, we can have our own food source that we came up with. And we can make some money out of this and get our area’s economy to skyrocket like it was in the 90s,” said student Jaxson Hall.
Middle school science teacher Andy Burke developed the idea during a summer “Drawing on Kinship” institute, with a vision to show students some innovative approaches to agriculture in Appalachia.
Burke worked with other educators to create the hydroponics lab and used grant funding from the Floyd County Soil Conservation District to plant the program in his classroom.
He wanted to tie in traditional farming as well, so he brought in school custodian Mary Hall Tackett to teach students about gardening.
“In order to do that, we have to learn how to grow our own food. So these students are taking this problem and connecting to real world problems and are able to solve this problem on their own,” Burke said.
The project has sparked a passion from Floyd County’s youngest farmers as they learn about the area’s decline in profitable exports.
“Back in the day, there was all kinds of coal mines. And that’s where we made our money. And now all the coal mines are dug out everywhere,” said student Lily Little.
“Because our land does not have the nutrients. It’s rocky,” a student said.
The project has inspired additional work, including graphic designs created by several students and a 3-D printed trellis to support the sprouts.
Students say they feel like real scientists, taking notes and measuring EC and pH levels. But the lessons go beyond the science and agriculture. They are discovering lessons about through the plants that died along the way.
“Because you can’t predict it. And that’s perfectly fine, because you can learn from that,” said student Maggie Akers.
Students say they want to spread the word and share the results of their work, hopeful that they can grow the lab and be on the right path to giving back to their community.
The program will soon be creating shirts to sell as a fundraiser for more hydroponics stations.
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