Year 3 day 5: Workshops and Homestays

GYLI Year 3 2015–Full group of our amazing leader

We had a great day again, with the GYLI students and teachers represented themselves and their schools very well!  We had excellent EARTH-student-led workshops at the Organic farm and the Peri-Urban farm at EARTH University in the morning.  At the organic farm, students learned from two students, Anne
te from Rwanda and Lucia from Kenya.  These two amazing students presented their work on the different organic systems: such as mandalas, aquaponics and natural plant combinations to eliminate the need for pesticides.  They also showed us natural ways to dry cacao seeds with a greenhouse using a solar powered fan.

At the Peri-Urban farm we got several experimental systems that can help us grow more food in small spaces.  We got to see the possibilities of waist high garden beds, pyramids that can grow 2-3 three times the plants per foot, and garde
beds made of recycled materials.  Then we got to make ou
r own hanging “sausage bags” that can grow plants vertically in small spaces and with organic and recycled materials.  Who knew there were so many ways to grow sustainable food.

After lunch, we left EARTH to our homestays in small teams.  We are looking forward seeing many of the things we learned at EARTH applied on smaller scales at the farms.  The adventure continues!