A new programme for schools to teach students in the UAE about the importance of food sustainability and empower them to make environmentally responsible choices is to be launched by Madar Farms later this year.

The announcement was made today during the Global Educational Supplies and Solutions, GESS, in Dubai.

The new initiative, ‘Sustainable Futures’, is a localised, hands-on and easy-to-integrate curriculum that uses food as a springboard to explore a wide range of topics across the sustainability agenda.

Set to begin in September 2020, registration for the programme is now open to all private UAE schools following a successful pilot project which took place at four schools across Dubai and Abu Dhabi this academic year.

Aimed at students aged 11 years and above, ‘Sustainable Futures’ combines theory and practical learning. Climate change, sustainable consumption and 4th Industrial Revolution technologies are among the curriculum’s topics.

To be delivered by school teachers, the programme consists of six modules and is bespoke to the UAE’s challenges and opportunities of food security and sustainability. It supports existing curriculum and extra-curricular activities and provides a more flexible approach for teachers who can choose which lessons to teach from across the modules.

Through more than 30 hours of educational content for schools, Madar Farms aims to raise awareness of the current environmental challenges that are being faced today and solutions that can address them, helping students prepare for the future.

As part of the programme, students will be able to grow a variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs and edible flowers using indoor aeroponic gardens. Through a step-by-step weekly guide, the ‘Growing Our Garden’ module will introduce students to the entire food production process including planting seeds, transplanting seedlings, and harvesting of greens.

Across the mix-and-match menu of satellite modules, students will also learn what the future of food production may look like on this planet or another, and how they can play a role in ensuring planet Earth sustainably supports current and future generations. They will also explore the use of new, sustainable technologies to meet global challenges, such as how AgTech is being implemented in Abu Dhabi.

The curriculum will also address topics ranging from the ways we use water, plastic and energy, to climate refugees, food literacy and civic engagement.

Ahead of the launch in September 2020, Madar Farms will host workshops between April and June to enable teachers to plan how to use the program for the new academic year. A number of schools in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah have already registered for the new academic year.

Tatiana Shahir, Head of Education at Madar Farms, said, "Following our successful pilot project at selected private schools in the UAE, we are excited to officially launch our ‘Sustainable Futures’ programme for September 2020.

"At Madar Farms, we demonstrate our commitment to environmental stewardship through producing local food in a way that supports water sustainability and food security in the GCC. This also extends to supporting sustainability teaching and learning through the ‘Sustainable Futures’ programme," she added.

Shahir continued, "By providing the opportunity for students to engage through activities and get a better understanding of the importance of sustainability, ‘Sustainable Futures’ can also empower the leaders of tomorrow with the awareness, knowledge, skills, and opportunities to drive meaningful change and create a sustainable future for us all."

As a UAE-based AgTech company, Madar Farms has been leading a new agriculture revolution by using advanced methods to grow local, high-quality, fresh produce. Madar Farms also uses approximately 95 percent less water than traditional farming and can grow produce anywhere in the UAE 365 days a year.

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