Scrutable

For the last few years, some of colleagues (led by Tony Ryan who may be familiar to those that listen to the Infinite Monkey Cage) have been working with the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan. In addition to helping build rudimentary wind turbines and a bicycle-based school bus, they have been working with the refugees to help them grow their own food.

Many of the refugees were farmers in Syria. However, they cannot farm in Zaatari due to the poor soil and limited water resources. Even if these problems could be overcome, Jordanian law prevents refugees planting in the earth. The inability to farm has a significant effect on the mental health of these refugees who have lost their sense of worth.

Over the years, Zaatari has grown and now has a population of ~80,000 people. As you'd expect for a settlement of that size, they produce a lot of waste. One major component of that waste is foam mattresses provided by the UNHCR that have been used, and often soiled. Working with the farmers, they have been re-purposing these mattresses as foams for hydroponic agriculture allowing them to grow food without planting in the earth and with minimal water usage.

I've put some links below for more info about the project. Currently, they are hoping to expand the project to make it self-sustaining (particularly in terms of the training in hydroponic farming) and are looking for donations if you'd like to help.

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/giving/causes/desert-garden

http://grantham.sheffield.ac.uk/researc ... solutions/

http://grantham.sheffield.ac.uk/feeding ... with-foam/

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/research/fe ... world-foam

That is f.cking brilliant. Your colleagues are awesome!
I shall make a donation toot sweet.

Gosh, what a fantastic project!

We saw Tony Ryan give a talk about the work they're doing at Daresbury Lab's 20th anniversary "Talking Science" public lecture (he had given the inaugural lecture in 1998).
An utterly charismatic speaker - and amazing to see what people are doing with minimal resources, but with the backup to make the best use of them

As he says "there's nothing you can't make if you're a farmer with a hammer, an angle grinder and a welding torch"

Daresbury Lab is a bit older than 20 isn't it?

Unless I just dreamed I worked there in 1979.

JQH wrote: Thu Nov 14, 2019 12:13 pm Daresbury Lab is a bit older than 20 isn't it?

Unless I just dreamed I worked there in 1979.

The "Talking Science" public lecture series started in 1998
Stlll going strong
https://stfc.ukri.org/public-engagement ... aboratory/


You can see me with a camera in front of my face in the banner photo . Mrs G in the blue top beside me.

tom p wrote: Thu Nov 14, 2019 9:32 am That is f.cking brilliant. Your colleagues are awesome!
I shall make a donation toot sweet.

Likewise

I think I heard a radio programme about it, possibly "Workd Hacks" (now "People Fixing the World") on the World Service