9th Graders and Their Friendship with Spinach and Catfish!

While 7th graders and 8th graders are busy with being a seller and how they're going to implement democracy, 9th graders are busy hanging out with catfish and spinach. Our project titled "Petani Gen Z" Which is translated "Gen Z Farmer" in English. Wait, in SCHOOL?? Yep, sit tight and watch how we can be a farmer for two weeks!

 This whole Gen Z farmer have a lot of process, of how we make the bucket for our catfish, paint them to make it interesting, taking care of spinach seeds and their growth, documenting everything from the start. Since lots of Gen Z don't really see farming as an interesting job and people do underestimate us a lot, our school decide to make this project. Is it worth the process? Well, let's see for months.

 So how this entire Gen Z Farmer works actually? Dos and Donts? What technique did they use to farm the spinach and catfish?

Maybe you've heard about the term aquaponic, what is aquaponic? And why aquaponic? Actually the term aquaponic is based on the combination between aquaculture and hydroponic. Aquaculture is a fish farming system, whereas hydroponic is a farming systems pot using water as a growing media. Aquaponic is a farming fish system and crop in a same media. Aquaponic is a solution and innovative for global food security, when the soil that using for farming is started to decrease in urban areas. A lot of buildings and factory are built. So, by that the soil is decrease, while the food security is getting more increase. Will we survive in this condition for a long term? So by that, fish farming and crop solution in the same media is found.

At the bottom as a place for fish farming, aquaponics can use media such as large tanks or buckets. The bottom part contains water and fish. The fish used can catfish, tilapia, etc. On the top, pots or plastic cups with holes are placed, so the water can reach the crops. Instead of soil, the pots can be filled with rock wool or hydro ton. 

sewing process (dokpri)

Guess what the 9th grader will do in this project, we did aquaponic farming! So interesting isn't it, SMPN 52 Jakarta activity got all us exciting. In the first week we feel so enthusiastic, we bought a 160 ml bucket as a container. We make 10 plastic cups that will be used as a pot. Seems simple, but you should be cautious because the soldering iron was hot. After that don't forget to make a hole at the lid of the bucket, for put the plastic cup. Then we were also sewing the water spinach seeds for planting. Sewing process is a when the water spinach seeds and rock wool soaked for a few moments, for laid and dry them out and wait till next day. Before the buckets are used it will be filled with water, and then let it sit for a day. The best part is when all the catfish is started to fill the bucket. The catfish is so slippery, even one person wasn't enough to move them around. Some of the students also paint their buckets, with colorful and cute drawings to make their container looks more interesting. They paint a many different patterns, such a fish, sea and so many creative drawings. Some of them also did a fingerprint painting for makes a memory. The buckets are dry out for a few days wait till they dry and ready to fill it with water and fish.

they paint the buckets  (dokpri)

How this aquaponic system works? The first thing that you should know is the spinach crops grow, because nutrition they got from the catfish waste. Maybe it sounds strange, but the catfish waste can be a good nutrient for plants. Which the plants can consume as their main nutrient source.

Every day we also have a schedule for taking care of fish and all the water spinach. We drain the water every once a week, and We feed the catfish three times a day, but there's also a people who feed their catfish two times a day, and it's completely normal, as long they're not feed too much food. Why we're not allowed to feed too much food to the catfish? It because the water can get dirty easily. And the catfish will be stressed out Usually, every morning we often check them and make sure everything good. Mr. and Mrs. teachers also have a lot of contribution in this project. Without them, we wouldn't be knowing a lot of things about how to take care and do aquaponic farming. In this project with theme "Technology Engineering" makes me and my friends know how to manage global food security issue and also what kind of development and innovation will be.

they drain the water  (dokpri)

The benefit we will get by implementing this aquaponic system:

- It can be more save your time by doing a two farming in a same media.

Aquaponic can be more efficient because we can take care of these two things in same media

- Aquaponic is a solution for the global food security issue by using rock wool instead of soil.
We can have a food source in our home without worrying will get hungry, and they have fresh produce to make a symbiosis mutualism.

- the fish you grow are free from the pollution.

Unlike the sea fish that get polluted by all the trash.

- reduced water use. Because aquaponic uses 90% less water.

Aquaponics continuously and recycles the water through the fish tank and plants.

And that's how it works, that's how you get the title Gen Z Farmer.

Written by: Jihan Aqeela S. 9B & Puteri Asyifa S. 9F