Hallo everybody, this article is my first article as Eco-generation ambassador duties. Here, I would like to share the activity that I?ve done with my friend and my organization, it is hydroponics training for high school students in Yogyakarta. Here, I would like to spread the value that we got from those activity.

Saturday, September 14 2013 at 13.00-16.00 (GMT 7+ or in Indonesia time) on collaboration with SHIND (environmental NGO that focus on environment education for school students in Yogyakarta, Indonesia), we have an activity called hydroponics training with SMA 6 Yogyakarta students. We aim, with this activity we can increase the knowledge how to plant vegetables or fruits effectively in urban area where is difficult to find croplands, also increase their awareness about the important of food security for the future through urban farming activity . 18 students from SMA 6 Science Club and 2 experts had attended in this activity.

What we have given in hydroponics training for high school students are what is hydroponics, what is it rules for urban farming, and how to make hydroponics. In this training, we gave priority to practice directly hydroponics basic technique for high school students. Also, we applied teamwork systems for high school students in this training to collaborate each other effectively.  

Hydroponics is from the Greek, hydro and ponos. It is the term used to explain how to grow crops without soil but using water or other porous materials with controlled delivery of nutrients containing essential elements needed by plants. It was first raised by W.A. Setchell of the University of California, related with the success of  W.F. Gericke from the same university, in the development of farming techniques with water as a growing medium.

Based growing medium used , hydroponics can be divided into three kinds: the water culture, aggregate culture (use gravel, sand, rice husk as growing media), and nutrient film technique. In basic technique for hydroponics, we usually use waterproof container for growing medium. In this case, we can use plastic bottle that you can take from trash bin.

Hydroponics can be one of our efforts to save our foods stocks. Although, we live in urban area. So, you can take the sources from book, internet, journal or something like that, about hydroponics technique and you can practice it. What we have done in Yogyakarta city with SMA 6 Students can be an example of our efforts to save human living, through hydroponics for urban farming.