What is it?

Eduponics is a social enterprise based in The Cape, South Africa. Its mission is to "integrate aquaponics into the education system, providing a hands-on way to teach students about STEM subjects like biology, chemistry, and environmental science."

Extending out of a "Climate smart hub" on the campus of the Cape Academy of Mathematics Science and Technology (CAMST), Eduponics develops both tools and methods for aquaponic farming, and hands-on educational programs based on this practice, that it intends to deploy in schools throughout South Africa and beyond.

The originality of Eduponics - and its challenge - is that it pursues several simultaneous goals: develop the practice of aquaponics in the country using schools as starting points in their communities; make agriculture and foods systems more sustainable, both ecologically and economically; and support new, hands-on forms of education that combine various disciplines and involve critical thinking, teamwork, and entrepreneurship.

How does it work?

Eduponics provides various tools and resources. It has created a small aquaponic system to be used in schools for educational purposes. It trains educators on aquaponics, tailoring the training to their respective disciplines. In CAMST, it intends to develop a sustainable ecosystem combining agrivoltaic energy, aqua/hydroponics, black-soldier fly farming (to feed into the aquaponics system), and the commercialization of the resulting produce.

Eduponics is one of the offshoots of Climate Actions Now, a nonprofit created by Robert Stephenson. Originally, CAN is an educational program happening in Africa and other continents, whose role is to engage kids in active learning through social entrepreneurship. Over a period of three months, the kids are tasked with organizing an event (mostly, music). In teams, they take one of the tasks related to the event, learning along the way across many disciplines, developing project-related skills and self-confidence... and making money, one-fourth of which is reinvested into a local climate-related project. Climate futures are not central to CAN, however some of the projects inspired by it, are, as is the case for Eduponics.