Team:Lambert GA/Implementation

PROPOSED IMPLEMENTATION

OVERVIEW

The effective implementation of AgroSENSE into food deserts and schools requires coordination with community leaders, schools, urban planners, and many other stakeholders. AgroSENSE can most significantly benefit two groups: community organizations and educational facilities. The following graphic provides insight on how Lambert iGEM envisions AgroSENSE's implementation process.

Figure 1. AgroSENSE targets schools and nonprofits. The implementation of our system requires the coordination of various groups of people within a community.



COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

The first step in the implementation of Lambert iGEM's system is identifying neighborhoods within food deserts that would most benefit and be able to maintain aquaponics systems.

Target Communities

  1. If the area is urban or suburban, the nearest supermarket is more than 1 mile away.
  2. If the area is rural, the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
  3. At least 33% or 500 people of a census tract's population live distant to a supermarket.
  4. If 100 households or more with no vehicle access live at least 0.5 miles from the nearest large grocery store.
  5. If 500 households or more with vehicle access live at least 20 miles away from the nearest large grocery store.
  6. Low-income households are unable to afford the produce in their nearest supermarket.

Figure 2. Infographic provided by the Atlanta Community Food Bank that provides more insight into the conditions and characteristics of food deserts.


In order to identify and engage with these communities, Lambert iGEM will partner with food banks and community organizations such as the Gwinnett Coalition and Atlanta Community Food Banks. Since these local organizations have a better understanding of the needs of the community, they can help coordinate volunteers for maintenance of the system and deliver the aquaponics produce to communities most in need.


Figure 3. This Gwinnett County map was provided by the Gwinnett Coalition that contains paid and free food sources as well as areas that are defined by the USDA as food deserts. The food map also consists of alternative sources of food such as community gardens and farmers’ markets.



Additionally, Lambert iGEM has had conversations with the Gwinnett Coalition in order to plan future nutritional awareness and introduction to aquaponics workshops for community members. The need for such workshops is crucial because studies have shown that simply providing healthier food access cannot completely eliminate food deserts: this access must be paired with education [1]. Under the guidance of nutritionists, AgroSense workshops would improve health literacy which is a common barrier to nutritional behavioral choices. The goal of these workshops is to provide encouragement and methods for families facing food insecurity to engage in healthy behaviors and adhere to dietary recommendations. While food banks will help facilitate maintenance of the AgroSENSE systems, identifying locations where AgroSENSE would be placed will require the guidance of urban planners. Through conversations with APD Urban Planning and Management, Lambert iGEM has identified the following guidelines for the effective implementation of its aquaponics hardware:

  1. Has an indoor/outside (preferably indoors to limit environmental factors) location that can host a 46 inches wide 79 inch by 36 inch system.
  2. Has access to electricity and electrical outlets.
  3. Has access to running water and can maintain a system with 20 gallons of water.
  4. Has community organizations (food banks, churches, local nonprofits, etc.) that are willing to coordinate volunteers for the maintenance of the system.
  5. The community has a strong motivation to host and maintain the system with the help of resources such as the AgroSENSE app.

Figure 4. In coordination with APD Urban Planning, we identified these solutions to common barriers in aquaponics implementation.


AGROSENSE APP

Once community organizations have been identified and are willing to adopt the AgroSENSE system, they can use the AgroSENSE app to guide building their system. The AgroSENSE app is a complete guide for users to build and maintain a hydroponics system. Users are provided a step-by-step video and written instructions to build an ideal system. In addition, the app also contains maintenance guides for hydroponics/aquaponics and access to the team's cookbook AgroEATS (See Human Practices: Science Communication). First users take a survey in order to generate their ideal systems by taking into account their specific parameters: type of fish, plants, size, budget, and various other factors.

Figure 5. A diagram of the survey question in the AgroSENSE app to guide users on which size system would best fit their interests.

Upon completion of the survey, users will be given written instructions and a tutorial video to start the building process. The app is split into 2 sections: Builder’s Guide and Community Guide. The Builder’s Guide includes all the information users will need to set up their own aquaponics/hydroponics system. The Community Guide will serve as the education portion; it will address certain topics like how to maintain the system and include the cookbook, containing a diverse array of recipes using the plants harvested from their system. Both the building guide and the education guide ensure that the app serves as a perfect introduction to hydroponics for beginners. For more information on the assembly of the AgroSENSE system, visit Dry Lab: Hardware.

Figure 6. The three components of our AgroSENSE App which will guide users in the adoption and maintenance of their system.

For the first prototypes of AgroSENSE for community organizations, Lambert iGEM plans to exclude the PHO and NAR biosensors from the main system due to safety concerns. However, for future versions, the team aims to provide training for community members on how to properly discard biosensor cells and maintain the bacterial chamber.

EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES

Since schools are the centers of many communities, Lambert iGEM believes that they can act as vehicles for agricultural biotechnology education. The utilization of the AgroSENSE system can supplement Biology, Environmental Science, Agriculture, and Biotechnology classrooms by providing practical hands-on experience on the applications and maintenance of aquaponics systems.

To incorporate AgroSENSE into classrooms, Lambert iGEM took a look at Georgia’s Career Technical & Agricultural pathway. We have outlined the standards within the Aquaculture, Plant Science & Biotechnology, and Basic Agricultural Science, and Agribusiness where AgroSENSE can provide useful insight in the management of alternative agricultural systems in the real-world.


Georgia Career Technical & Agricultural standards are divided into 3 components:

  1. Classroom Learning: concepts and theories dealing with a broad spectrum of agricultural and agribusiness topics.
  2. Laboratory Experience: application of classroom learning and development of “hands-on” skills
  3. Engagement in Future Farmers of America: an avenue for developing leadership and extracurricular skills

Although AgroSENSE can supplement all of these avenues for enrichment, this system can specifically aid in the Supervised Agricultural Experience Program (SAE) component of the Laboratory Experience. In this approach, students work and learn in a real-life situation where they obtain on-the-job skills. SAEP can vary from the traditional home projects to entrepreneurship or cooperative work experience in production or agribusiness.


Figure 7. Lambert iGEM members discussing how they can use AgroSENSE to supplement Georgia’s high-school agriculture standards


Through conversations with middle and high school Biology and Agricultural teachers, Lambert iGEM was able to get more insight in the specific modules in our AgroSENSE system. High-School Biology teacher, Ms.Cynthia Greer provided insight that she used an organic hydroponics tower in her classroom to teach plant botany. She suggested that the experience made students more excited to attend class and taught them their responsibility in maintaining such systems. She also suggested that Lambert iGEM’s project in providing readouts through biosensors and arduino sensors would be helpful because her previous experience in maintaining her hydroponics system was quite laborious. She further suggested that we can make AgroSENSE an afterschool program through organizations such as the Boys and Girls club and 4H. This would not only be an excellent extracurricular for students, but prepare them for careers in agriculture.


Figure 8. Lambert iGEM pitching our AgroSENSE Educational Integration idea to teachers like Ms. Cynthia Greer.


The AgroSENSE app could further guide students and give them an introduction to aquaponics. In the future, Lambert iGEM hopes to work with these teachers to create specific lesson plans and a curriculum.

In addition to understanding how traditional aquaponics systems work, students will be introduced to synthetic biology. Using Lambert iGEM's science communication infographics (See Human Practices: Science Communication) of basic biology and biotechnology concepts, students will learn how our biosensors were engineered and the applications of the biosensors. Students will also be informed of the safety protocols necessary when dealing with biosensor cells .

Further, since science teachers have previous safety training to manage potential biohazards, they can best execute our guidelines to discard biosensors. They can choose to discard biosensor cells through bleaching the cells or using an autoclave (pressure cooker as an alternative).

With excess produce from their aquaponics harvest, schools may also be interested in donating their harvest from the system to food banks, selling it to community members as a fundraiser, or providing it to their school’s cafeteria.


REFERENCES

[1] Boone-Heinonen, J. (2011). Fast Food Restaurants and Food Stores. Archives of Internal Medicine, 171(13), 1162. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.283