S09 - Session P2 - Beyond sustainable food production: the potential of vertical farming in education and awareness-raising, the case of AlmaVFarm

Authors: Laura Carotti *, Elisa Frasnetti, Alessandro Pistillo, Giuseppina Pennisi, Francesco Orsini, Giorgio Gianquinto

Thanks to its ability to ensure safe, local food production while maximizing resource efficiency, vertical farming has been increasingly adopted in recent years both in commercial facilities and in academic research. However, vertical farming potential goes beyond food production. These spaces can become important centers for awareness creation and innovative training for students and stakeholders, while also promoting dialogue between designers and potential users. AlmaVFarm, the first experimental vertical farm realized by the University of Bologna within the EU project Food System in European Cities (H2020 862663 www.FoodE.eu ), fits into this context. For the set-up of the system and the definition of the activities, a co-design process was carried out in two phases: a survey, involving 64 members of the University of Bologna community, and a student hackathon in which 27 MSc students participated. Based on the results, aeroponics system and dynamic crop management were implemented in the structure, while the cultivation of crops chosen by the academic community (vegetables, herbs and medicinal plants) have been and will be included in the experimental trials. Moreover, since 70% of the respondents highlighted the importance of conducting specialized training activities and considering the needs of promoting competences in this sector, one year after the first participatory activity in AlmaVFarm, an experimental teaching workshop was conducted in which about 40 MSc students had to establish cultivation parameters of lettuce, collect growth data and present the results obtained to a panel of experts. The initiative showed a good adhesion rate (about 60% of people enrolled in the study course) and the survey carried out after the activity stressed the potential of AlmaVFarm in promoting problem-based learning and student curiosity towards technological innovation.