(Seychelles News Agency) - Climate-smart farming education in Seychelles has received a long-awaited and overdue boost with the installation of the first hydroponic smart-farming system at the Seychelles Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture (SIAH).

The new infrastructure will serve as a practical demonstration site for climate-smart agriculture for learners at the institute and will facilitate educational workshops for other established farmers, advancing critical knowledge and skills for sustainable farming practices.

The system, installed under a greenhouse, which materialised after training, is expected to strengthen Seychelles' food system resilience through sustainable practices and climate-smart agriculture in the archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. 

The project was made possible through collaborations and support from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Programme of the UNDP, UN Women, the Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the joint programme of the government of Seychelles, Global Environment Facility (SEF) and UNDP, known as "A Ridge to Reef (R2R) Approach for the Integrated Management of Marine, Coastal, and Terrestrial Ecosystems in Seychelles," as well as the agriculture department of the Ministry for Agriculture, Climate Change, and Environment.

Barry Nourrice, the technical consultant overseeing the installation of the greenhouse, equipment and hydroponic system installation spoke on the need and importance for Seychelles to adopt climate-smart farming.

"Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants or crops without the need for soil and instead growing your plants in aqueous media. Through the training, we found it essential to provide the trainees with basic knowledge of the technology installed on their premises. The system provides the possibility of all-year-round food production, which is protected from flooding and soil-borne diseases, as the crops are not grown on the ground. In this setup, the netting of the greenhouse will also protect the crops from pests, reducing the need for pesticides," he said.

According to Nourrice, two different types of hydroponics systems have been set up within the greenhouse, namely the nutrient film technique and the grow bag system "with the grow bag system, although you will not be using soil, you will be using material such as perlite or coco peat, providing an ecosystem where the plant can sit and the root can develop. The real work is being done by the water." 

The greenhouse and high-tech system – a practical resource for both students and farmers alike - will allow SIAH, located at Anse La Mouche in the west of the main island of Mahe, to instruct students on hydroponic techniques and advocate for their adoption across Seychelles' agricultural landscape. This innovative set-up will allow students to continue learning the benefits of hydroponic systems and learn about their important role in addressing the challenges posed by climate change, especially for small island developing states (SIDS) like the Seychelles.

The Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change, and Environment, Flavien Joubert, said that the SIAH, which is undergoing transformations to become a leading professional centre, will continue supporting students in developing competencies to integrate Seychelles' agriculture and embrace new technologies to ensure sustainable livelihoods in the sector.