JOHOR BAHRU: Stemming from the Greek words ‘hydro” (water) and “ponos” (labour), hydroponics literally means “water working’.

The term essentially refers to a method of growing crops without soil. This may sound counterintuitive since plants derive essential nutrients for their growth from the soil, without which they could possibly die.

Hydroponic plants, however, get all the required nutrients from a water solution medium, hence the presence of soil becomes unnecessary to its survival.

Today, hydroponics is gaining positive traction among growers for providing a sustainable way of cultivating food and one of the major benefits of hydroponic farming is that this method can be used in small-as-well as large-scale settings.

A school in Johor which has set up its hydroponic farm in 2019 has found the system lagging behind the current technology and is in desperate need for an upgrade to serve its intended purpose.

Having noticed their dire need OCBC Al-Amin Bank Berhad (OCBC Al-Amin) chipped in RM20,000 donation through its Skudai branch.

SJK© Thai Thong in Skudai which has some 760 students and 42 teachers will now be able to learn entrepreneurial skills in agri-cultivation through modern and green technology, while becoming more aware of the environment.

The school’s headmaster Alex Chu said the contribution from OCBC Al-Amin was timely as it helped to advance the school’s environmental initiatives.

He mentioned that the upgrade of its hydroponic farm has been on the school’s wish list but could not be implemented due to lack of funds.

However, he stressed that with the contribution from OCBC Al-Amin they can now sustain their initial project and create a longer term environmental and entrepreneurial awareness among the students through hydroponic farming.

“The hydroponic farming system will enable us to gather rain water from a water tank using submersible pump in the reservoir that is equipped with a timer,” he said.

With this, he said, the nutrient solution is pumped into the growth tray and flows over the roots of the plants which subsequently drains back into the reservoir.

“We aim to build a source of income for continuous funding for their own school from every batch of harvest that is sold to the locals or even parents,” he emphasized.

“The hydroponic box is a great and simple way for kids to learn urban farming,” said Alex. “We are very excited to educate teachers and students to grow their own vegetables right in their own school.”

The system is an inexpensive cutting edge method that can constantly supply fresh healthy produce in school gardens.

Through hydroponic farming, he said, leafy vegetables can grow to about 20 percent bigger and yield between 20-25 percent more harvests. Schools may use the produce in their own learning programs and other food sufficiency initiatives within their own communities.

“Since it is a system that does not require soil, hydroponic farming relies on nutrient-rich solutions for plants and vegetables to grow faster and year-round in a controlled environment without sacrificing its health benefits,” he said.

He also said it requires less space and logistics as it eliminates middlemen in the farm-to-table process and cost.

Meanwhile OCBC Malaysia Southern Cluster Manager Fiona Gan Huei Chin said the bank engages with communities it is involved in by assessing their needs and striving to meet them in the spirit of the long-term good of society.

“We are pleased to have helped the school and now the students and teachers will be able to have a positive learning environment,” she said.

As an organization, she said OCBC is committed to shaping a more sustainable future and have empowered their staff to do the same.

“It is very encouraging to see ideas like this come to fruition, and we hope that more staff will step forward to champion similar ground-up initiatives in the future,” she said.

She went on to say that the staff of OCBC were able to share their skills in financial literacy so the students and parents could better understand the subject of financial management.

“Sustainability will be a key driver in the banking industry, and will remain a key pillar of our efforts alongside our digital initiatives. We are moving more intensely along our sustainable financing journey with focused strategies to stay ahead of the market by driving industry innovations,” she added.

With more than 90 years of giving to the communities, OCBC looks forward to enabling individuals, SMEs and businesses to build a more sustainable future.