Layers of Nature

Layers of Nature The “KULNA community”

KULNA garden story

I grow seeds campaign

KULNA garden plan

About Global Food Security + Drawdown Project

What percent of the food we eat is imported into the UAE? Turns out about 80%, so yeah, a lot!

While imported foods make the long journey from their home to ours, what is done to make them last longer and stay fresh? Are these pro-

Paul Hawken writes

cesses healthy for us? Do they make food more expensive or even unaffordable to some? Why can we not grow food locally?

If we change the preposition, and consider that global warming is happening for us – an atmospheric transformation that inspires us to change and reimagine everything we make and do – we begin to live in a

“UAE Food Solutions and Local Issues”

different world. We take 100 percent responsibility and stop blaming others. We see global warming not

as an inevitability but as an invitation to build, innovate, and effect change, a pathway that awakens creativity, compassion, and genius. This

Why the Food Revolution for Social Change at Zayed University?

This is a human agenda.

Long-term food security has been a key strate-

is not a liberal agenda, nor is it a conservative one.

gic goal for the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which ranks 21 on the Global Food Security Index (The Economist Group,

Project Drawdown led by Paul Hawken, details 100 ways we can take

greenhouse gasses (as carbon dioxide (CO2) equiva-

lents) out of the atmosphere. The solutions have potential to either reduce emissions or sequester 1,052.04

gigatons (gigaton = 1 billion metric tons) of CO2 equivalents between 2020 and 2015. Drawdown is the point where globally we start to reduce atmospheric CO2.

The project groups 80 solutionss into 7 clusters, and

the cluster that can generate the highest reduction –

31%, is food. Between 2020 and 2050, food initiatives that are already underway can reduce CO2 by 321.9 gigatonnes.

2019). The country is vulnerable to food shortages, price volatility, and supply restrictions, producing very little of what is consumed by its population and wasting 197 kg of food each year. Its arid landscapes, water scarcity, and extreme temperatures represent an urgent need to create a resilient ecosystem that sustains local agricultural production in the long run. To alleviate this pressing issue, the government has devised a National Food Security Strategy to “develop a comprehensive national system based on enabling sustainable food production, enhancing local production, activating legislation and policies that contribute to improving nutrition and reducing waste.”

Zayed University (ZU) envisioned the sustainable development goals of the UAE with one of its educational mandates, which is to nurture ‘young leaders of tomorrow’. With this approach, ZU offers learning opportunities to students in order to equip them with creative problem-solving. ZU is an internationally-accredited government-sponsored institution of higher education in the UAE. The student body is mainly Emirati women, with a community of faculty, researchers, and staff from multinational backgrounds. Primed to implement the vision of the government, the University supported the research cluster ‘Co-Designing Food Revolution for Social Change’ (CFRSC), which established the KULNA COMMUNITY GARDEN (meaning “all of us” in Arabic, the official language of the UAE), inviting the ZU, local, and international communities to collaborate on building a new food system on campus.

Permaculture Community Garden “The KULNA Community Garden was first conceived” The KULNA Community Garden was first conceived at the Design Thinking Workshop during the ZU Innovation Week 2016, where stu-

dents voiced a strong interest in sustainability and food education. It was then launched under the CFRSC research cluster, with the goal of developing a small-scale local food system to instigate a “food revolution”. The food revolution was framed as a collective movement to bring awareness to the urgency of making food systemic changes in the ZU

The cluster proposes a food system built on the framework of codesign, which includes a variety of actors in terms of experience, roles, and expertise, using sustainable practices to minimize waste in the system and maximize well-being of the community members. Via codesign, all actors in the community were encouraged to actively engage in the design process of the garden, which enabled them to envision a food system that was structured to meet their needs.

community and beyond.

This is supported by the work of the ZU faculty on the ME=WE framework, which has engaged the ZU students in teambuilding and personal development projects to connect individuals within teams, and these teams with their surroundings, to spark long-lasting attitudinal and behavioral changes in the community as a whole.

Hence, the approach of the KULNA community was based on a collective, inclusive, “bottom-down meeting top-up” process called codesign (cooperative, collective, community-based).

The participants were encouraged to participate in their activities in the garden and in classes and invited to plan further actions to expand the capacity of the movement, through which they observed how their knowledge and skills evolved through their involvement in KULNA.

Permaculture practice: planting, recycling, water conservation, etc.

Applying Permaculture Principles for Sustainable Gardening Practices The garden demonstrates multiple conceptual technical solutions that are aligned with permaculture design principles centered

around water and energy efficiency. These include water sys-

tems, companion planting, seed harvesting, wicking beds, vermicomposting, recycling, and reusing materials. The garden has a variety of edible produce, including vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, and small fruit and nut-bearing trees. All plants attract beneficial wildlife and creatures, nitrogen fixers which produce mulch by chop and drop are used to improve the soil, and the garden is provided with windbreaks, canopy and shades.

Wicking beds, ground beds, raised beds, and vertical growing were incorporated, along with drip irrigation and capturing/storing rainwater runoff where possible in infiltration channels running alongside the road. Biomass accumulation, living soils, nutrient recycling, mulching, green manure and no-till techniques were applied. All garden waste is converted to compost, which is used as a soil amendment and fertilizer.

ZU Waste Management: KULNA compost making and soil production through the use of kitchen waste, garden litter, clipping, pruning pro-

vides an opportunity to implement zero waste practices and waste management systems, which are conducive to active learning and innovative business practices by producing living soil. A larger site equates to an increased space for compost production as well as focus from traditional composting methods to more rapid and modernized methods of managing food waste. This can be done by conducting more research and developing decentralized systems for food waste management based on available and most suitable technology for diverse types of food waste.

Zero waste`; KULNA minimizes waste production by transforming waste generated as a result of garden activity into sustainable compost used for growing vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Sustainable water consumption practices are also employed to conserve water, along with the use of orgnic seeds

Zero Waste - Open Studios Activities: composting, seedling, harvesting

and experimenting with wicking bed technology to simulate underground water sources. The plants are fed from both root, surface and also from coffee grinds collected from ZU cafe in order to retain their nutrient-rich properties.

Discarded plastic bottles ere used as planters and the 2 symbolically

“ZU Waste Management�

welcoming Emirati doors are from deserted arish hpouse project in th campus backyard.

Course Collaboration: 26 Interdiscplinary courses “Aiming to the best”

Design project outcomes; furniture, e-booklet, packaging, and campaign

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION The aim of the garden is to look into ways of achieving better food security and agricultural sustainability in the UAE, through being a successful sustainable research/teaching centre following permaculture ethics. The garden is designed to demonstrate sustainable prac-

tices and the potential they have as a powerful tool to generate social innovation and enterprise. Simultaneously building the resiliency of the land, along with its health, and

the health of the creatures that live on it.

Seed Starter Kit Prototypes Kulna seeks to create an inviting and inspiring ‘Seed Starter Kit’ with seeds and soils produced in a small sanctuary, Kulna garden in Dubai campus. The garden has been growing since 2016 starting from innovation week bootcamp, ‘we are what we eat’ and now it has in total of 9 beds:

Students from the biology course take soil samples to analyze for microorganisms, bacteria and fungi around the roots of legumes growing in the wicking beds.

wicking, raised and ground beds and 10 compost boxes. We had more than 20 activities to bring awareness and learn to co-design food system including lectures, workshops, communal lunches, and Thursday market. There has been numerous course integration project working with various colleges at ZU to enhance students learning experience; compost making, seating design, pattern design, graffiti wall, campaign intervention, etc. Kulna is a community garden as part of the ZU Research Cluster project aiming to co-design sustainable food system at the campus. We work with a transdisciplinary team collaborating with students, staff, faculty and community members.

We strive to promote inclusivity, zero waste and well being. Kulna team is super excited to work with creative design students from both packaging courses Fall 2019. We would like to invite you to take ownership of creating something bigger than a package design. This is a movement that we would like to co-create by creating a seed-starter package which will initiate small changes in community at ZU and beyond.

KULNA Environmental Student Club at ZU

community engagement; Collaborators:

ECLE, GBM, PPI

ACTION / REFLECTION 2017-2019 LEARNING BY DOING WITH ALL ACTORS

ACTION / REFLECTION 2017-2019 EXPERIENCING CO-DESIGN WITH COMMUNITY

The People of KULNA

The Cluster:

The actors of the cluster were concep-

investigator (PI), the 6 co-PIs, 4 research

tualized as “agents of change” with an

assistants, 4 consultants, and more than

emphasis on inclusivity; hence, profession,

25 volunteers.

race, or socioeconomic circumstances

Students and faculty in course projects:

were not relevant factors to the sense of

More than 350 students across 26 cours-

Through open studios, lectures, work-

Based on the co-design strategy, the

belonging fostered within the group. The

es participated in coursework that inte-

shops, class visits, community outreach

research was heavily relied on the capaci-

actors consisted of three (3) main teams:

grated KULNA sustainability practices and

and promotional campaigns, KULNA

ties of working with the community of

the cluster, the focus group, and collabo-

social enterprise needs.

implemented co-designed food system

students, faculty, staff and volunteers;

rators.

The Focus Group: The 72 people were the

solutions for the ZU community. Mem-

focus group, community garden volun-

bers played an active role in enhanc-

teers, student club, and senior student

ing their capacity and engaging their

researchers involved, testified to the pro-

lives in relation to nature, community

gram’s positive impact through surveys

life, and sustainability. As a result, a

and storytelling. Also, we are proud to

few radical R+D collaborations have

hear testimonials such as: “the best part

organically ensued with the Ministry of

of the KULNA Garden experiences for the

Climate Change, ICBA, Biochar, senior

students is that they are able to link their

projects, Educational programs for

learning to real life applications and able

the Early Childhood Learning Center,

to reconnect with their family”.

KULNA student club, microbiology club, and environmental club.

This team is composed of the primary

students, faculty, staff, and community members interested in sustainable pracgovernment, local community-building

tices. The Focus Group participated in the

organizations such as Jameel Art Center,

KULNA activities.

and food-related NGOs that collaborated

Local and Global Collaborators: They are

on the KULNA garden and the cluster.

a group of ZU administrators, local farms,

The participating collaborators were the

permaculturists and horticulturists, re-

ZU faculty, Emirates Biofarm, EXPO Live,

search institutes, the government, local

the Permaculture Research Institute (PRI),

community-building organizations such

the Early Childhood Learning Center

as Jameel Art Center, and food-related

(ECLC), Green Bronx Machine and various

NGOs that collaborated on the KULNA

local farmers.

garden and the cluster. The participating collaborators were the ZU faculty, Emirates Biofarm, EXPO Live, the Permaculture Research Institute (PRI), the Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC), Green Bronx Machine and various local farmers.

I Grow Seeds Campaign: ZU and Jameel Art Center

Intervention + Products + Community Outreach 5 Intervention Stations, E-Story Booklets, Seed Starter Kit Packaging Design, and Outdoor Garden Furniture Design by CACE students and many more awesome activities that engage all visitors including students, faculty and staff. Participants: Graphic Design 1: E-Story Booklets // Graphic Design 3: Five Intervention Stations//Packaging Design:

2019 IMPACTFUL COURSE INTEGRATION AND COLLABORATION

33 Seed Starter Kits // TechShop: 4 Garden Furniture Design by CACE students /// Biology: Compost Posters by CNHS students /// Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) /// KULNA and Microbi Student Clubs /// Food Revolution for Social Change Cluster at Zayed University, Dubai, UAE.

Curriculum integration, ZU community participation, garden expansion, aided in encompassing a wider community participation. Working with ECLE was a delightful synergic collaboration for youngsters and students. I Grow Seeds campaign, from course integration to community outreach with campaign exhibitions were held at both ZU campuses and Jaddaf Aloud/Jameel Art Center. Students developed potential seed starter kits, story-booklets, and garden furniture. KULNA garden facilitated space and resources to support CNHS biology, and microbiology courses.

BUILDING KULNA VIRTUAL COMMUNITY We reached out to the virtual community via website and social media including youtube and vimeo and encouraged by the positive and exciting community response for our work and the future potential of KULNA. 183 people engaged in KULNA instagram participated in I Grow Seeds (IGS) Campaign.

KULNA is committed to continue the IGS campaign as a lifetime mission. With 315 followers, 74% of which are from the UAE. 73% female, and 27% male followers. Audiences are ranged from 18-56.

I Grow Seeds Campaign Pledge ‘I Grow Seeds Campaign’ is a student-led initiative of Food Revolution for Social Change research cluster at Zayed University in collaboration with Kulna Community connecting art, design, science, education, and sustainability by inviting our communities to pledge, plant, and grow seeds. The food system challenges can’t be solved by a few groups of people. It calls ‘All Of Us’!

Our aim is to raise awareness of food issues, bringing positive and sustainable social change through

It’s an interaction and exhibition, where graphic and interior design, multi media, visual art students will be presenting their projects encouraging the growing of seeds, and creating promises for a greener future promoting sustainability and social action.

How can you visit the exhibition?

Come visit our exhibition space at Zayed University, Dubai Campus, Atrium Wing C/D. Note: If you are from outside the university please register prior to Saturday 5 Pm. Limited spaces available. Only registered and invited guests will have an entrance access.

Take part in the I Grow Seeds Campaign Pledge by following the pledge instructions. www.instagram.com/kulna.me