IB Changemakers: Creativity and collaboration through sustainable farming

The Service-as-Action (SAA) provides IB students with hands-on opportunities to apply classroom learning to real-world challenges, fostering creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving beyond traditional academics. At Apeejay’s IB School, Apeejay School International, Panchsheel Park, students connect their classroom learning with meaningful community engagement. Meet Aryan Pahuja, Smera Sachdeva, and Harrjas Khurana of MYP-4 (academic year 2024-25), whose SAA project was on hydroponics.

Aryan, with a keen interest in technology, enjoys exploring how it can address real-world challenges. Speaking about his project, he said, “I chose hydroponics because we were introduced to this concept in school, and I saw great potential in it. The idea of farming through water without using soil fascinated me. It seemed both innovative and useful, which is why I decided to work on it for my SAA project.”

He believes hydroponics can boost urban farming by creating employment opportunities while supplying fresh, organic vegetables to city residents. The project was not without hurdles, however. “Sourcing nutrients, selecting the right plants, and finding suitable materials were major challenges. I overcame them through online research, YouTube tutorials, and guidance from my Biology teacher,” he explained.

For Aryan, the greatest advantage of hydroponics is its minimal space requirement. Since it was a joint effort, the team collaborated on the setup, presentation, and poster, dividing work equally to ensure efficiency.

For Smera, the most challenging yet also the most exciting part of this project was building the mini hydroponics farm. “Since it was my first attempt at something like this, I had to learn how to manage nutrients and water, maintain the right temperature and humidity, and even think about preventing waterborne diseases. It seemed complicated at first, but the process of creating something from scratch made the entire experience rewarding,” she said.

Working as a team helped us gain valuable knowledge about what it takes to grow healthy plants through hydroponics, she added. One of the most important lessons was learning how different mediums can replace soil. Discovering that inert substitutes can physically support plants opened our eyes to how farming can be more sustainable, conserving land and using water efficiently.

“If we had more time, we would have loved to expand the project by experimenting with technology. Smart devices could have helped us track growth, adjust water cycles, and regulate nutrient levels automatically. Exploring vertical gardening or testing new mediums would also have been exciting and helped us identify the most effective systems,” she shared.

Our teachers, she recalled, guided us with suggestions, encouraged research, and helped us plan carefully. Visits to sustainable farming centres further gave us skills and insights that made the project a success.

Harrjas, reflecting on his SAA experience, shared that his main responsibility was to build and maintain the water and nutrient system. “Ensuring that plants received the right amount of water and fertiliser at all times was vital, as it kept the system consistent and allowed the plants to grow healthy, proving the effectiveness of the project,” he said. By managing this part, he felt he was making a direct contribution to the team’s success.

Working in a group also gave him the chance to learn much more about hydroponics. Dividing tasks made the project easier to manage and offered insights he might not have gained alone.

“Personally, the project strengthened his problem-solving abilities, taught him persistence, and enhanced his teamwork skills. He also discovered the importance of precision, realising that even small variations in nutrient balance can affect plant growth. His greatest takeaway was understanding how science can offer real solutions to challenges like food production,” he shared.