A multidisciplinary approach to Global Food Security through education and technology.

The University of Liverpool (UoL) and Farm Urban Education (FUEd) are seeking to appoint a suitably experienced and qualified individual to undertake a three year doctoral research programme.
This project will underpin (i) the product development of FUEd’s educational vertical growing system (VGS), and (ii) associated educational tools collectively VEdG 4.0. By engaging pupils with relevant real-world scientific problems using current cutting-edge technology, STEM principles can be taught in an engaging, creative and relevant way.

Food security is a major challenge facing society, with global population estimated to increase to 10 billion by 2050, 80% of whom will live in urban environments. Conventional food production methods are a leading cause of environmental damage and cannot address food security issues in their current form. The emerging technology of Vertical Growing Systems (VGS) present a compelling and complementary solution that addresses many of the issues with conventional food production.

VGS is, however, in its infancy; most ventures that have invested in these systems to date have failed to become robust and sustainable enterprises due to a mixture of technological, economic and sociological factors. This PhD sets out to explore the challenges and potential solutions for VGS using a multifactor approach that places education at the heart of a holistic solution.

To develop a viable and robust VGS and associated business model is a challenge that requires a truly multi-disciplinary approach. This project is a collaboration that draws on expertise from the:
● Institute for Risk and Uncertainty,
● Schools of Management and Engineering,
● Institute of Integrative Biology.
The project will assess the potentials and current performance of VGS to address issues of global food security and the environmental impact of food production. The project will then examine VGS & education as a viable and sustainable model, using A world-leading VGS embedded in the Wigan UTC school as a case study. The findings of which will guide design and prototyping of FUEds Primary product VEdG 4.0 a simplified, modular VGS that can be embedded into existing school infrastructure.