Mobile Controlled Environment Agriculture Technician Education

The Hawaiian Islands currently import 90% of its food. Consequently, it needs to expand local food production. This project aims to address this need by creating a mobile Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) greenhouse and use it to teach students CEA skills. The mobile greenhouse can be deployed in challenging environments (e.g., volcanic eruption, hurricane, pandemic), thus improving the resiliency of Hawaiis isolated communities. In addition, this mobile CEA greenhouse will increase participation of native Hawaiian students underrepresented in STEM fields by linking to ongoing cultural and aina (land) values such as sustainability. The new CEA curriculum will engage students from agricultural and technology programs in problem-based learning. The hands-on environment, together with involvement of students from different disciplines, can enhance students critical thinking skills and the ability to work in multidisciplinary teams. Completion of the CEA curriculum, with its problem-based learning approach, has the potential improve employability of participating students across a range of jobs and industries.

Using a new insulated and refrigerated shipping container with a commercial trailer, Hawaii Community College will work with industry advisors to design and build the mobile CEA greenhouse and upgrade existing courses to include CEA knowledge and skills. The CEA curriculum will focus on building, automating, and optimizing the resources, operations, and yield from the technology-enabled mobile greenhouse. The greenhouse environment will provide a strong context for the new PBL pedagogy, which will involve students from different disciplines with the goal of increasing students skills and employability with a broad range of employers. The mobile green house will be brought to middle and high schools to enhance visibility of the technology, the varied employment opportunities available to those with training, and showcase the potential of integrating agriculture and technology programs in Hawaii. Results from the projects annual evaluation reports will be used to adjust activities and measure success. These results will also inform stakeholders in education, agriculture, engineering, and the public.