As we aim to help with the food crisis caused by climate change to provide a sustainable food chain for all, our project undoubtedly touches the scope of sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs are a series of 17 international development targets proposed by the United Nations (UN) in 2015. In our project, we are calling to action addressing global environmental and social challenges, etc. This year we are working alongside:
- Goal 2 Zero Hunger
- Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Goal 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
Photo 2: SOAP online campaign (relating to SDG 2). (Right)
There is a large number of people who are suffering from hunger every year. According to the United Nations (UN), by 6th July this year, the global hunger numbers have already risen to a staggering 828 million. One of the main reasons for which is predicted to be unsecured food supply chains, which we aim to help with. A part of our project is to accelerate seed germination using hormone binding proteins. By speeding up the process and strengthening their capacity for adaptation, we hope that we can provide a sustainable and continuable food source for regions suffering from food insecurities, as well as in urban conditions. Besides, it is also remarkable that our self-regulating growth medium is applicable to almost all agricultural environments, meaning that it can be used on a larger basis for implementation and can be industrialised. In this way, the food supply chain can be further secured with sustainability and it would be much easier to have sufficient food for all.
Photo 4: Wynn Presentation (relating to SDG 11). (Right)
As climate change is getting more severe, natural disasters will only become more common and threatening than ever. To combat the impact of it, we hope to engineer crops to be resilient to extreme weather. In this way, a stable food supply will always be available to whatever the environmental conditions we face in the future, and fewer people will suffer from famine.
In addition, urbanisation is happening more at an accelerating rate. Take our hometown Macau as an example, the city has become the most densely populated city in the world, initiating in an array of problems like the lack of green spaces. It is getting more urgent and paramount to make these places a more sustainable city. With our home farming kit implemented in urban areas, local farming will be promoted. Because of that, the carbon footprints of product transportation can drop while the supply-demand feedback becomes instantaneous. This will increase the domestic green area as well. We hope to then cooperate with stakeholders to further promote the concept locally and globally.
Photo 6: Visiting Macau Urban Farm (relating to SDG 12). (Right)
Last but not least, by developing our closed hydroponic system, we are in fact looking for a truly sustainable solution to the current agricultural issues that can benefit the blue globe and every single one of us on it. Via different outreach events like the terrarium workshop, visiting Macau Urban Farm and the SOAP online campaign, we are also making commitments to constantly reflect on ourselves in order to educate everyone in our community to become responsible consumers for the planet that we have been so reliant on.
By linking to these points, we hope to show that we the PuiChing_Macau iGEM team truly care about the world, and we want to illustrate the 2030 with our project implemented on a large scale.