Pupils are Experimenting with Mud from the River Ems
During a project week 26 pupils from Oberschule Herrentor gathered mud and planted scurvy-grass and sea-asparagus with the purpose of learning the importance of future-proofing farming methods. As climate change is something that affects us all the Ökowerk set out to raise awareness about the SalFar project and thereby the challenges concerning farming due to climate changes. The goal of the project week was to prepare a cultivated area, on which the impending conditions are simulated.
The pupils were to prepare a field so that the impact of alluvial mud from the river Ems on growth and behaviour of Cochlearia officinalis could be tested. Thereby they are testing if the mud can be used as a valuable fertilizer. Under the guidance of experts the pupils prepared the test fields, which firstly entailed clearing the field and than building wooden sections in which different concentrations of mud would be distributed. The pupils harvested mud from the river Ems, which they transported to the test field with a small handcart. The test fields were in a walking distance of about 500 meters so this demanded hard work. At the test field 3 different concentrations of mud were filled in the wooden sections. Subsequently, scurvy-grass and sea-asparagus were planted. With this test the pupils can find out which of the 3 concentration of mud is the most effective.
The process of preparing the test fields gave the students hands-on experience with the challenges of saline farming and it demanded a great deal of hard work, which they will probably not forget.
