The 5-Day Food Scarcity Investigation: Seeds of Change aims to equip high school students with a deep understanding of global food scarcity and empower them to explore and implement innovative urban farming solutions like hydroponics and vertical farming. Through hands-on activities, expert engagement, and community collaboration, students investigate real-world food challenges and apply interdisciplinary skills to develop sustainable food production strategies. This project-based learning experience fosters critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving, ultimately preparing students to contribute meaningful solutions to enhance urban food security.

The learning goals for this experience encompass developing competencies in interdisciplinary collaboration, where students actively engage with environmental science professionals and community partners to address food scarcity. Students will apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to design innovative urban farming solutions, such as hydroponics and vertical farming, tailored to local urban needs. They will enhance effective communication through presentations and feedback sessions with peers and experts, while fostering a sense of responsibility to their communities by contributing to sustainable food systems and analyzing socio-economic impacts of food scarcity. Additionally, students will cultivate self-directed learning by reflecting on their progress and incorporating feedback to refine their projects.

Throughout the investigation, students will create detailed research posters, interactive system diagrams, and design plans for a hydroponic city garden. By the end, they will build a working model of a hydroponic vertical farm. Additionally, students will develop dishes using produce from the farm to present during the showcase event, connecting culinary skills with sustainable agriculture knowledge. Each product emphasizes practical application and real-world relevance, encouraging students to share these creations during public exhibitions and digital storytelling presentations.

Invite students to a dramatic viewing of "Starved: Our Insecurity Crisis," pausing at key moments to facilitate reflective discussions on the realities of food scarcity. Follow this with an interactive, expert-led session where students envision adaptive urban farming solutions, using brainstormed ideas to draft initial project concepts for a community vertical garden. To inspire creative thinking, present real cases of innovative urban farming that succeeded against the odds, asking students to connect these examples to potential local applications.

Students will host a "Community Garden Showcase" in April, inviting families, community members, and local leaders to explore a student-built vertical hydroponic garden. Attendees will learn about innovative urban farming techniques and how these practices can create sustainable communities. The showcase will feature presentations, a Q&A session on food security challenges and solutions, and opportunities to taste dishes prepared from the garden's produce, highlighting the practical applications of students' work and its impact on the local community.