MUN team wins 2016 Enactus World Cup with hydroponic food project

A group of students from Memorial University of Newfoundland beat out more than 1,700 other campuses on Friday to win a prestigious competition focused on improving people's lives through entrepreneurial action.

Enactus Memorial won the Enactus World Cup in Toronto with its Project Suc-Seed, which isaimed at providing locally grown hydroponic fruits and vegetables for people living in isolated northern communities.

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"To be able to know our project was recognized as the best project in the world is just fantastic," said EnactusMemorial Vice-President Abbie Ricketts after Friday's win.

"Ayear ago if anyone had said we would have been at the world cup at the final round stage, I don't think anyone would have believed it."

A true difference

Project Suc-Seed was started less than a year ago, but EnactusMemorial has already reported positive impacts in the areaswhere it'sbeen launched.

For the last several months, members of the team have been placing modular hydroponic units in northern communities such as Rigolet, Labrador, and then have been showing locals how to grow fruits and vegetables to sell tolocal grocery stores or to sharewith local food sharing groups.

Ricketts says the project means communities are getting the produce for 57 per cent cheaper than it would cost if flown in by airplane.

In addition to the northern towns, similar setups have also been installed in retirement homes, food banks, and even in prisons allowing people in those facilities to learn how to grow their own food and be self-sustainable.

"We have 230 systems out in the world right now, which are all growing produce and all making a huge difference," Rickettstold CBC. "Theissue of hunger and lack of produce is somethingyou feel everywhere. Not just in the north and not just in Canada,but around the world."'

"This is a project that can actually solve hunger,and that's amazing."