A.C.U.M

A.C.U.M.* -Agricultură Circulară în Universitatea Mea 

*Word game, meaning NOW

Written by Marius Constantin, Georgiana Strat și Mădălina Deaconu

The dream of having a space available for recreation, learning and socializing. That's how our project started, with a dream.

The foundations of the project were laid when we realized the importance of nature in everyone’s lives, especially in the lives of the students from the Facultiy of Agri-Food and Environmental Economics. During our time in the courses, we discovered the need to get closer to nature, to agriculture, and especially the need to reconnect man with the principles of a wasteless farming.

Circular agriculture can be defined in different forms, but the essence of this way of farming can be summarized in one sentence: “Nothing is lost, everything transforms” under this motto, we are aiming to convert the organic  materials vegetetal waste of the Moxa canteen into valuable resources for the urban garden growing medium that we want to base on the canteen roof.

Thus, in this project, the team proposes the implementation of an “agro-urban” ecosystem model, with circular agriculture at its core. The project involves the free supply of the student canteen with fresh vegetables and fruits, obtained in an urban garden, for which we require funding.

Covered Issues (Current Situation)	Proposed Solution (via implementing the proposed project)	Sustainable Development Goals (to which the proposed solutions respond)
The exit of compostable organic waste out of the system from the Moxa Canteen.	Composting the organic waste and using it as input, as a culture substrate in the urban garden which we propose building on the canteen’s rooftop.	GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Not exploiting some spaces within the university campus.	Exploiting the unused spaces within the university campus, so that the space acquires new functions: production, education, research, relaxation, food - for the members of the urban ecosystem.	GOAL 4: Quality Education
Costs incurred by the Moxa  Student Canteen for vegetables and fruits.	Decreasing the costs incurred by the Moxa Student Canteen for agricultural products by providing these free of charge from the production generated within the “agro-urban” ecosystem in the campus.	GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
High  level of carbon footprint caused by the transportation to and storage of agricultural products at  the Moxa Canteen.	Decreasing the carbon footprint through local production of agricultural products, decreasing the amount packaging used and reducing the food miles.	GOAL 13: Climate action
Labor force management at the Moxa Student Canteen during the summer period, when the activity is reduced.	Efficiently allocating human resources during summer by ensuring the continuity of the activity by preserving the surplus vegetables and fruits.	GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Lack of recreational spaces for students.	Making good use of the  space resource (which is not tended) through interventions meant to ensure the students' comfort by placing gardens, multifunctional furniture, various therapeutic plants, color spots meant to reduce the stress of the academic community.	GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being
Lack of practical  experience for disciplines taught at the Faculty of Agrifood and Environmental Economics.	Ensuring the practice base on campus by reorienting the students towards the activities undertaken in the urban garden. Currently this activity is carried out at partner universities. By creating the practice base, the carbon footprint of the campus is reduced.	GOAL 15: Life on Land
Reduced attractiveness of the agricultural field for young people. Their negative perception related to agriculture.	Ensure the development of some practical skills, via: ·promoting the attractiveness, usefulness and benefits of circular agriculture by its practical character (through explanations offered to those interested on the spot, in the urban garden); ·development of multiple functions within the urban garden (cocktail parties, book launches, open-air seminar / courses etc.), so that the principles of circular agriculture can be disseminated through other events with different themes to the one mentioned above; ·providing a favorable theoretical framework for understanding the importance of circular agriculture, by implementing in the digital environment a theoretical guide that can be accessed on the spot based on a QR code; ·creation of legends written in the Braille alphabet, accessible to the visually impaired; ·usage of an app where didactic activities are transcribed in real time on the telephone screen for the hearing impaired.	GOAL 4: Quality Education
Reduced visibility on campus of circular agriculture concepts and ways to put them into practice.	Promoting the project through different methods and channels, including: live streaming of the urban garden on TVs in building "3" of the university campus (Moxa building), posting news related to the urban garden on the students' personal page and on the Blended Learning platform of the university.	GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Lack of water needed for fresh vegetables and fruits growth.	·Efficient collection, storage and management of rainwater in specially arranged places on the rooftops of the Moxa  building and of the Student Canteen, for the use of this resource in the production system of the urban garden; ·Choosing the varieties of vegetables with low water requirements, mulching, shading.	GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Poor collaboration between universities and the business environment, both nationally and internationally.	Promoting partnerships between universities and the business environment, raising the interest towards collaboration opportunities and prospects with potential actors interested in circular agriculture.	GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal

For most of  the problems emerging in the project's development stage, our team has found an innovative solution to respond to the challenge launched by this initiative. Addressing the topic in an integrated manner,  it is noticeable that the solutions given correspond to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on the UN 2030 Agenda.

In the event that there will be a surplus of production, it will be offered free of charge to other institutions (children's centers, nursing homes etc.), thus supporting as many social categories as possible.

This project supports the Ecological Pact and ensures the transition towards circular agriculture. This project has direct social impact on the community of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (≈23,000 people).

Through the A.C.U.M. project we join the global initiative to meet the needs of the present, without compromising the possibility for future generations to meet their own needs.