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Santiago Mejia

Apr 11, 2018
05:37

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Hi Carlos, Isabel, Diego and Andrés!

I think you have a great idea. Some things were not clear to me though:

* Human encounters are an important component of your strategy. However, many of these roofs and terraces are usually closed areas, to which only those who live in the building have access. How to involve other members of the community in order to scale up the project?

* One of the selection criteria is the presence of "at least one consolidated grassroots social organization in the territory." Why is this so? Is this a good criterion when you want to scale up the project as much as you can in the city?

* Another criterion is "a transit station within 500 meters of the location." What do you mean? Public transport? Are people allowed to transport raw materials, produce, and fish in public transport in Medellín?

* You also look for the "availability of legal water and energy supply." I suspect why this is so, but I still wonder how the most vulnerable communities, which are many times "illegal", will be able to fulfill this requirement. This is, I think, a big challenge for your project in this sense.

Thank you for your attention, and good luck with your project!

SMD


Alejandro Álvarez

Apr 11, 2018
05:04

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Great project! I think acuaponics is a truly effective way to promote sustainability. Actually, it has impact on two more of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDG6 and, more directly, SDG12: I see in your project a great contribution to the 10 Framework Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production!


Diego Zapata

Apr 12, 2018
04:57

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Dear Santiago, 

Thank you for sharing your views.

* Regarding human encounter, we have addressed that most of the shortlisted territories count with neighbourhood-level equipments, which act as social hubs and are likelier to have structural suitability. Setting up our prototype in one of these local equipments would guarantee access to everybody within the influence area.

* Empowering the outstanding work undertaken for years by grassroots social organisations in vulnerable communities are at the core of having a long-term impact on the priority territories. Expanding the initiative beyond the territories that experience food insecurity and host displaced population might require alternative strategies. 

* One of the revenue sources that we envisage for this project is bringing local, national and international tourists to the farm, something that is feasible only with public transportation access. This dynamic is extremely relevant as we seek to visibilize the best from those communities, as well as their cultural and gastronomic heritage. 

* Medellin's utilities company, EPM, has an more than decent coverage rate in the valley, with both water and electricity being delivered on more than 92 per cent of the territory. 

 


Rosana Arizmendi

Apr 12, 2018
05:15

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Dear Carlos, Diego, Isabel and Andrés,

Great project! I am convinced that it will certainly contribute to a more sustainable Medellín. 

I would love to know more, though, about how are you planning to build a circular economy model with the to-be-involved communities... Can you please give me some details about the process you intend to follow?

Thanks a lot in advance and congratulations for this proposal!


Paulette Aimee

Apr 12, 2018
05:02

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Hello Carlos, Isabel, Diego and Andrés,

I find your proposal to be very well thought-out. I particularly enjoy how you integrate the local socio-economic context into your project. I've noticed that you've developed your project in part as a response to the post-conflict context in Colombia. As I'm sure you are aware, many of the displaced citizens in Colombian urban centres today were "campesinos", or small-scale farmers before rural violence or lack of rural opportunities forced them to leave to the city. I'm wondering if you are planning to connect with local communities and social organizations with this particular trend in mind, in hopes of adapting their farming experience and identity to a much more urban context? I've also noted that the project is limited to areas with legal access to water and electrical services. I see that you've already been asked how you plan to access those communities, who often experience high levels of food insecurity and poverty, at some point in the future (above) but still, I wonder how you could adapt your project to be able to service these populations in the remaining 8% of the city? 

Thank-you for your proposal. It is sure to have an important impact for all communities in Medellin and elsewhere. 


Diego Zapata

May 6, 2018
03:06

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Thank you Rosana for your question. It is actually quite simple: the local community will be involved right from the very beginning, and will end up leading the project. Moreover, the system in itself addresses the challenges of circularity; to keep it simple, it works like this: the fish excrement is rich in nutrients, and it feeds the plants; then, the plants roots filter the water, which runs back into the fish tank; finally, the full system is powered by a solar panel, which allows for absolute grid independence ;)


Diego Zapata

May 6, 2018
03:30

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Thanks Paulette! Absolutely, for our full-scale first deployment, we have targeted a particular neighborhood which exhibits high levels of internal migration. Thus, we hope to be able to attract former “campesinos”, but also adapt their farming experience to the new urban conditions. In regards to your second question, our system’s unique strength is precisely that it could be set-up anywhere (where there is sunlight), because that is the only crucial input to our circular system ;)


Nicolas Perez

May 23, 2018
07:13

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Excelente idea

no es lógico que en nuestros tiempos hayan personas que mueran de hambre 

un niño bien alimentado será un ser inteligente que puede aportar positivamente a La sociedad 


Nabin Dhital

Jun 5, 2018
06:42

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I really appreciate the concept. It is feasible for large scale too. Lets make it happen. Congratulations to the team.