Making urban agriculture more accessible

A team of students from the University of Cincinnati recently won the Outstanding Field Research Prize at the international Biodesign Challenge Summit 2020. 

Their project, Lifebrik, aims to simplify urban agriculture and make it more accessible to people who want to start gardens at homes or in their communities. 

The team of four students formed as a part of the Biodesign Challenge (BDC) Course, a transdisciplinary honors seminar that is a collaboration between UC's Office of Research, University Honors Program, College of Engineering and Applied Science, and College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP).

UC students Cece Favorito (Design) and Maria Pancioli (Horticulture) from DAAP and Maneesh Chidambaram (Medical Sciences, minor in Psychology) and Samuel Paul (Medical Sciences, focus in Nutrition) from the UC College of Medicine based their project on a shared interest in solving complex, interconnected problems in society and promoting a sustainable community in metropolitan areas. 

Competing with 46 institutions from around the globe, the UC team was chosen as a finalist and presented its research to more than 5,000 online viewers, sharing a global stage with judges who are renowned experts in their fields and pioneers in the biodesign realm.  

“[Through the challenge,] you have the opportunity to create a sustainable solution to a problem that actually needs solving in the real world,” Paul said.

They were led by course instructors Whitney Gaskins, PhD, assistant dean, Office of Inclusive Excellence and Community Engagement and assistant professor of engineering education, and Nandita Baxi Sheth, an adjunct instructor for the University Honors Program. 

Accessible urban agriculture can play vital roles in supporting communities through social, environmental, public health, and economic facets.  

The user-friendly design of LifeBrik reduces the common barriers that aspiring urban gardeners face: start-up costs, limited space, education about agricultural practices, viable soil, availability of resources and more. 

“It lets us grow where, how and what we want and could be a game changer in more easily providing food,” Chidabaram said.

Featured image at top: the Engineering Research Center. Photo/UC Creative

Inspired by natural biomimicry, the team created a layered brick to replicate natural soil structures. 

The brick is formulated to develop a healthy soil over time as the layers break down and strategically chosen starter crops enrich the soil for future plant growth in ways that usually occur naturally in an open environment.

The team is investigating ways to customize LifeBrik to thrive where consumers live to maximize quality and yield as well as provide access to local produce options by tailoring specific layer composition and seed combinations. 

The mineral layer of the environmentally friendly “Cincinnati” brick includes recycled waste from restaurants, and granite fragments from local tile and interior design shops.  

The team envisions a variety of future applications for LifeBrik, including addressing food insecurity, community building, environmental and nutritional education and “garden to plate” partnerships with local restaurants. 

Paul said his favorite thing about the challenge was learning through collaboration with peers from different academic and personal backgrounds. 

“We were able to learn a ton of different research ideas, thinking models, and problem-solving approaches,” Paul said. “All of those things combined to create a really holistic academic experience.” 

This is the second year UC participated in the international challenge. Students from the ENED 3050 course offered in spring 2021 will have the opportunity to be selected for the 2021 BioDesign Challenge team.  

Featured image at top: An urban garden. Photo/Jenna Beekhuis/Unsplash.