Like prisoners and officers of maximum safety worked together to create a farm behind bars

On Macquarie Correctional Center In the western novel southern Wales a history Cooperation and perseverance are developing. Prisoners and prison officers cultivate commercial amounts of fresh food in a specially built indoor facility.

One of the 400 men in maximum safety in Macquarie contacted me with an idea about five years ago, suggesting that it was the basis of a doctor. I agreed to supervise the project.

Prisoners in Macquarie Correctional Center are there Encouraged to further education And follow their interests. The approach is modeled on Scandinavian prison systemwho has the world The lowest indicators again.

The project shows that food gardening is a significant activity for prisoners, some of which have never had the opportunity to learn to plant and cultivate products.

Why do they grow farm in the room?

The project included agriculture in the room because the environment can be more carefully controlled. Isolation from the weather means that you do not have to worry about extremes such as frosts or heat waves.

This type “Controlled environmental agriculture“It is also more capable. It requires less resources than conventional agriculture, mainly because there are fewer losses due to pests and diseases.

By controlling the amount of lithe, water and nutrients that each plant receives, it is possible to optimize the developing system – making it more like a plant factory than a standard greenhouse.

From vision to reality

Prisoners studying in prison do not have access to the Internet. E -Mile are printed or transmitted. If the information should be viewed online, they are under the supervision of an authorized officer.

Despite the challenges, the student published his first Conference article in 2021 and His first article in the academic journal in 2023 second article It took place in 2024. The student also submitted a doctorate 2024.

The project began with a research plan. Then the doctoral student led focus groups with officers and prisoners in mixed groups. There was a one -on -one interview series.

Officers and prisoners together designed and developed a breeding. One group of prisoners, trained in the internal design office, used the 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) software to create technical drawings for the farm. Another group took these drawings and transformed them into petite agricultural prototypes.

After extensive tests, the team chose the best prototype and developed a full -scale project known as M Farm.

The student won a competitive subsidy of USD 50,000 from the Department of Community and Justice innovation Fund. This financed the construction of the farm.

Another subsidy from the University of NSW supported the machine for composting food waste powered by solar energy. The machine transforms daily food waste from the entire prison into ecological fertilizer. This means that less food waste is sent to the landfill, saving costs and reducing emissions.

Farm products are used in a prison cafe. From November 2023, the farm has delivered around 3,500 USD to cafe.

Last year, about 30 items were introduced in the local agricultural show. M Farm won first place in the district to get the best fresh products.

Cooperation is the key to success

The prisoners carried out the project and enjoyed material benefits, such as access to fresh products and a sense of fulfillment and pride.

Design Protted prisoners can be productive without constant supervision. Similar results were achieved in Vegetables based on community A gardening initiative in a group in Spain, where residents formed an intensive agricultural cooperative without the local council administration.

Prison officers also used participation in this process and were proud of the results. They also shared the benefits in a cafe on a place that is open to both prisoners and prison staff.

This experiment provides further evidence that commitment and Cooperation through the factor may lead to social learningOr “Informal mutual learning“.

Cooperative cooperation enables development Solutions except initial expectations. The best approach is armament of people with the skills they need to actively engage in Decision -making processes.

Make it grows

The doctoral thesis contains a set of current tools that can be followed by other prisons around the world. Considering that the global population of the prisoner exceeds 11 million people, it presents it It is possible to develop a wide initiative of sustainable development.

The agriculture of fresh products in prisons can potentially improve nutrition and well -being. It also offers environmental benefits, such as compost production, reduction of waste and cutting out greenhouse gas emissions.

Such projects can also give prisoners confidence and hope, and provides them with skills and knowledge that can bring the benefits of the community after their release.