On-campus

Summer School Space Farming: Food for Mars and Moon

Migration to planet Mars or living on our Moon may seem like a daydream for the general population. For those following the fast developments in the space science and agrifood domain, this quest is almost within reach. This is especially true for the Moon, where we will be returning in the upcoming years. But what will people eat once living on the Moon or on Mars?

This summer school aims to bring together young people from all over the world, students and professionals. Together they will work on the ambitious topic of growing food in space. Join us!

Organised by	Wageningen Academy
Date	Mon 1 July 2024 until Fri 12 July 2024
Duration	10 days
Number of students	25 - 40
Price	EUR 1,850.00
Price description	Early bird fee €1650 (register before 1 May 2024).

Download the flyer

Target audience

Are you a student or (young) professional, preferably with a biological or ecological background? And you have a special interest in space food and growing plants in space? Then this course is especially for you.

But this programme is also relevant for those interested in agriculture here on Earth. Limited resources combined with the growing population force us to find more efficient ways of food production. This forms a growing challenge, because of increasingly extreme circumstances caused by climate change. Learning to produce food in a Mars-like situation, a closed system, will help us solve real-world problems.

This summer school is open to students of all levels - BSc., MSc, and PhD - as well as young professionals and researchers. It covers fields from agriculture and plant sciences, space sciences, biology, engineering, and nutrition. If you are interested in futuristic topics and want to think outside the box, this summer school is for you.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this programme, you will be able to:

Apply improved teamwork and research capability based on collaboration with participants of different backgrounds from all over the world.
Tap into a wider network of knowledge experts and like-minded participants.
Explain space life and crop growth from a broad perspective, such as regolith (‘soil’) quality, crop growth on the regoliths, required hardware, external factors influencing plant growth, waste recycling, application of animals and bacteria, and rearing insects (mealworms) for food.

Programme

During these two weeks you will learn about living on our Moon and Mars. In the mornings, experts from diverse backgrounds will give inspiring lectures and discussions. During the afternoon everyone will work on a group challenge and experiment with regolith as Martian soil simulant.

Join us and be inspired by innovative lectures for future food production, such as vertical farming, algae farming, insects-based food, cell cultured food, 3D food printing, circular agriculture, and more.

Please download the flyer for the full programme.