Empowering sustainable agriculture education through hydroponic literacy: insights from Indonesia’s Merdeka Curriculum

With its revolutionary method of teaching sustainable agriculture, hydroponics gives a priceless chance to improve students’ comprehension of ecological systems and resource conservation. With a focus on connecting with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and competencies in Indonesia’s Merdeka Curriculum, we explore the possibilities of incorporating hydroponic literacy into high school curricula in this article. Students’ critical thinking, environmental awareness, and problem-solving abilities may be developed through hydroponic education’s emphasis on real-world applications and transdisciplinary learning. This method promotes experiential learning and applying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) principles in practical settings using easily accessible hydroponic models, such as the Wick system and digital monitoring systems. To guarantee successful curriculum development, we propose incorporating hydroponics into the classroom, necessitating supporting educational policies aligning with the Pancasila Student Profile (P5) criteria. Furthermore, to empower students as future proponents of sustainable agriculture, professional development programs should address issues with resource allocation and teacher preparedness.