Mangalore-based Ajay Gopi (19) has been selected for the Youth Ventures programme of the US-based Ashoka Innovators for the Public (formerly Ashoka Foundation). Ajay has designed a social entrepreneurship venture incorporating aquaponics technology, which will employ rural youth and benefit farming communities. As a member of Ashoka’s Youth Venture programme initiated last September, Ajay will receive project management and mentoring support, as also access to the worldwide Ashoka network.

“Aquaponics which eliminates all land/soil usage, is an affordable, accessible, and low-energy consuming practice in which plants and vegetables are grown with water recycled from fish breeding tanks. Aquaponics enable plants to grow twice as fast and utilise a mere 10 percent of the water required by soil-grown plants. I intend to grow lettuces while simultaneously breeding fish for sale in eateries/restaurants,” says this young innovator.

Christened Terra Neeru ( “Latin for earth, plus Kannada for water”), the project is in its pilot stage under the aegis of the Bangalore-based Project DEFY (Design Education For Yourself) — a social entrepreneurship programme founded by computer engineer Abhijit Sinha in 2014 — in the newly launched Bajpe (Mangalore) rural ‘makerspace’ in which Ajay is currently employed as a manager. The makerspace is a ‘school’ without teachers, offering rural youth infrastructure and mentoring support including laptops with internet connectivity.

The elder child of self-taught freelance electrician Gopi, based in Bengaluru, Ajay completed a two-year certificate course from ITI (Industrial Training Institute), Bengaluru. “From my father I developed an interest in hands-on problem solving. So I decided to join Project DEFY’s flagship makerspace on the outskirts of Bengaluru, where rural children and youth are encouraged to access online information from do-it-yourself websites like instructible.com. It’s here I met my Terra Neeru team members,” says Ajay.

Currently, he is assisting Project DEFY to popularise its newly launched rural makerspace at Bajpe. “My focus will be on educating rural youth about the basics of aquaponics, water recycling and other modern farm practices,” says Ajay. 
Wind beneath your wings!

Paromita Sengupta (Bangalore)