Sustainable Hydroponic Farm inaugurated at IIHM Delhi campus

The International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) is leading the sustainability movement with unique initiatives on its own campuses. IIHM Delhi inaugurated its first Hydroponic Farm on campus on 14th December 2022 promoting sustainable cultivation of vegetables using less water and artificial lighting. The project has been initiated in association with 9Growers.

The Hydroponic farm on IIHM Delhi campus was inaugurated by Dr Suborno Bose, CEO of IIHM Hotel School, by switching on the lights and this special programme was attended by distinguished guests from the hospitality fraternity. They included Kush Kapoor, CEO, Roseate Hotels & Resorts, Parul Mahajan, Head of Advocacy, Government Relations, Industry Partnerships and International Relations at National Skill Development Corporation, Sheetal Singh, GM, Ambassador, Delhi, IHCL SeleQtions, Shuvendu Banerjee, GM, Crowne Plaza Today, Okhla, Vineet Sharma, Rooms Division Manager, Eros Hotel New Delhi, Chef Diwas Wadhera, Executive Chef, Eros Hotel New Delhi. Dr Suborno Bose, Chairman, IIHM said, "It's a step forward by IIHM towards sustainability."

"Hydroponic farms are common in many western countries because it goes against conventional farming and it uses lesser water than normal farming and is ideal for places where there is dearth of water. This is a small step towards embracing sustainability in our lives. Sustainability is no longer a lip service or political slogan but a reality that people in India and around the world must realise. Sustainability is the only key to survival. IIHM's Delhi's Hydroponic farm is just the first step towards a larger goal of starting such farms across all IIHM campuses in India and overseas,"

Dr Bose added. Sustainability is today an important skill that essentially every hospitality student must embrace to be able to increase his or her employability. IIHM is trying to imbibe the ideals of sustainability in hospitality training to increase awareness and employability of future hospitality professionals.

Himanshu Aggarwal, Co-Founder and CEO, 9Growers, explained the idea and utility of a hydroponic farm. He said, "The idea of a hydroponic farm is to use minimum water and ample light to grow essential vegetables needed in the kitchens of hotels and restaurants. We are encouraging everyone in cities to learn this type of farming as it requires minimum space and water. Hydroponic farms help to reduce food waste and the system is designed in a way that we are plucking fresh vegetables in just the amount that we need."

The programme included making a salad from produce of the Hydroponic farm which was given to the guests to taste, followed by potato lettuce soup for all. Chef Sanjay Kak, Culinary Director, IIHM also spoke on upcycling while guests tasted macroons and cupcakes made from egg shells, a practical example of upcycled food. As a mark of support to sustainability. The programme closed with guests putting planting seeds in the grow cube of the hydroponic farm.

About IIHM

IIHM (International Institute of Hotel Management) is one of the largest chain of premier hospitality and hotel management schools across India that started its journey in 1994 at Kolkata. IIHM is a part of Indismart Group, the conglomerate that operates the Indismart Hotels. IIHM campuses are located across eleven National and International cities with the associate institute IAM-IHM located in Kolkata, and Guwahati. Students passing out of IIHM are armed with an international degree from the University of West London and equipped with global hospitality skills that enable easy placements in any hospitality brand across the world.

IIHM is dedicated to its pursuit of excellence in teaching and placements. Real time experience is the key to success in hospitality and that makes the institute popular. In recent years, IIHM has been instrumental in organizing the Worlds biggest Culinary Olympiad Young Chef Olympiad, with participation of over 50 countries, a unique idea and initiative inviting young culinary talents across the world. It has MoU's with over 50 countries for student and faculty exchange bringing the best of education for its students from around the World.

The institute has bagged several prestigious awards in the past 29 years. The list includes the Best Education Brand Award from Economic Times consecutively in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. It was also featured in Forbes Magazine as Great Indian Institute and Great Place to Study consecutively in the year 2018 - 2019 and 2019 - 2020. IIHM was also awarded as one among the World's Greatest Brands & Leaders 2015-16 by URS International (IMEA - Process Reviewer PriceWaterhouseCoopers PL) and also received the Best Institute in Hospitality Education 2017 Award by Assocham from Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon'ble Minister of State for HRD (Higher Education), Govt. of India.

Source: Businesswire