Augmented reality-based application to foster sustainable agriculture in the context of aquaponics

Abstract

Population growth implies the need to produce more food. This increases pressure on the planet's resources, which drives climate change and challenges environmental sustainability. Hence, it is important to promote sustainable agriculture strategies that contribute to global food and nutrition security while protecting natural resources. These strategies should be guided from an educational perspective that motivates people to develop positive bonds with nature. In this regard, augmented reality has emerged as a technology with the potential to improve environmental education programs. This paper presents the development and evaluation of an augmented reality-based educational application, whose purpose is to foster sustainable agriculture in the context of aquaponics. The application was developed using Unity and Vuforia following the principles of instructional design. To evaluate the effectiveness of the application, we designed a pilot study with 10 volunteers. The results indicate that the application has the potential to motivate users to learn, which suggests that it is appropriate to foster sustainable agriculture strategies in the context of aquaponics.