Hydroponic farming venture earns Enactus another win

A team of Rutgers students won second place in a national competition among other Enactus chapters for a flourishing social venture in hydroponic farming.

The win came during the annual Enactus USA National Exposition in Missouri. It was the latest recognition for the Rutgers Enactus chapter and its innovative answer to food insecurity on campus and in the community.

“It’s remarkable how much they’ve been able to accomplish,” said Eugene Gentile, who advises members of Rutgers Enactus. “We may have come in second place, but we were the crowd favorite.”

Gentile said the team’s presentation led a number of other schools to express interest in locating the hydroponic farming systems in their campus food pantries. “The students are generating that interest with their excitement,” he said.

The team representing Rutgers Enactus in the national competition was made up of six Rutgers Business School students, Elysha Conrad, president of the Rutgers chapter; Zia Ostawal, chapter vice president; Salil Garud and Luigi Aiello, presenters; and Eduardo Léo Moreno and Andrew Scanlon, project managers.

The team also included School of Engineering student Raadha Garg and Marian Hollenbeck, a student from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Both participated as presenters in the national competition.

The hydroponic farm developed by Rutgers Enactus grows vegetables without soil, effectively reducing the water consumption and environmental impact resulting from traditional agriculture. The Rutgers venture provides fresh lettuce on three campus locations.

Members of Rutgers Enactus have won prize money in state-wide pitch competitions during the past academic year to expand the hydroponic farming project. In the spring, students also captured an $8,000 first prize in Rutgers Business School’s inaugural Experiential Learning Showcase.

The project is growing in other ways, too. The University of Delaware and other schools, including Temple University, and Florida Southern University, are interested in putting the system into use for their campus food pantries.

Enactus teams from around the country attend the national organization’s annual expo to compete, collaborate, and refine their social entrepreneurial skills. An estimated 300 people attended the 2025 Expo for the competition, networking sessions and educational workshops. Teams from 21 chapters were invited to participate in this year’s competition.

The Rutgers team will head to Mexico City to showcase the project during a national competition there in July.

-Susan Todd