Aquaponics: the Future of the Food Industry
The emerging science of aquaponics (aquaculture + hydroponics) is quickly growing as a viable and sustainable option of food production on any size scale, and is forecasted to be the future of the national and international food industry. From a backyard garden in Colorado to a village center in Tanzania, the closed-loop, sustainable system of aquaponics is a win-win, beneficial food production system because it produces local, organic, fresh food ranging in quantities to feed either a single family or a whole community.
Born of necessity, aquaponics has caught on in a big way in Australia, due mostly to farmers’ constant battle with drought. This system is reported to use 80-90% less water than conventional farming methods and thus is a wise and attractive solution for arid climates. In this closed-loop system, a tank of fish provides nutrients in the form of waste water for the plants which are constantly irrigated, filtering and purifying the water (while growing and producing a crop), and then the water is recycled into the fish tank after it is cleaned. This emulation of a natural cycle effortlessly creates the right nutrient mix for the growing plants, and depending on the fish in your tank (tilapia is a popular choice), you can feed them table scraps. The natural cycles of this system eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers and extensive water use.
The USA’s current agricultural model that relies on monocultures and trucking food products long distances is inherently faulty, what with rising oil prices, and overfishing already greatly threatens wild fish populations. With a greater demand for local and renewable food sources, aquaponics fills a need where necessity pressures a change.
Mainstream society may not yet be ready to make this strange setup a significant percentage of our food supply. The growing field of aquaponics is either a glimpse into the future of food, or else a quirky hobby of a gardening subculture, but there’s no denying its viability as an alternative renewable food source with the potential to feed us all.
Myself and a friend are at the moment putting together a series of different size and type of aquaponic systems and I am amazed at the interest that has been generated just by word of mouth in our district. We are naturally looking forward to the whole project coming together although I guess we are looking at about two years before we’ll be happy with it and begin to get a line on it’s ability to produce.
Neither of us talk up aquaponics, other than letting people know why we are pushed for time to do or attend various meetings or help with other interests the way we had been in the past. However when we are pushed for reasons and we explain that all our efforts are going into aquaponics, we then have to go into really serious detail on the what, where, how big etc. etc.
So I have a very distinct feeling that over the next few years there will certainly be a quite exciting groundswell toward Aquaponics.
Good Luck with all of your goals
Bruce Miller