Post on 13-Apr-2017
Sustainable Agriculture:Aquaponics
Kyle Knudson
Breakdown
- Sustainable Agriculture- Aquaponics- Agriculture- Aquaculture- Cost Comparison- Small-Scale Aquaponics Farm
Sustainable Agriculture
Simply put, Sustainable Agriculture is the production of food, plant, fiber, or other animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public
health, human communities, and animal welfare.
But First… What is Aquaponics?
The Fish feed the plants, and the plants in turn filter the water for the fish! This
symbiotic relationship allows for the “waste” product; normally considered as an expense for aquaculture, to now
become the fertilizer required by agriculture.
~ Only slightly more complicated ~
Aztec, Tenochtitlán - “The Floating City”
Made up of floating rafts, both natural/artificial islands, and causeways/canals.
Ancient/Modern Chinese Aquaponics
The Chinese had an elaborate food production system that is still highly in use today, rice paddies.
- Rice These systems worked well by implementing a microecosystem;- Duck essentially the same way how Aquaponics works, the other living - Fish organisms supplied nutrients crucial to the production of rice!
Agriculture Today
- Water use in the United States, Agriculture accounts for 77%
Ha - Hectare → Roughly 2.5 acres
Source: University of Iowa
Aquaculture: Tilapia
10,000 fish per acre - each pond is generally around two acres.
Source: University of Florida
Agriculture
Source: USDA
Total Costs Aquaponics
Source: University of Virgin Islands
Small-Scale Aquaponics Farm
Source: University of Virgin Islands
Questions?