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?