Looking into the Future

 

What if there was a way to grow healthy food, practically anywhere, using minimal resources? How would that change the lives of those living in Third World countries? How would that change our world?

 

Aquaponics is a unique food-growing system that combines fish farming (aquaculture) with soil-less plant growing (hydroponics). A tank is built to hold water used in the system and house the fish. As the fish digest their food and eliminate waste, the water can be toxic to them but is natural fertilizer for plants. In aquaponics the tank water is pumped to the roots of vegetable and herb plants growing nearby in a hydroponic system. The plants consume the nutrients in the water and act as a filter, returning clean water to the fish tank. The result is a well-balanced mini-ecosystem with each individual life form giving, taking, and thriving.

 

An aquaponic system is efficient to run, environmentally friendly, and self-sustaining. It requires few natural resources to be set up and maintained. It uses between three and ten percent of the water required for traditional agriculture, making it a viable choice for food raising for those living in regions of the world where growing food is often difficult or impossible. Once the system is set up, water is reused and recycled by being constantly moved from fish tank to plants and back. Water only needs to be replaced when lost due to evaporation, absorption by the plants, or food being harvested.

 

The entire system is organic. No synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, or other harsh chemicals are used. This is better for the environment than typical farming methods and produces a very healthy, nutritionally dense food source for people.

 

While an aquaponics system does require monitoring, the only regular input needed is fish food, a product that is usually inexpensive and easily obtained. Hand feeding is often recommended in order to better observe the eating habits of the fish, though automatic timed or on-demand feeders are also available.

 

Aquaponics could quite possibly be the future of growing and raising food in our ever-changing world. Self-Sustaining Enterprises envisions building a functioning model aquaponic system in Jos, Nigeria. SSE wants to teach people how to use existing materials and resources to enhance their ability to be self-sustaining. Using their well-drilling capabilities, SSE’s desire is to enhance food production while reusing and recycling existing resources as efficiently as possible. Aquaponics would play a part in the larger vision to build a self-sustaining community that could be replicated all over the world.