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Aquaponics!

Pacific Island Trials Aquaponics for Food Supply. Will Cities be Next? | This Big City

Aquaponics could hold the answer to food supply for islands in the Pacific. Many lack suitable soil for growing crops, have limited freshwater, and struggle to import fresh produce because of rising fuel costs. Moreover, a recent study by the marine conservation and advocacy group Oceana named the Cook Islands the country most at risk of food insecurity through ocean acidification, which threatens its fish stocks.

Now, Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands, is trialling a new aquaponic farm which combines aquaculture (raising fish in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants without soil) in symbiosis. In this carbon-neutral ‘closed-loop’ system, nitrate-rich water from the fish tanks irrigate vegetables in nearby beds. The fish waste nourishes the plants; they in turn filter and oxygenate the water before it returns to the tanks. No herbicides, pesticides or hormones are used, and the system uses just 10% of the water required by traditional agriculture.

mothernaturenetwork

Dive into aquaponics (the water’s fine) This symbiotic approach to growing food was practiced by ancient peoples like the Aztecs.

agritecture

A lack of water in the desert is making Egyptian farmers turn to ancient agricultural techniques to bring dead land to life.

Faris Farrag, a well-known Egyptian banker, is leading an Aquaponics project aimed at turning the Egyptian desert green. Farrag, who himself owns a farm in Cairo and is said to be fond of growing plants, told Al-Jazeera ‘As the price of water soars, as the price of petrol soars, and when the subsidies on farming disappear, this model makes sense.’

Aquaponics is an ancient irrigation technique which is believed to have been invented by the Aztecs which combines the commonly used aquaculture and hydroponic agricultural systems. Having studied the subject in the University of the Virgin Islands under Dr. James Rakocy, Farrag plans to introduce this technique to Egypt. The system has already been implemented in Yemen, Bangladesh and the UAE.

Dr. Ashraf Ghanem, who is a professor of water engineering at Cairo University, supported the project saying, ‘Could serve as a means of income generation for unemployed women, as well as a means of education for children of the household on principles of water saving, plant and fish biology, nutrient cycle, fluid mechanics, hydraulics, microbiology and renewable energies.’

At present Egypt is heavily dependent on the River Nile for its water, 85% of which goes to farming. However, Ethiopian plans to place a damn on the Blue Nile threatens to reroute the great river, which would be disastrous for Egypt.

SOURCE

verticaltheory

UN Introduces Aquaponics to Urban Farming in Gaza

disquietingtruths

Living skyscraper concept is straight out of J.R.R. Tolkien’s dreams

Our greatest cities could see massive tree-like structures rising amidst their skyscrapers one day. Teeming with life, these vertical gardens could provide both food and a bit of green space for city folk. These enormous vertical farms could be the self-sustaining hearts of their host cities. They’ll scrub the air clean, purify local water and produce renewable energy. They’ll be so wonderful that it’ll almost be like living in Lothlorien.

http://www.dvice.com/2014-6-4/living-skyscraper-concept-straight-out-jrr-tolkiens-dreams

ucresearch

How your pet goldfish can help grow kitchen herbs

Back to the Roots, a company started by two UC Berkeley graduates, focuses on making products that promote sustainability in food. They’re behind those mushroom grow kits you may have seen at Whole Foods and now they’ve developed a product that uses aquaponics to grow plants. Above is a really great explanation of the science behind aquaponics food systems.

You can buy it here as a gift for the holidays →

hyggehaven-deactivated20200904

Chinampa (Nahuatl: chināmitl [tʃiˈnaːmitɬ]) is a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which used small, rectangular areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico.

Sometimes referred to as “floating gardens,” chinampas were artificial islands that usually measured roughly 98 ft × 8.2 ft (30 m × 2.5 m).[1] Chinampas were used by the ancient Aztec [Aboriginal Peoples].[2] In Tenochtitlan, the chinampas ranged from 300 ft × 15 ft (91 m × 4.6 m)[1] to 300 ft × 30 ft (91 m × 9.1 m)[1][3] They were created by staking out the shallow lake bed and then fencing in the rectangle with wattle. The fenced-off area was then layered with mud, lake sediment, and decaying vegetation, eventually bringing it above the level of the lake. Often trees such as āhuexōtl [aːˈweːʃoːt͡ɬ] (Salix bonplandiana)[2] (a willow) and āhuēhuētl [aːˈweːweːt͡ɬ] (Taxodium mucronatum)[4] (a cypress) were planted at the corners to secure the chinampa. Chinampas were separated by channels wide enough for a canoe to pass. These “islands” had very high crop yields with up to 7 crops a year.[5]

hyggehaven-deactivated20200904