What exactly is aquaponics? It’s a combination of aquaculture, which is the farming of fish, and hydroponics, the method of cultivating plants without soil. Why is this significant? As the COVID-19 pandemic raises concerns about the availability of uncontaminated food and water, I’m reflecting on the importance of conserving, purifying, and safeguarding our freshwater resources. This piece examines how utilizing aquaponics can accomplish these goals by raising fish and plants in tandem.
Aquaponics employs a hydroponic method to cultivate plants with limited or no use of soil, in addition to utilizing waste from fish farming as the source of nutrients. This allows the system to retain its dual benefits.
- It uses less water than traditional agriculture.
- Plants consume and filter waste like an aquaculture system would.
The water is naturally filtered through the plants, which also acquire nutrients without the use of artificial fertilizers.
More People, More Pollution, More Need for Food
With the increase in the world’s population, various challenges affecting both human health and the environment are also on the rise. While some water advocates highlight the harmful effects of human-made chemicals on freshwater sources, they often fail to address the issue of agricultural pollution.
Chemicals known as per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are becoming increasingly concerning. These substances can be found in various household items such as firefighting foams and waterproofing products. Research indicates that PFAS are associated with numerous health issues. Furthermore, studies have detected PFAS in our most isolated water sources.
Nevertheless, not all water pollution can be attributed to industrial pollution. Conventional agricultural methods consume significant quantities of freshwater and also employ fertilizers and chemicals that ultimately contaminate our water systems.
To summarize, it is essential to discover sustainable methods of safeguarding our water supplies and simultaneously providing nourishment to our expanding populace, with a focus on regions with limited food resources and contaminated soil or water that compromises the quality of the crops.
Hydroponics as an Alternative Approach to Agriculture
The technique of cultivating plants without the use of soil is known as hydroponics. This method can be employed to cultivate crops in regions where water or soil is contaminated. Moreover, hydroponics is a novel solution to tackle the problem of food scarcity in “food deserts”, which are regions that suffer from inadequate access to wholesome and nutritious food.
In summary, hydroponics employs a mineral solution and water-based fertilizer to cultivate plants without soil. These systems vary in complexity, with basic deep-water culture setups where the plants are suspended above nutrient-filled water in a container, to advanced recirculating systems where nutrient-rich water moves through the system, allowing plants to take in what they need as it flows by their roots. Regular water exchanges are necessary to guarantee that plants receive adequate nutrients. These exchanges involve replacing old water solutions with fresh ones.
Hydroponics has a drawback in that it necessitates the use of fertilizers, which may pose concerns for plant and human health as well as disposal after water exchange, even in a closed system. Nevertheless, the extent of the latter issue is dependent on the type and amount of fertilizer used, whether it is natural or chemical.
Fish Farming: Aquaculture a Growing Strategy to Produce Fresh Fish
As our population grows, so does our requirement for food. Likewise, the consumption and exhaustion of wild fish species are also rising. Fish farming, commonly referred to as aquaculture, has been developed to cater to the needs of the market and provide locally sourced, high-quality food to communities. There are two primary methods of conducting fish farming.
- specially made tanks (think massive fish tanks)
- various cages that are suspended in lakes, oceans, rivers, and other waterways
In addition to Egypt’s research proving the viability of using water from wastewater treatment facilities to grow healthy Tilapia, other fish farms with high-density populations can adversely affect local water quality due to excessive fish waste, overfeeding, and disease outbreaks resulting from the fish being raised in close proximity. Moreover, many aquaculture systems use chemicals to disinfect their water tanks which may subsequently contaminate nearby water sources. A study carried out in Andhrapradesh, India found that discharging untreated aquaculture wastewater into natural waterways polluted the local well water used by nearby communities.
Aquaponics: a Combination of Fish Farming and Hydroponics
Having discussed hydroponics and aquaculture individually, let’s now delve into aquaponics and its manifold benefits. One such advantage is that aquaponics necessitates fewer water exchanges than traditional hydroponic setups, thus resulting in a decrease in the discharge of fertilizers and chemicals into water bodies.
By utilizing fish waste as food for plants, the amount of pollution from fish waste that enters water bodies is decreased.
Systems that merge hydroponic and aquaculture techniques are able to overcome their limitations by minimizing water waste and promoting its preservation.
The water usage rate offered is below 10 percent of the available freshwater resources, while the global agriculture sector uses up to 70 percent.
Aquaponics systems can be constructed in diverse locations such as homes, rooftops, greenhouses, and both rural and urban settings. These systems’ self-contained composition minimizes water usage and obviates the necessity of discharging contaminated water into freshwater sources. Additionally, the systems provide a nourishing habitat for fish by virtue of the natural filtration process facilitated by plants. As our population burgeons, with concomitant decline in the quality and quantity of agricultural land and freshwater, the imperative of new crops and agricultural systems becomes more pronounced.
What is the Difference Between Hydroponics, Aquaponics & Aquaculture?
What is Aquaculture?
Fish are raised in confined areas within a conventional aquaculture setup, analogous to livestock farming in water. These enclosed spaces are sometimes created with nets or other infrastructure within natural water ecosystems, or artificially constructed ponds and tanks that do not connect to natural water sources. When rearing fish in human-made environments, it is essential for growers to filter the water precisely, eliminating fish waste and ensuring a healthy environment.
Regrettably, the environmental impact of these fish farms is well-known. The majority of our dietary fish comes from factory fish farms, which are recognized as one of the most unsustainable forms of agriculture. The water in these large-scale aquaculture operations becomes severely polluted due to the cramped living conditions required. The wastewater discharged by factory fish farms contains excessive amounts of fish waste, antibiotics, pesticides, and hormones, which ultimately contaminate our oceans and water sources.
What is Hydroponics?
Growing plants without soil is the primary principle of hydroponics. Rather than relying on soil, the roots of plants directly absorb nutrients from water sources. These systems are commonly set up indoors, utilizing microclimates that are closely monitored to provide ideal growing conditions. This results in higher-quality produce yields, as well as reduced exposure to risk factors such as pests, frost, and flooding. With this approach, growers are able to avoid potential losses due to environmental factors or contamination while producing a substantial amount of high-quality crops.
In regions where conventional farming is not feasible, these upright indoor farms can thrive. Despite any climate or weather changes, they can produce crops all year round. The chance of hydroponic farms eradicating food deserts and giving access to fresh and nutritious vegetables and fruits to underprivileged societies is regarded as a significant breakthrough by many.
If implemented properly, hydroponics is an immensely sustainable procedure that conserves water by recycling it repetitively and mitigates soil degradation, an issue that is of critical importance in the present era, thereby coming across as a surprise to many.
What is Aquaponics?
By combining the two systems, Aquaponics maintains harmony between them. It purifies the water by having the plants absorb fish waste, which in turn provides the plants with essential nutrients. Growers typically add extra nutrients to optimize the growth of aquaponic crops. This system operates on a symbiotic level, with the fish providing nourishment to the plants and the plants maintaining the fish’s well-being by purifying their water.
Aquaponics is an excellent choice for those seeking to cultivate healthy fish on a commercial scale while protecting our precious waterways. This symbiotic system offers all of the environmental advantages of traditional hydroponics without the detrimental environmental effects of factory fish farming. Additionally, it substantially mitigates the health risks connected with consuming fish that comes from factory farming.
What You Can Do
Aquaponics can be attempted in your own residence, whether it be a small five-gallon fish tank or a larger system that encompasses several hundred gallons of recycled water. Not only is this approach enjoyable and intriguing, but it is also an effective method for lessening water consumption, minimizing water pollution, mitigating our environmental impact, and creating a source of fresh fish and produce for our households.
