Blog #6 "The Farming Technique That Could Revolutionize the Way We Eat"

            Aquaponics is a newly farming technique that combines both fish and vegetable without using soil. Freshwater fish and plats are cultivated in a recycling water system that transfers nutrients between the aquaculture and hydroponics. There is a “90 percent reduction in freshwater use compared with conventional farming.” The system reuses wastewater as fertilizer for plants and plants clean the fish tank. Pesticides are not needed for this system as well as antibiotics. Since aquaponics use organic practices it helps stay away from such hazards. Aquaponics has great potential for large-scale urban cultivation. It can be set up on urban rooftops, parking lots, or any vacant area in the city. Rooftops are great places for farming because it is large and spacious. A standard rooftop using aquaponics in a Western city can produce up to 20 tons of vegetables and four tons of fish per year. In ancient civilizations, the Aztecs were known to use aquaponics. Boxes is a 2,700 square-foot greenhouse farm in Switzerland which has yield five tons of fresh vegetables and a ton of fish per year. This greenhouse shows the efficient productivity of aquaponics.  Critical parts of farming are maintaining food safety and quality. 

            Aquaponics farming has just started to be understood it won’t replace the United States’ food system but achieve better urban farming. Aquaponics will become a vital farming system in the future. It doesn’t only have to be used in urban settings but the idea should be spread around the world. In poor and developing countries, they can use aquaponics farming to produce their food with efficiently. This technology can hopefully help starvation and malnutrition for the poor people. 

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2013/03/farming-technique-will-revolutionize-way-we-eat/4880/