Permaculture + Aquaponics = Self Sustaining

By bringing Permaculture Design principles and practices into Aquaponics, we are closing many loops, inefficiencies, and energy drains that exist in more conventional systems, as well as integrating the system appropriately into the larger landscapes and ecologies it is a part of, making it a much more holistic and sustainable enterprise. 

Closed-Loop Aquaponics focuses on designing aquaponics systems that that produce as much of the system’s needs (water, energy, fish, feed, heat, gas, etc.) on-site and within the system itself as possible. 

Products of the systems can include; solar electricity, solar heated air, solar heated water, fish, prawns, vegetables, fruit, aquatic plants, algae, minnows, snails, worms, dry and liquid fertilizers, methane gas, and more. By using the Permaculture Design process, we learn to design systems appropriate to diverse climates and unique ecological niches to meet various needs, dreams, and desires.

Aquaponics' Advantages - Commercially

credit to http://centerforaquaponics.com

Aquaponic systems possess many attractive commercial applications, as well as environmental and human health benefits, making them ideal for future use in developing regions of the world. Quantifiable results include:

• Additive water conservation benefits of recirculating aquaculture and hydroponics combined into an integrated waste free system. With uncertainty regarding water supplies and the population carrying capacity of arid regions of the world, water conservation practices may result in aquaponics replacing more traditional forms of food production. Additionally, the plant and microbial remediation of the fish effluent (waste) prevents environmental contamination (eutrophication) common with many forms of aquaculture.

• A controlled-environment greenhouse operation greatly increases the reliability of production while reducing the risk of environmental degradation such as non-native species introduction which is prevalent with other forms of agriculture. Through the prevention of greenhouse pest outbreaks the need for synthetic pesticides has been eliminated.

• Combining aquaculture and hydroponics technologies has demonstrated the potential to exceed the productivity and profitability of independently operated systems for a given resource constraint (land, water, capital).

• Unlike warm blooded food stocks, cultured aquatic species are not considered high probability vectors of zoonotic diseases to humans. They require fewer inputs (feed and time) than other livestock. The feed conversion ratio and carbon footprint for farmed fish is significantly less than other sources for animal protein.

• The technologies employed to run an aquaponics operation can be primitive and produced from a large range of readily available (post-consumer) materials. This lowers the overall environmental footprint of the design and broadens the availability of the technology to poorer regions of the world.

Aquaponics is Organic

Organic Grown Food

http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/torg.html

"Organically grown" food is food grown and processed using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Pesticides derived from natural sources (such as biological pesticides) may be used in producing organically grown food.

Organic Farming

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming

Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control. Organic farming uses fertilizers and pesticides but excludes or strictly limits the use of manufactured (synthetic) fertilizers, pesticides (which include herbicides, insecticides and fungicides), plant growth regulators such as hormones, livestock antibiotics, food additives, genetically modified organisms, human sewage sludge, and nanomaterials.

Organic agricultural methods are internationally regulated and legally enforced by many nations, based in large part on the standards set by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), an international umbrella organization for organic farming organizations established in 1972. IFOAM defines the overarching goal of organic farming as:

"Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved..."

—International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements

Organic Products 

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3004446&acct=nopgeninfo

Organic products have strict production and labeling requirements. Unless noted below, organic products must meet the following requirements:

- Produced without excluded methods; genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, or sewage sludge.

- Produced per the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List).

- Overseen by a USDA National Organic Program authorized certifying agent,

- Following all USDA organic regulations.

An overview of labeling the various categories of organic products is provided below.

PRINCIPAL DISPLAY PANEL: portion of the package most likely to be seen by customers at the time of purchase.

INFORMATION PANEL: includes ingredient statement (list of ingredients contained in a product, from highest to lowest percentage of final product) and other product information.

100% Organic

Raw or processed agricultural products in the “100 percent organic” category must meet these criteria:

- All ingredients must be certified organic.

- Any processing aids must be organic.

- Product labels must state the name of the certifying agent on the information panel.

An overview of labeling the various categories of 100% organic products is provided below.

PRINCIPAL DISPLAY PANEL: May include USDA organic seal and/or 100 percent organic claim.

INFORMATION PANEL: Must identify organic ingredients (e.g., organic dill) or via asterisk or other mark.

Normal Organic

Raw or processed agricultural products in the “organic” category must meet these criteria:

- All agricultural ingredients must be certified organic, except where specified on National List.

- Non-organic ingredients allowed per National List may be used, up to a combined total of five percent of non-organic content (excluding salt and water).

- Product labels must state the name of the certifying agent on the information panel.

An overview of labeling the various categories of normal organic products is provided below.

PRINCIPAL DISPLAY PANEL: May include USDA organic seal and/or organic claim.

INFORMATION PANEL: Must identify organic ingredients (e.g., organic dill) or via asterisk or other mark.

Organic Certification

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_certification

Organic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products. In general, any business directly involved in food production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, [food] processors, retailers and restaurants.

Requirements vary from country to country, and generally involve a set of production standards for growing, storage, processing, packaging and shipping that include:

• no human sewage sludge fertilizer used in cultivation of plants or feed of animals
• avoidance of synthetic chemical inputs not on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (e.g. fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, etc.), genetically modified organisms, irradiation, and the use of sewage sludge;
• use of farmland that has been free from prohibited synthetic chemicals for a number of years (often, three or more);
• keeping detailed written production and sales records (audit trail);
• maintaining strict physical separation of organic products from non-certified products;
• undergoing periodic on-site inspections.

Aqua Vista Topic: Future of Farming #1

Looking at the past and current state of agriculture, we have come to the conclusion that it is failing to provide nutritious foods, it is insufficient to sustain us in the future and the ecological destruction caused my modern farming methods has taken an incredible toll on our planet. 

  

Dr. Despommier's solution is to utilize skyscrapers to grow food hydroponically in the middle of cities. According to Dr. Despommier, the vertical farm has a number of advantages over traditional agricultural methods used currently worldwide.

1. Year-round crop production. By growing crops inside controlled environments, crop production is not dependent upon the seasons. Instead of one season of tomatoes, staggered planted tomatoes can be harvested year round.

2. No Weather-related Crop Failures. By growing foods in controlled environments; droughts, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural phenomena are irrelevant. 

3. New Employment Opportunities. When farming exists in a skyscraper there are plenty of job opportunities created in the cities. In the Vertical Farm, the crops exist in all of these stages all the time, necessitating the need for labour.

4. No Agricultural Runoff. "According to the USDA, Agricultural nonpoint source pollution is the primary cause of pollution in the U.S." - The Vertical Farm. By growing hydroponically in a controlled environment, these toxic chemicals are essentially unnecessary.

5. Allowance for Ecosystem Restoration. By moving agriculture into city skyscrapers, Dr. Despommier argues traditional agriculture won't be necessary and the land can be turned back over to nature for recovery.

6. Animal Feed from Post-harvest Plant Material. You don't eat all parts of a plant and what is leftover can be used as animal feed.

7. No Use of Pesticides, Herbicides, or Fertilizers. Guess what? There are no weeds to pull in hydroponic/aeroponic/aquaponic systems! So there's no water pollution caused by this method of farming.

8. Use of 70-95 percent less water. According to The Vertical Farm, "Today, traditional agriculture uses around 70 percent of all the available freshwater on earth, and in doing so pollutes it." Of all the benefits on this list, this is the most important of them all.

9. Purification of Grey Water to Drinking Water. Grey water reclamation will become an even hotter topic as the scarcity of clean water becomes more desperate. Plants provide a natural (bio) filtration process that can cleans the water.

10. Greatly reduced food miles. A common argument for alternative farming is that the average distance food travels from farm to table is 1500 miles, on average. The Vertical Farm proposes growing food in the centre of cities, drastically cutting this distance down.

11. More Control of Food Safety and Security. The Vertical Farm is designed using the same equipment hospitals use in intensive care units to prevent pathogens and pests from affecting the crops. Security is proposed to prevent people from sabotaging the environment produced.

credit to OHIO AQUAPONICS