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

Aquaponics + Farm Towers

Vertical Farms 
(credit to: http://www.verticalfarm.com )


Problem Statement

By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use (sources: FAO and NASA).

Potential Solution

The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes, a wide variety of herbs, and other produce has been in vogue for some time. What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate another 3 billion people. An entirely new approach to indoor farming must be invented, employing cutting edge technologies. The Vertical Farm must be efficient (cheap to construct and safe to operate). Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world's urban centers. If successfully implemented, they offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (year-round crop production), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.

Vertical Farms' Advantages

• Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres) 
• No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests 
• All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers 
• VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water 
• VF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and services 
• VF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface 
• VF converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting the water of evapotranspiration 
• VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible parts of plants and animals 
• VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.) 
• VF converts abandoned urban properties into food production centers 
• VF creates sustainable environments for urban centers 
• VF creates new employment opportunities 
• We cannot go to the moon, Mars, or beyond without first learning to farm indoors on earth 
• VF may prove to be useful for integrating into refugee camps 
• VF offers the promise of measurable economic improvement for tropical and subtropical LDCs. If this should prove to be the case, then VF may be a catalyst in helping to reduce or even reverse the population growth of LDCs as they adopt urban agriculture as a strategy for sustainable food production. 
• VF could reduce the incidence of armed conflict over natural resources, such as water and land for agriculture

Vertical Farms' Designs

Courtesy of: http://archdezart.com/2011/09/25/loft-london-farm-tower-competition/

 Courtesy of: http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_59707.shtml

Courtesy of: http://www.inspirationgreen.com/vertical-farms.html

Comment:

Farm Towers are nicely suited for Aquaponics system. The fish tanks would be located on the ground floor since it is where the sunlight is most deficient. The hydroponics will then occupy all the floors above it. Using minimal pumps, the water flow would be highly energy efficient since it travels back to the fish tank using gravity. In addition to that, the tower could also be energy independent if renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are tapped.

Aquaponics Trial #2

Hey guys, its been a while.

Here's the second trial I've been doing at my house. Had the first prototype moved out of the shade plus additional 2 pods. Also added a fish tank i acquired from a fish store that's about to move out of town.

Actually these photos here are outdated by 2-3 months, since I've already started to harvest them from August. Anyway, here's a close-up of the pods.

I've been trying a lot of different kinds of vegetable; kailan, lettuce, salad, cabbage, sawi, etc. But the most success I've had so far is the kangkung (water spinach).

The two tanks shown are connected underneath; the right tank receives freshly filtered water from the pods. It has 9-10 lampam fish. The water then travel to the left tank (along with fish faeces), before being pumped to the highest pods to begin the cycle again.