The Aquaponic Farmer describes an innovative and ecological way to farm. Adrian Southern’s journey into the aquaponics began with urban gardening. After getting frustrated by the seemingly unending task of weeding, he began to explore other options. Once he discovered aquaponics, Southern was hooked.
The term “aquaponics” is mix between aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (growing plants in water). Aquaponics, the authors explain, is a way to raise fish and plants in an “interconnected soil-less system.” The plants get nutrients from the fish feces and uneaten fish food and, in doing so, clean the water. As with organic farming, microorganisms are critical to the system; bacteria convert the fish feces into nutrients that plants can use.
Southern describes what he has learned while raising rainbow trout and commercial salad greens inside a 120-foot-long greenhouse on Vancouver Island. He provides detailed instructions on building the greenhouse and tanks, keeping plants and fish healthy, and managing the many aspects of the system, including budgeting. The process isn’t a closed system (Southern buys bags of fish food). However, Southern proves that aquaponics can be an ecologically responsible and economically viable way to farm.
- SFC Staff