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Like Frannie mentioned in the last blog, there are two types
of urban agriculture that are very unique: aquaculture and hydroponics. Both of
these processes are almost solely water-based and require the farmers to be
creative in the way they save water and money.
Aquaculture is usually defined as the raising fresh and salt
water fish but it can include other kinds of water creatures and plants. It
produces healthy, high-quality fish that can either be used to stock lakes for
people who like to fish or sold directly to markets for consumption.
Fish can be raised in wide open waters or in smaller tanks
depending on space availability and the species of fish. Fish-farming has a
long history and has played a culturally important role for those who do it.
For over 4,000 years, the Chinese have bred and raised a meaty carp and the
Japanese have farmed koi that can often sell for thousands of dollars.
Hydroponics is a system that, instead of
growing plants in the soil, grows them in a “nutrient solution” or water
jam-packed with plant food. Plants “eat” and “drink” through a recirculating
system.
At home, you can model this by planting a small plant in a 2
liter bottle with a string connecting the nutrient solution in the bottom to
the plant bed. In an urban farm,
however, highly technical systems can grow many rows of crops that are layered
on top of one another so that a very small area can have a high crop density.
If an environment allows, a hydroponic farm can benefit
greatly from an aquaculture farm. In an earlier blog post, Frannie demonstrated that old fish water can
actually help grow beautiful gardens. Aquaponics does that on a much larger
scale, repurposing the nutrient-rich water from the fishery tanks to feed the
plants in the hydroponic system. The plants and micro-organisms clean the water
that is then returned to the fish tank. This provides a mutually beneficial
environment for both the fish and the plants, and results in two crops (the
fish and the plants).
In urban environments farmers have to be creative in the way
they use space and water, but ultimately they can be very productive. Share with us some of your creative ways to use water and space and check out past blogs to learn more about irrigation!
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