Economic Viability in Commercial Urban Aquaponics
Economic Viability in Commercial Urban Aquaponics by Alexandre Joaris
CAPSTONE THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
Bsc Sustainability
LEIDEN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE THE HAGUE
Submitted to: Dr. Peter Houben
2015
Introduction
There is a growing academic concern that Earth will not be able to feed a human population that exceeds nine billion individuals. Thus, agriculture is an increasingly import focus of research and technology. Although, it has always been a large focus of research and efforts to develop this socio-enviro-economical sector further. Given that modern means of agriculture are suspected to be unsustainable and in large part non-environmentally friendly, this paper chooses to discuss these claims and find a remedying solution to a suspected future food crisis. One of these remedying solutions that will be the focus of this paper is the agricultural concept called Aquaponics. Aquaponics is a technological concept where the culture of fish and plants complement each other, replicating a natural nitrogen cycle in a closed artificial system. Using fish in an aquarium or pond, waste from the fish, containing ammonia, can be processed into nitrates by bacteria. These nitrates serve as nutrition for plants that are placed in a soil-less environment. Nitrates cause the water to be acidic, harmful to the fish, so after the plants remove the acidity and nitrates, the plants provide much needed clean, oxygenated water to the fish. The fish feed the plants, and the plants act as a bio-filter for the fish. (Diver & Rinehart, 2006, 2010)
Because of its advantages, aquaponics seems to represent a very promising alternative to industrial market gardening and horticulture. Developed further, aquaponics could satisfy modern food demands and provide a feasible alternative to other methodsof food production associated with environmental damages, altering planetary regulatory processes and being too inefficient to cope with
CAPSTONE THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
Bsc Sustainability
LEIDEN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE THE HAGUE
Submitted to: Dr. Peter Houben
2015
Introduction
There is a growing academic concern that Earth will not be able to feed a human population that exceeds nine billion individuals. Thus, agriculture is an increasingly import focus of research and technology. Although, it has always been a large focus of research and efforts to develop this socio-enviro-economical sector further. Given that modern means of agriculture are suspected to be unsustainable and in large part non-environmentally friendly, this paper chooses to discuss these claims and find a remedying solution to a suspected future food crisis. One of these remedying solutions that will be the focus of this paper is the agricultural concept called Aquaponics. Aquaponics is a technological concept where the culture of fish and plants complement each other, replicating a natural nitrogen cycle in a closed artificial system. Using fish in an aquarium or pond, waste from the fish, containing ammonia, can be processed into nitrates by bacteria. These nitrates serve as nutrition for plants that are placed in a soil-less environment. Nitrates cause the water to be acidic, harmful to the fish, so after the plants remove the acidity and nitrates, the plants provide much needed clean, oxygenated water to the fish. The fish feed the plants, and the plants act as a bio-filter for the fish. (Diver & Rinehart, 2006, 2010)
Because of its advantages, aquaponics seems to represent a very promising alternative to industrial market gardening and horticulture. Developed further, aquaponics could satisfy modern food demands and provide a feasible alternative to other methodsof food production associated with environmental damages, altering planetary regulatory processes and being too inefficient to cope with
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