Aquaponic Farming Technology

"Farming on water: Stackable, sustainable, in the city"

Aquaponic Farming is a cool new sustainable food production system that combines a traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as fish, shrimp, or crayfish in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants with water) in a symbiotic environment. In the aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing the toxicity for fish. This water has led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are filtered out by plants as vital nutrients, after which the cleansed water is recirculated back to the animals.

John Edel is turning a former meatpacking plant in Chicago into one of these sustainable indoor farms. In the basement, microorganisms are eating tilapia waste, converting it into fertilizer for the lettuce, kale and wheatgrass growing in a shallow pool of water nearby. This technology essentially minimizes water use while allowing year-round harvests. This is an incredible way to turn an otherwise urban and unproductive area into a perfectly sustainable little ecosystem. Currently Edel is trying to expand this concept across multiple floors of the building - a vertical system like the one I read in a previous blog.

But within a few years, Edel says a complex food-production system will be in place, the key to which is a $1 million, yet-to-be-bought anaerobic digester. Everything, will be fed into it, from rotting tomatoes and meat, to brown and yellow grease. Edel anticipates receiving 2.1 million gallons a year of "beefy, sludge bioproduct" from a local food-flavoring maker. Once the farm is in place, it will likely be able to feed a vast majority of the local population.

Fresh food in an urban environment, who could want more?!

Check it out: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0410-confidential-edel-20110410,0,3210069.column?page=1