An Aquaponics system is basically a food production process that combines customary aquaculture with hydroponics. The plants and animals in an aquaponics system have a symbiotic connection with each other. Effluents from the aquatic animals (mainly fishes) are used by plants as food. During the entire process, plants purify water for the aquatic animals.
We can also say that aquaponics is a modern way of doing farming. Contrary to traditional farming, here, you only need two things - water and fish to get healthy food on your table daily. Aquaponics is slowly gaining popularity all over the world as many people are turning towards locally grown food that is produced in a sustainable way.
Setting up an aquaponics system in your home has many benefits and some of them are listed below:
1. Saves a lot of space
If you set up an aquaponics system at your home, you will be able to place all the plants closer than they usually are (especially in the gardens). Also the plant roots are submerged under the water which is very rich in nutrients. There are indeed a number of aquaponics fish species that can be raised along with the plants.
2. No soil pests
The best thing about an aquaponics system is that it will not harbor soil pests. Soil pests are not good for the plants as it destroys them completely. And then the only option left with you will be to remove the soil pests by using the pesticides. With an aquaponics system, you really don’t have to fear about soil pest infestation.
3. No weeding
Weeds are unwanted plants that grow beside the crops in the gardens. When we grow food by using the aquaponics system, it does not require any soil, resulting in fresh food without any weeding.
4. Low water usage
Here, water consumption is reduced by up to 90 percent as compared to the traditional farming method. For instance, a lettuce grown in soil needs about 15 liters of water to grow but in aquaponics, lettuce can be grown in just 2 liters of water. Moreover, much of those 2 liters water can be used again to fertilize soil crops.
5. Plants grow faster
In the aquaponics system, the plants will have an access to nutrients every time hence they will obviously grow faster. Vegetables like lettuce take a couple of months to grow but in an aquaponics system, the very same lettuce will need half the time to grow.
6. Less back straining
Here you will experience less back straining as the plants normally grows around your waist level and you don’t have to keep bending. In traditional gardening method you always have to bend and strain your neck and back to check your plants from weeding or pests.
7. Healthy and Balanced Meal
If you have an aquaponics system at home, it will provide you vegetables as well as protein, and this is not limited to just fish. Additional aquatic species can also be cultivated in the system like shrimp/crayfish and mussels/clams.
8. Generates income
If you have an aquaponics system at home, you are bound to boost your food production considerably because you can grow many vegetables in a very little space. As a result, you will be able to sell surplus production of vegetables as well as fish to earn extra earnings, granted that you have necessary licenses for it.
9. Year-round supply
Another big advantage of having an aquaponics at home is that you don’t have to wait for the products to be in season. Your products are available 365 days a year providing year-round supply.
10. Sustainable
Last but not the least, fish and produce here are grown sustainably, using less water, land, labor and energy. So isn’t it sustainable.
To conclude, aquaponics system offers an opportunity to grow food in an environment that is friendly as well as organic. By combining the production of organic vegetables along with fish in a natural ecosystem enable you to feed your entire family.
