Aquaponics is starting to become one of the fastest growing methods of farming, and for good reason. There are many advantages of aquaponics systems over conventional farming, hydroponics, aeroponics and aquaculture. Hydroponics and aeroponics has it’s place, but has it’s problems and hasn’t caught on with main stream farmers and gardeners the way aquaponics is.
Aquaponics has the advantage of working with nature, and letting nature take over much of the process. Hydroponics and aeroponics can be too technical and hands on for most people. And with the growing demand for organic food, aquaponics hits the spot with both the organic produce and fish it produces.
All these systems have great advantages over conventional soil farming. Growing plants in the soil is the way we have produced food for thousands of years, since farming was invented. For many crops, it is still the best we have, but for many others, soil free growing systems are much more efficient. Aquaponics makes it both more efficient and practical.
Growing plants in the ground the conventional way is a fight against nature. We take a natural habitat, turn the soil upside down and try to grow something there that does not naturally belong. Every year we have to turn the soil again, exerting much labor and energy, and disrupting the natural biology. As a result we have to continuously add massive amounts of fertilizer and water to the soil. Most of the fertilizer and water are wasted, leaching into the ground or evaporating, and are not used by the plants.
With aquaponics, you create more of a permaculture that uses technology to work with nature in a controlled environment, instead of working against nature. Instead of upsetting the ecology by cultivating and starting over every year, you have an ongoing system that is allowed to mature and support an ongoing balance between mutually beneficial organisms. This is how systems in nature work and how natural habitats can create plants and animals for thousands of years or more without human intervention.
An aquaponics system will use only a fraction of the water and fertilizer that farming in the ground does. Since water and nutrients are fed directly to the plant roots, instead of dumping it all over the ground, only about 2% of the water is consumed with aquaponics. And without the need to cultivate soil, battle weeds and other pests, and make and distribute fertilizer, much less energy is used.
Another great advantage is the ability to combine aquaculture with growing plants. It allows both fish and plants to be farmed in the same space and with the same equipment and shared resources. There is an ever growing demand for organic food and safe farm raised fish. Aquaponics covers them both without the environmental pollution that is associated with farming fish and even plants.