Green cities and future food supplies: New opportunities for growth in aquaponics?

摘要

Aquaponics - a fusion of the words 'aquaculture' and hydroponics' - is also the fusion of two distinct production systems. Aquaponic systems operate by growing fish in tanks from which the waste is collected and passed to a biofilter where the largersolid particles are removed and organic matter is transformed to inorganic nutrients used to feed the plants. This cleans the water, which can then recycle back to the fish tanks, making aquaponics one of the most water-efficient production systems for both fish and plants. Normally the entire aquaponic production system is located in a greenhouse. However, in warmer climates, the fish can be reared in open ponds and the plants grown in a greenhouse, connected via the water recirculation system. Depending on the local climate, supply of fish and fish food, accesses to markets, and other cost constraints, aquaponics offers many opportunities for producing food efficiently and environmentally safely.