We have recently taken an interest in urban agriculture and have been investigating how this form of agriculture can stimulate entrepreneurship starting with the City of Johannesburg. One of the most attractive form of urban agriculture is aquaponics. It is particularly relevant and suitable in cities where agriculture land is scares. Aquaponics is a combination of Hydroponics and aquaculture.
The former is a form of agriculture that does not involve the use of soil but
water and lots of chemical fertilisers, whereas aquaculture is the farming of
fish in holding ponds. Aquaponics which
combine both these is seen as an alternative to the use of chemical fertilisers
within hydroponics due to the fact that crops and plants are fertilised by the
waste generated by fish through a circulation process where the fish excrete
waste, which in turn fertilises plants and the water from the fish tanks is
cleaned by the plants during circulation. This systems has the great advantage
of growing plant crops while at the same time growing fish providing a variety
of nutrients from one agricultural facility. Aquaponics produces protein through fish with minimal
pollution of fresh water resources, and at the same time provides minerals and vitamins from crops. For more information, please check the article on this link: http://www.citylab.com/design/2013/03/farming-technique-will-revolutionize-way-we-eat/4880/ We also recently went on a tour of downtown JHB to view for ourselves the available roof top estate with the potential to be used for establishing aquaponics. We are still a long way to go as the success of the project, apart from funding, will need landlords to see the benefits of this initiative and partner with us for its success. See some of the views we experienced in downtown Johannesburg from the Top of Africa viewing deck located at the Carlton Centre. |
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