Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

My thought is that this thread could highlight some of the mission work that is being done around the world that is utilizing aquaponics.

My wife and I have began to feel led to begin taking part in some form of missions work. As mentioned in many threads, AP systems lend themselves great at teaching people a sustainable way to produce fish and vegetables in most types of climates. I am personally very interested to find out who is already doing this type work and where this is already taking place.

DTHawk is our main contender, with Joyce as well. Of course, Travis Hughey (Aquaponic70) is the Barrelponics king. jtjf_1 in Indonesia as well.

I'm sure there are more.

"highlight some of the mission work that is being done around the world that is utilizing aquaponics."

I spent two years in Tanzania recently. (Not to teach AP, or even agriculture, but English.) As I reflect on what was really needed, I believe that in subsistence food growing the Third World was sold on the idea that it takes chemicals (fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides) to produce food. Initially, the results were convincing: abundant growth, high yields. However, as the soil became depleted of its original centuries-old fertility, the growers' dependence on chemicals became addiction. Now, they can't afford to keep buying our chemicals and are left with impoverished soil, deforestation, deserts, malnutrition---or worse.

Since my time in Tanzania, I have tried to encourage the friends I made there to return to the 'old' ways of farming, which was, of course, organic (like my great-great grandparents in Europe!).

AP seems to me to be an excellent way to offer a helping hand.

AP would work well in an area that had reliable power and access to spare parts for the system. Otherwise permaculture methods would be a much better option IMHO

Agreed, Steve. (Or aquaculture?)

Actually, there are water pumping windmills out there that could probably take care of AP so long as there are people to tend them. These are the rope pump windmills that don't need very much wind to operate and are already in use in many areas with little/no power for pumping water. It would need to be a very well planned system of course.

I guess it all depends also on the availability of labour and clean water to replace that used by evaporation and transpiration. There are certainly systems that could be built to be used without power - albeit also with lower fish stocking rates. These would involve the hand or mechanical (eg pedal driven pump) trasfer of water either directly into grow bed or into a header tank for slower release to beds.

I do however agree that permaculture and not Aquaponics is more likely to the be anwer to these food problems, but AP could well play a role in this permaculture system.

I spent 10 years in Ghana, West Africa. My main objective was to try and get the mission self-supported. We tried numerous projects, from raising chickens, snails, ground hogs and finally Oyster Mushrooms.
I wish I had known about Aquaponics 1o years ago, I could have done so much good for our people there. We came back to the US to get my Family and myself some college education. Just as soon as my wife and I get our BA's we will be headed back to Africa and I will be spreading AP everywhere I go, and I am sure I will have a lot of questions.
I don't have any property to put up a system out doors, but I am in the process of putting one together in my basement, my only concern is the lighting. Grow lights are very expensive.
Thanks - John

I am hoping that it catches on down here from our examples. The tropics is a great place for it due to the climate. People do have the money to build the systems - especially if I can show that we can do it easily.

Electricity here is very cheap due to hydroelectric.

This group ... http://www.morningstarfishermen.org/index.html ... seems to be doing exactly what this topic is about....

Already in Jamaica and Hiati and soon in Nicaragua..... http://www.morningstarfishermen.org/mis ... tunity.pdf

Maybe you could slip over and say hello CRT

Work in conjunction with the Rotary Organisation....

And here's a goup called "Lukes mission" that have a project in Haiti as well ....

http://www.lyontechnologies.com/aqua/vision.html

http://www.lyontechnologies.com/aqua/fondwa.html

http://www.lyontechnologies.com/aqua/aquaaction.html

Faith And Sustainable Technologies (F.A.S.T.)
is the website of Travis Hughey's outreach mission:
http://www.fastonline.org/
Travis is a very fine fellow and he was so nice to fill in for me in Nigeria at the end of this month at their first ever aquaculture training conference. He has done a lot of work in Kenya and is networked with others who are working in a variety of locations throughout the world. Drop him a line and he will be glad to fill you in.

Hello Aquaponics Industry.

Our Australian based team is facilitating a UVI Aquaponics System project in Rwanda, East Africa.

The plan is 3 UVI replicates over 3 years in a Aid & Devlopment Project known as the 'Village of Hope'

System I: Village food supply
System II: Village food supply & surrounding community
System III: Commercial system focus- Value-added crop Agribusiness e.g Sun-Dried Tomato's Basil Pesto, Herb Essential Oils

The 8 Millenium Development Goals are key principles behind this project development and facilitating Food Security, Poverty Reduction & Micro-Enterprise opportunities.

If you are attending the 2008 Australasian Aquaculture Conference in Brisbane Aug 3-6 (next week) - be sure to listen in to the presentation Aquaponics in Sub-Saharan Africa, is it Sustainable Hope.

A Global Industry is the Global Solution!!!

Our local scout group is teaching themselves about AP in the hopes that they can set up a system or 2 in a third world country in 2 years or so. They want to experiment with ap to see what works, what is simple etc etc... They had me out there a week or 2 ago to chat to them - they seemed serious about giving it a good go

All AP'ers are welcome to join Sustainable Hope in Rwanda.

Our Aid & Development Village, the 'Village of Hope' will cater for 60 houses & 600 Widows & Orphans of the 1994 Genocide.

Tilapia abound and stable annual tropical climate are to be enjoyed by all!

For those interested in a Missions type trip, let me know as we are largely a Volunteer group with a heart to make a difference.

Rwanda is an amazing experience!!!