Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

This aquaponics stuff is really interesting. Its like a zeitgeist sort of thing at the moment it seems everyone I talk to about it is interested and just heard about it or already working on a project even.
I have been filming a woman in cumbria who is part of an aid charity that she and some elderly friends created. They collect container loads of things and then actually she takes them herself to wherever the disaster has happened. She has worked in Bosnia, Chechnia and most recently took support out to the earthquake victims in pakistan. She is now talking about raising money to create hydroponics systems for the communities in these areas to help them become self sustaining. I mentioned the added extra of fish - which seems to make even more sense. If she goes ahead with this do you know of any people with any experience of creating/ raising money /support for community based systems?

there are a few members here who are living and working in areas that require aid for community based projects, try Dthawk, jtjf_1.
Have a look through these threads, they might help you.

great thanks for this i will pass it on

Contact the Natural Resources Institute in Chatham Kent and see if they can point you in the right direction.

The Britsh government arm of the overseas aid programme in London used to be called ODA, (Overseas Development Aministration) I think that they are called something else these days.

The organisation would be connected to the Foreign Office.

Contact the equires department of these organizations, also FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) and any Aid charity that you can think of, such as OXFAM.

It is important that you are VERY explicit and list each of your questions clearly and precisely to get the best response.

Let us know...

Johnnie

thanks johnnie i'll email ODA And the NRI as a starter to see who is doing what already.

There was a project in Aceh. No Clue how that has gone as have heard no news. Right now i am working on ways to make the system more 3rd world friendly. IE cheap construction techniques, min power usage, etc. Be happy to share any info.

Hi ramblinrose,



I had someone contact me recently about setting up aquaponic systems in Africa and I spent a great deal of time and effort trying to talk him out of it.. For someone in a third world country, they need things like permaculture teachers to tech them how to grow food without any external inputs, so they aren't reliant on a technological method that requires power...

This may not be such an issue in eastern Europe, but I feel it is in the extremely poor third world countries..

I'm not knocking the fact that whe's trying to do something, thats great, but next time you talk with her, ask her to look up permaculture, it's great stuff...

Not wanting to reinitiate a debate as to what is or is not AP but there would be areas where pumping could be eliminated/minimised by using a flow through design. Papa New Guinea, High Lands of Ethiopia and anywhere else that had rivers or creeks that could be used. The need to pump could also be reduced by using species that are very tolerant of low levels of disolved oxygen.

Any system that has a low pumping requirement could probably have that requirement filled by a windmill made from local materials. Or if labour is cheap enough a human or even animal operated pump.

They could all be quite feesable in those areas SC, but the main comment I was refering to was about hydroponic systems and helping local people to become self sufficient..

The person I was refering to that wanted to set up systems in Africa wanted to set up systems the same as in my book, running on solar...

There is this bloke in Africa... incorporates permiculture and other aspects

http://www.aquaponicsafrica.co.za/the%20operation.html

There was a program that I advised on for PNG where the group involved was trying to raise money to buy villarges water tanks so they had somewhere reliable to store water for drinking.

My advice was to send some over there who was a lateral thinker who could identify local resources that could be developed with approprate training by the villagers themselves and then develop their own businesses that sell the developed product to neighbouring villages. Ideas that I'd had had as possibilities included well digging, barrel making, aqudect construction. Anything that was low technology and possible with mostly local resources. Once the opportunity had been identified then use the funds raised to send someone over there to teach the necessary skills. The best person I had in mind for the job was actually a friend of the head of the organisation (second was me ). Unfortunatley they didn't take my advice and bought them the tanks instead

Just didn't get that whole give a fish vs teach to fish thing.