Aquaponics, Gina explains to the 20 or so interested individuals gathered, creates a closed system that optimizes the growing of clean and nutritious food. “We got into this business after getting into organics and just wanting clean, fresh food,” she explains. Though Green Acre is not certified organic, it builds from the values and beliefs of organic standards. First and foremost, the system is sustainable.
It all begins with the fish – 280 tilapia swimming in a rearing tank, producing valuable fertilizer in the form of fish waste. The only fertilizer Green Acre buys is in the form of fish flakes as feed. This all-natural system then pumps the water through a series of sieves in order to sift out the “good stuff,” which is then pumped in an S-shaped pattern through multiple troughs, where plants sit in basket-like cups set in trays floating on water. Gravity pulls the water through the system. At the lowest point, a 118 watt pump moves the water back the rearing tank, where it is oxygenated and the whole cycle begins again. The entire system is closed and sustainable. The 118 watt pump will soon be operated with solar energy to make the entire system renewable.
Aquaponic classes are taught at the farm, where Gina and partner Tonya Penick share their knowledge and experience with aquaponics system. This system is not only clean and sustainable, but also scalable. “We do it on a commercial level, but it could work even on a condo balcony…We want to teach as many people as possible about growing food this way.”
Gina is careful not to be too idealistic about the aquaponic system, emphasizing that we still need conventional farming for grains. Work is being done on growing rice in aquaponic systems, however, corn and soy are a long way off, if not impossible, to grow aquaponically due to the mass acreage required. “What we can hope for is to grow everything else this way [aquaponically]. We can take some of the burden off the big-ag businesses and more land can be used effectively,” Gina continues, echoing many of the same conclusions by Jonathan Foley in a recently posted TED talk. In his talk, Foley asked people to come together at the table to find solutions, combining the best of organic, local, and even GMOs. Aquaponics could easily be added to that solution, using 90% less water than conventional methods and delivering clean food directly to the consumer – potentially even at the hands of the consumer, as local farmers are reaching out and teaching innovative methods through tours and classes like those offered at Green Acre Organics.
Think before you eat,
Winter 2012 Tampa Food Warrior
This post is from one of the interns in the Real Time Farms Food Warrior Internship Program. These interns are collecting data, pictures, and video on the growing practices of our nation’s farms, gathering food artisans’ stories, and documenting farmers markets. We all deserve to know where our food comes from! Boring legalese we feel we must include: this was written by a real live person who has their own opinions, which we value, but that do not necessary reflect, though they may (or may not), reflect the values and opinions of Real Time Farms. That is for you to guess and us to know.
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