Fish the Desert? Farm the Inner City? With Aquaponics, Yes!

Aquaponics is an innovative blend of aquaculture and hydroponics. Fish and plants are grown together in a system where the fish live in a tank and their waste – poop and ammonia – is broken down by bacteria into fertilizer for plants. Carl Webster, research biologist at the ARS Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Center in Stuttgart, AR, explained that the “wastewater” is an irrigation source that plants find nutritious and delicious in a soilless hydroponic environment. The plants associated with aquaponics typically include crops like lettuce, spinach, herbs, and even tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and peppers.

The result of this combination is a steady supply of fresh fish – channel catfish, hybrid striped bass, and tilapia – and vegetables that can be produced year-round just about anywhere, from an abandoned inner-city warehouse to a climate-controlled facility in the middle of a desert.

According to the United Nations, there will be more than 9 billion people living on our planet by 2050.

“We need to be smarter about how we grow food,” said Benjamin Beck, research leader at the ARS Aquatic Animal Health Research Unit in Auburn, AL. “Minimizing the space used to grow food and/or by growing more than one crop at the same time could help relieve pressure on land production of crops while still providing a locally grown source of food.”