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Explain agenda

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• Aquaponics is a technology used to grow fish and plants sustainably and it'sbased on the concept of a closed loop cycle.

• It also allows the fish waste to replace many of the nutrient salts and fertilizersused in other forms

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• A more complex example of an aquaponics system• Notice the loop

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• The cycle has four stages• Provides key nutrient nitrogen – in form of macronutrient• Closed cycle – fish create ammonia in waste, bacteria break it into nitrates, plant

absorb nitrates to get nitrogen, clean water returned to fish

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• Here is a more in-depth description of the Nitrification suite in which fish wastebecomes plant food

• One set of bacteria metabolize the ammonia, creating nitrites

• The next set of bacteria metabolize the nitrites, creating nitrates

• Managing this process is very important as ammonia and nitrites are highly toxicto fish, and even nitrates at certain concentrations become toxic.

• At the same time, a certain level of nitrates needed to be maintain so plants cangrow

• To manage these, a ratio of fish (and fish waste) and plants must be balance

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• Managing the nitrification is only one part of the task of Water QualityManagement

• Water Quality Management is a critical task in aquaponics as it can quickly andsignificantly disrupt a system killing fish or stunting plants

• Nitrogen is not the only nutrient – other nutrients are needed – systems aresometimes deficient in nutrients, especially Iron which may needed to besupplemented. Nutrient concentrations interact with each other and can limiteach other

• Other important aspects are pH which effects the productivity. Optimum pH forhealth and nutrient uptake in plants is usually in the range of 5.5 to 6. Nitrifyingbacteria on the other hand perform best (in terms of ammonia reduction) at pHlevels of 7 to 8.541 . Fish are usually intermediate in their requirements,generally preferring pH 6 to 7.

• Systems often go acidic so buffer is need

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• Temperature is important for fish as can kill them

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• Here are 3 findings that suggest aquaponics has great potential to save water

• Furthermore, the remaining water is not full of pollution that agricultural run off is –after all fish have to survive in it

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• Growth rates of plants are likely to be higher in aquaponic and hydroponiccompared with

conventional horticulture systems because of higher concentration in nutrients

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• Not system is perfectly independent of biosphere

• However, because of the lack of soil and closed loop water, it is less disruptivethan conventional farming

• Also, because it is not tied to the land or natural bodies of water, it can be usedin many circumstances where conventional farming cannot

• This could increase local food access

• Good example would be Northern Canada

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• Because of symbiosis, conventional forms of growth management and pestcontrol cannot be used

• For instance, herbicides and pesticides hurt the fish

• Chemicals to treat the fish will be absorbed by plants

• Increases difficulty of management, but also sustainability

• Micro-fauna and flora may inhibit mutual diseases of plants that hydroponicsoften face

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In my opinion, aquaponics is well established among hobbyists and there have beencommercial initiatives. A recent initiative is with Fresh City Farms at Downsview.

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• It is well established on a community level

• still relatively inexperienced community

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• still relatively inexperienced community

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• Survey and anecdotal suggest the majority of aquaponics community is private,individuals, so a lot of method and work is based on “art” rather than “science”

• This has help build systems, but science work is need to quantify and betterunderstand the capabilities of aquaponics

• A hole in the sustainable cycle of aquaponics is fish feed – not local, notsustainable

• Start ups looking to convert waste food to insect-based feed may provide protein

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• Complex technology, immature industry - growing pains I think that there largestbarrier is simply a lack of a mature industry infrastructure that new developingtechnologies lack. Since commercial efforts had really only begun about 20 yearsago, the industry is far from mature.

• “Perhaps the biggest single disadvantage of aquaponics systems from a financialpoint of view are the high fixed costs. Not only are capital costs high compared toother systems, but basic

operating costs – in particular power and a significant proportion of labour - arealso relatively inflexible and do not vary with output.”

• Need to quantify and better understand aquaponic systems

• A lack of aquaponic journals, aquaponic funding

• Currently it is difficult to compare different aquaponic methods and compareagainst proper baselines

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• Many naïve people starting aquaponics without properly understanding theimpact of economics, whether it makes system feasible or how it impactsoperations. Case studies and information would help

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• Aquaponics studies I have seen compare it poorly against conventionalagriculture with conventional accounting. However, conventional accounting hasproblems – it externalize current problems with conventional agriculture anddoes not properly account for future. In a world with less water, less ameniableweather, more soil eroion – how cheap is conventional agriculture. Metrics needto include economic/social costs and the future

• There are ironically barriers to aquaponics being organic, which could make itmore economically feasible, such as organic fish feed

• Regulatory systems are not use to this technology and more research-basedarguments are need to convince groups like the USDA that aquaponics isacceptable food

• Governments need to create better economic rules that internalize environmentcosts – we can argue with the laws of economic, but not physics and nature

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• To close, I would like to discuss an organization true and deep in my heart,University of Waterloo Aquaponics. As I have graduated, I am no longer part ofit, but would like to give some exposure to my ex-colleagues.

• I and a couple of other friends founded University of Waterloo Aquaponics in2011. The team aims to research, improve, and disseminate information aboutaquaponics food production to the University of Waterloo community, the regionof Waterloo and beyond.

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• Accomplishments include a 30 gallon flood drain system – this has been used toexpose public and member to aquaponics

• Public workshop giving basic aquaponics education – 40 people came

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• Provides great example of ecology, reminder of food sustainability, basic scienceconcepts like pH

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• aquaponics has a lot of potential in a myriad of areas, be it water conservation,better nutrition, robust food networks.

• the community is really passionate, really want to make a sustainable difference(if you pardon the pun)and has done a lot to prove the conceptual feasibility andincrease the interest in aquaponics.

• aquaponic has come to a new stage, and there are new requirements asaquaponics moves from the basement and backyards to commercial-level foodproduction.

• we need a system of clear and understand technical best practices, that helpmembers both within and outside of the community understand the capabilities,opportunities and risks of aquaponics.

• We need to support aquaponic farmers and investors with more economic casestudies, so they can properly determine what products best to produce whenand where.

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• Finally, we need the community needs to clearly and accurately explain thebenefits to policy makers so they can support aquaponics and start accounting thecost of conventional food production in a more complete way.

That is why I am now looking to help move the aquaponics commercial industry andam currently in the process of building an industry association to help achieve theseends and I am looking for help. If want to help, learn more about aquaponics, feelfree to contact me

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• The closed loop cycle has been utilized in human civilization in ancient China andAztec empire

• Modern day development began in 80’s,90’s

• Rackoy and his aquaponics team made significant contributions. StudyingRecriculating Agriculture, they were finding ways to remove waste from thewater and became interested in using biological means to remove the wastewhile creating a second crop.

• They built a large scale aquaponics system quantifying the performance

• Another significant research was Dr. Savidov of Alberta who looked into adaptingaquaponics into a green house system, allowing more versatility for using ofsystem

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