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I'm Jason Green, CEO at Edenworks. And aquaponics evangelist. Here's why we think aquaponics is the best solution to global protein (and vegetable) production.
by jmgreen 11y ago
I'm Jason Green, CEO at Edenworks. And aquaponics evangelist. Here's why we think aquaponics is the best solution to global protein (and vegetable) production.
Tilapia are protein producing machines. They convert 1.1-1.3 lbs of feed to 1 lbs of protein in 9 months (some factors like temperature, feed rate at different stages of life, and other things affect this ratio). But here's the real kicker--by providing the nitrogen that crops need, the crops can then turn CO2 into into calories via photosynthesis. Super high quality produce becomes the extremely valuable byproduct, effectively, of aquacultured seafood.
From a global net energy perspective, this is huge. Where do you think that nitrate fertilizer for soybeans is coming from? The Haber-Bosch process is crazy energy expensive. Growing soybeans for protein also has huge environmental costs--see deforestation in Brazil for details. 80% of cultivable land on earth is already in use, but food production needs to increase by 70% by 2050. Protein production will need to double due to the rising global middle class. And that middle class wants fish.
On top of all that, there's the fact that people don't want to eat just soybeans for protein. There's now more seafood consumed globally than beef cattle. By 2030, 62% of all seafood will be aquacultured, and there are some suggestions that most of the wild seafood species we know will be either extinct or heavily depleted.
- tcdent 11y agoAquaponics is great from a numbers perspective. But so is Soylent... Myself, and other conscious humans, conscious of the consciousness in animals, are concerned about quality of life (this is not the same thing as Veganism). One example of a solution I deem unacceptable is raising rabbits for meat in stacked cages in an urban garage. (This has been advocated numerous times among various alternative food groups and I have read personal accounts of it's practice.) How are 4^3 IBC tank 'cages' any different? This has the potential to be the next theoretically-sterile factory farming failure, or a thriving, balanced ecosystem.
- rwallace 11y agoThat's one thing I like about the idea of producing protein-rich food by the methods described in the article: it has the potential to cut down on the perceived need to subject caged farm animals to a lifetime of torture.
- briHass 11y agoExcellent reply. The argument that animal protein production is more inefficient than directly eating the plant matter fed to the animal ignores the symbiotic relationship between plants and animals. Our extreme dependence on oil-based energy has tricked us into thinking that agriculture is sustainable without the use of animals. Of course, modern CAFOs are horribly wasteful as well, but that doesn't mean the plant/animal symbiosis isn't vital to the whole process. All very nicely illustrated by your work.
- fpp 11y agoCentral London now has residential prices per sq foot from about £1K-£5k+ ($1.5K-$7.6K+) - roof space is often the most expensive (read penthouse) and suitable roofs sparse (at least in London). How are you planning to find suitable space / scale in such conditions?
- gus_massa 11y agoI don't understand some of your claims: > They convert 1.1-1.3 lbs of feed to 1 lbs of protein in 9 months They eat 1.1--1.3 lbs of food each month during 9 months, that is 9x1.1 -- 9x1.3 = 9.9 -- 11.7 lbs in total and produce 1 lbs of protein? Or the eat in total only 1.1--1.3 lb of food during the 9 months an produce 1 lbs of protein? > But here's the real kicker--by providing the nitrogen that crops need The fishes don't fixate nitrogen. They can "free" some nitrogen compounds in their food, but the nitrogen compounds have to come from somewhere. IIRC only some bacteria can fixate nitrogen naturally, (i.e. transform some unuseful nitrogen from the air into useful nitrogen compounds, that may be used to build proteins). Some plants, like soy, are good host for these bacteria, but I never heard that fishes have a similar symbiotic relation.