11 ms·

The real question is what are the water, energy, and labor hour inputs. Agricultural scientists and businessmen are no slouches. If this were truly an economi

The real question is what are the water, energy, and labor hour inputs. Agricultural scientists and businessmen are no slouches. If this were truly an economical way to feed lots of people it would probably already be widespread. Most "high yield" methods you hear about, like raised beds and square foot gardening, basically amount to upping the watering.

samt 17y ago
I don't disagree but the FA does say: "In Australia, where gardeners have grappled with droughts for a decade, aquaponics is particularly appealing because it requires 80 to 90 percent less water than traditional growing methods."
- kingkongreveng_ 17y ago
  I didn't imply this in particular is water inefficient, just that it's probably inefficient in some way. I suppose this system really amounts to scrap food recycling. You're feeding the fish various waste organic material that was already grown on a real farm. The real question is probably: why not just feed it to pigs or goats, the traditional solution? Older folks tell me it was common for there to be residential garbage pickup, separate from trash. The garbage would be taken to farms.
  - niels_olson 17y ago
    We still have the in-ground iron slop bucket in our backyard. It has been filled with dirt, but the neighbor who has worked in this neighborhood since the 1940s (he's black, so back in the day he couldn't live here, but as a kid he pulled the white ladies' groceries in his wagon for tips), said that the farmers would contract for the slop and pick it up on a regular schedule.
  - deleted 17y ago
    [deleted]
  - Nwallins 17y ago
    > The real question is probably: why not just feed it to pigs or goats, the traditional solution? The fish are hungry, that's why not. Aquaponics takes care of the fish waste and plant food, but there is still the question of fish food. Nom nom.
warfangle 17y ago
Ah, that's the point of aquaponics. While the plants are watered more than typical planting, the water is conserved and enriched naturally in the fish tank.
evgen 17y ago
Since most raised bed gardening methods I am aware of tend to decrease water usage I am wondering where you are getting this "upping the watering" notion. Any citations perhaps?
stellar678 17y ago
I've heard of at least one large-scale system outside of Guadalajara: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1zv_TUTbGY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1zv_TUTbGY It seems funny to presume that our large-scale food industry is any better at operating in an efficient and economical manner than any other established industry. Computer industry? Up-ended by garage hackers. Music industry? Up-ended by dorm room hackers. It seems reasonable to think that enough people experimenting with agriculture can do the same thing. If you dig into the Backyard Aquaponics forums, there are plenty of people who are producing more fish and vegetables than they know what to do with, working only in their off hours.

samt 17y ago

I don't disagree but the FA does say: "In Australia, where gardeners have grappled with droughts for a decade, aquaponics is particularly appealing because it requires 80 to 90 percent less water than traditional growing methods."

kingkongreveng_ 17y ago
I didn't imply this in particular is water inefficient, just that it's probably inefficient in some way. I suppose this system really amounts to scrap food recycling. You're feeding the fish various waste organic material that was already grown on a real farm. The real question is probably: why not just feed it to pigs or goats, the traditional solution? Older folks tell me it was common for there to be residential garbage pickup, separate from trash. The garbage would be taken to farms.
- niels_olson 17y ago
  We still have the in-ground iron slop bucket in our backyard. It has been filled with dirt, but the neighbor who has worked in this neighborhood since the 1940s (he's black, so back in the day he couldn't live here, but as a kid he pulled the white ladies' groceries in his wagon for tips), said that the farmers would contract for the slop and pick it up on a regular schedule.
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]
- Nwallins 17y ago
  > The real question is probably: why not just feed it to pigs or goats, the traditional solution? The fish are hungry, that's why not. Aquaponics takes care of the fish waste and plant food, but there is still the question of fish food. Nom nom.

warfangle 17y ago

Ah, that's the point of aquaponics. While the plants are watered more than typical planting, the water is conserved and enriched naturally in the fish tank.

evgen 17y ago

Since most raised bed gardening methods I am aware of tend to decrease water usage I am wondering where you are getting this "upping the watering" notion. Any citations perhaps?

stellar678 17y ago

I've heard of at least one large-scale system outside of Guadalajara: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1zv_TUTbGY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1zv_TUTbGY It seems funny to presume that our large-scale food industry is any better at operating in an efficient and economical manner than any other established industry. Computer industry? Up-ended by garage hackers. Music industry? Up-ended by dorm room hackers. It seems reasonable to think that enough people experimenting with agriculture can do the same thing. If you dig into the Backyard Aquaponics forums, there are plenty of people who are producing more fish and vegetables than they know what to do with, working only in their off hours.