Solving Global Food Problems With Aquaponics Systems

The world population is constantly increasing at a rate that is considered not to be sustainable by most environmentalists. We are simply going to exhaust earth's resources at the expense of future generations. Food shortage continues to be a thorn in the flesh of most governments. Reliance on ineffective conventional farming methods has partly contributed to this scourge. Fortunately, man was gifted with a brain that continues to help in the trumping of most world problems; problems such as food shortage. We have come up with several technologies that go a long way in ensuring food abundance. One such technology is the aquaponics system.

What Is An Aquaponics System?

A portmanteau is a word that is made up of two or more words. 'Aquaponics' is a portmanteau made up of aquaculture and hydroponics. Aquaculture refers to the rearing of aquatic animals such as fish, snails and prawns. Hydroponics on the other hand refers to the cultivation of plants in water devoid of soil. As such, aquaponics is a food production system that relies on the seamless integration of aquaculture and hydroponics in a symbiotic, self sustaining environment. Aquaponics systems have a number of capabilities that make them one of the effective solutions to global food problems.

A Farming Solution That Requires No Soil

The statistics showing the percentage of arable land per country can be very disheartening. A huge portion of the land on earth does not have fertile soil. Lack of arable land has made most people throughout the world shy away from farming activities. The good news is that there is a solution that does not require soil at all. Aquaponics systems allow for production of bountiful harvests without soil. Plants such as cabbages, lettuce, roses, tomatoes, tomatoes and onions are all successfully grown in an aquatic environment. With aquaponics systems, more mouths can be fed and lives saved.

All Year Round Farming Regardless Of Climatic Conditions

Aquaponics systems allow all year round farming regardless of the prevailing climatic conditions. Indeed there are areas in the world such as the Arctic regions and African deserts where the climate is harsh to farming. Other places also have their fair share of tough winter seasons. With aquaponics systems, one can therefore not cite tough climatic conditions as an excuse of not engaging in farming activities. The energy supply in aquaponics systems allows them to have environmental control and therefore achieve ambient temperatures and continuity at all times.  This in turn allows for all year round food production that helps feed the world population. Instead of spending significant amounts of money on chemical fertilizers and other expensive ways of solving the food problem, governments especially in emerging economies can invest in aquaponics systems.

Minimal Food Loss To Parasites

A significant portion of agricultural produce gets ravished by parasites that essentially mean lower produce. Farmers are forced to spend significant amounts of money on chemical sprays to tackle these parasites. This makes them demand higher prices on their produce in a bid to cut down on their losses. The nature of aquaponics systems make them uninhabitable to parasites thus ensuring abundant food production.