Senior Thesis
How can underdeveloped countries benefit from the use of aquaponics in their food market?
Max Jaye
Senior Project Advisor: Kyle Edmonson
12th Grade Humanities
Animas High School
2/27/17
Introduction:
According to the United Nations, 2.8 billion people are currently living in water scarce conditions, meaning they do not have enough water to meet their basic societal needs. This has numerous negative effects on a society, the most serious of which are poor health and economic instability. This is not a problem that hurts first world countries, but primarily those that do not have a vibrant and stable economy. The lack of a sufficient water supply results in water-borne diseases, high prices for imported goods, and other problems that cannot be adequately dealt with by third world countries. Since the biggest contributor to water scarcity is agriculture, using roughly 70% of available water worldwide, we need a way to reduce the amount of water used for agricultural purposes (Water Scarcity). Luckily, aquaponics is a solution; it generates just as much food as conventional agriculture, while using only 1/10th the water (Water Facts).
Aquaponics is the combination of two efficient growing methods. The first is hydroponics, which is a process of growing plants that requires no soil. The plant receives its nutrients through a system that is focused and directed to the plant media often through pipes, meaning it is not at all constrained by the ground. This has the benefit of using far less water than traditional gardening because the nutrients are not lost through drainage through the soil. Instead they are delivered directly to the root of the plant. Hydroponics can be built vertically, on a rooftop, or even into a spaceship as long as the plants are receiving sun and the proper nutrients. The second system is aquaculture, which is the process of growing fish or aquatic plants. A water filter is required for aquaculture because certain chemicals in fish waste are toxic to the fish, and need to be removed from the system. Aquaponics is the combination of these two methods. Not only does it remove the need for a water filter, the fish waste is actually diverted through the plant media, which feeds the plants and gives them their required nutrients. This method is far more efficient than traditional agriculture, growing plants 30% faster (Water Facts).
Although most of the world’s water consumption takes place in first world countries, the problems related to water scarcity are most prevalent in undeveloped countries. If someone in the U.S. gets a waterborne disease, the odds are that medical treatment is easily available. First world countries can afford to pay higher import prices when the price of water rises, or when the supply is reduced. The first world has the luxury of believing that our water supply is never ending, however, it is these first world countries that are causing most of the world’s water problems through excessive water waste. They are not dealing with the effects as much as undeveloped countries, specifically those in Africa and Southwest Asia. Traditional agriculture has helped our society in countless ways, however the current state of our water consumption calls for a systematic change. Undeveloped nations need to make a change so that their citizens no longer suffer from water shortages. Aquaponics have the ability to help solve many of the life-threatening issues that these nations are facing.
Historical Background:
Although the industrial use of aquaponics has risen recently, the idea of running nutrient rich water through growing media has been around for ages. The Aztecs developed canals that ran through their city that diverted lake water to help feed their plants. The same method of Aquaponic growing was used by the Tiwanaku in Bolivia, and is common among today’s Aquaponic farmers. In China, Aquaponic use dates all the way back to before the common era. Since rice is able to grow in water, they would let eel, carp, and other fish live right in the rice, which would provide nutrients for the rich and speed up the growing process. Additionally, they would release ducks into the pond to eat the bugs that gathered in it, which would serve them as another food source. This was a controlled environment which consistently put out food and recycled their water. It has been said that one of the strongest attributing factors to ancient Chinese civilization’s success was their agricultural security. The ancient Babylonians also used aquaponics by digging out bowls by a river to store water for their plants to absorb (Shah).
While these methods were extremely effective for ancient societies, the use of it slowed until almost entirely disappearing in the Industrial Era. The reason for this has many layers. First, we began using our crops for many different reasons, thereby increasing the demand. As the population grew, we needed to feed more mouths, and while this was happening we found many more ways to use our crops than ancient civilizations. This means that if a farmer wants to grow corn, he can sell it by the cob, to make corn syrup, for animal feed, etc. Second, we became more concerned with quantity than quality. Although aquaponics can create the same amount of food as traditional agriculture, it is not as easy on the farmer. Instead of having automated sprinklers and large equipment do the vast amount of work, Aquaponics require keeping track of the balance of nutrients, and often require more specific infrastructure. If a farmer can grow his crops with ease outside, without having to build anything, conventional farming seems like the best option. Last, water is now less of an issue than it used to be. We can now store water for long periods of time and send water products across the world, partially reducing the need for each community to have their own sustainable agricultural methods. While the combination of these factors make it very tempting to use traditional agriculture, water issues are beginning to present themselves again. With the reincorporation of aquaponics into our agricultural industry, these problems will be greatly reduced.
Evidence and Analysis:
When addressing whether aquaponics would be helpful for our society, it is important to recognize the ineffectiveness and inefficiency of traditional agriculture. One way it is extremely wasteful, is with its use of space. A shocking 37% of Earth’s habitable land is used for agriculture (Unit 7: Agriculture // Section 2). With the growth of our population increasing constantly, this could ultimately have many effects. First, it would result in vast amount of deforestation which is said to be the cause of 23% of manmade carbon dioxide emissions (How Do). Also, the more international trade we have, the more we pollute. Although the use of ships is not extremely taxing on our environment, whenever we use airplanes to transport food it causes extremely high carbon emissions. This is not only making it harder on our environment, but it is hurting us as well. The World Health Organization concluded that 1 in 8 premature deaths last year were linked to air pollution (7 Million). If we are going to continue our agricultural habits, not only will we continue to pollute our world, but we will need 50% more land by 2050 (Earth)! Since aquaponics have the ability to grow without soil, you can build them vertically. As long as there are pipes that are able to get water to your plants, it does not matter where they are. This virtually eliminates the space issue, as we will always have room to build upwards. Additionally, farmers in undeveloped can avoid the need to purchase land, as they can grow aquaponics in their house, in a warehouse, or even underground if it has lights. This expands the market drastically, because most people cannot afford to buy acres upon acres of land, meaning undeveloped countries will have a better chance of localizing their food market. While land itself was not an issue before the common era, it was hard to manage large amounts of land with the technology that was available at the time. Now that land is becoming more limited, we need to reconsider how we use it and commit to implementing soilless growing into our agriculture. The more land we use for grazing or agriculture, the less trees we have to clean up the pollution that agriculture leaves behind. Interestingly, China is currently tackling both of these issues by growing aquaponic gardens up the sides of skyscrapers, which helps reduce carbon emissions as it rises up into the atmosphere. This also vastly increases the amount of space they have to grow, allowing for more living space. Since China is extremely overpopulated, this is a brilliant way to provide for their growing population, while preserving natural resources.
Another way conventional farming is hurting our food market is through the use of monocropping. Agriculture has been focused to the point where our diets have very little diversity. In fact, it is estimated that 90% of the average person’s diet is comprised of only 15 different plants (Study). At first glance this does not seem extremely troubling, but the effects of it run deep in our food market. First, it has become economical for us to use corn due to its mass-production and low price. For example, a company might use high-fructose corn syrup to mimic sugar despite it being much less healthy. Not only is it more healthy for us to diversify our diets, the lack of diversity has much bigger implications than a spike in obesity. If we continue using the crops we are using, it will lead to the extinction of 25% of known plant species (Study). This is because of the way we are cutting the plants down combined with our lack of use of other plants.
The reality is that in traditional agriculture it is a lot easier to grow a lot of one crop, but this is not true with aquaponics. Since crop fields have particular needs, it is much easier to grow the same crop. A farmer might not want to use his land to grow multiple crops because to do so is time consuming, and requires significant physical labor. Also, some plants require more nutrients than others, such that they might not be able to coexist efficiently in the soil. These issues are nonexistent with aquaponics. Since plants are getting mass amounts of the nutrients they need, there is no risk of any plant surviving to the others detriment. Also, since the system runs itself except for fish food, there is little effort in keeping each plant clean and thriving. Aquaponics do not solve this problem, however they give us the tools to. Often times countries export just a few crops. This is not just because of how our society abuses these top 15 crops, it is also because certain environments only allow for the growth of certain plants. Aquaponics allows us to make our own environment. You could potentially grow cactus in Alaska as long as you have the proper indoor heating and lighting. Ancient cultures could not do this with aquaponics because they still used an outdoor system that relied on the appropriate weather. Now we have the technology to grow just about anything, wherever we want. Monocropping is a problem that deserves attention and with aquaponics, we can more easily eliminate it.
Lastly conventional agriculture is inefficient through the use of its water. This graph compares the relative water used in agriculture throughout different continents:
"AQUASTAT - FAO's Information System on Water and Agriculture." AQUASTAT - FAO's Information System on Water and Agriculture. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2017.
The compelling portion of this data is that the continents that proportionally use the most water, are also the ones struggling the most with water scarcity and malnourishment. This means that they stand to gain the most out of an agricultural system that greatly reduces water usage. Since aquaponics are able to grow the same amount of food by only using 10% as much water, this makes aquaponics extremely vital in the process of lowering our overall water use. Additionally, it not only grows the same amount of plants 30% faster, but it has the additional biomass output of fish (Water Facts). If Asia and Africa were to implement aquaponics into their society, the effects on water would be tremendous and surpass agriculture. It would reduce the societal pressure on the local water system, meaning people would not have to use the same water for bathing, drinking, and growing. The water supply would not be exhausted by agriculture, so the water sources could be separated into the people’s different needs. This would effectively reduce waterborne diseases such as typhoid, malaria, and diarrhea, which are common in Africa and Asia. According to the World Health Organization, 35% of under 5 year old deaths are due to pneumonia, malaria, or diarrhea (Child Mortality). Each of these diseases is waterborne, and mostly found in Sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of Asia. Not only would agricultural water reduction help the economy of these struggling countries, it would also increase their citizens’ quality of life and life expectancy.
The reason that aquaponics have not been implemented into these countries as of yet, is a reflection of the current agricultural model, where quantity is most important. Currently we have found a way of growing that works for us, and since these underdeveloped countries are facing issues such as climate change and water scarcity already, it is hard for them to see how their current agricultural model is contributing to these problems. Additionally, the amount of knowledge it takes to start an aquaponic farm is much more than it takes to start a traditional one. If a farmer is going to grow wheat, that is all they have to know. They need to know when the wheat needs to be harvested, how much water to give it, and possibly what pesticides to use. Alternatively, if someone wants to start an industrial sized aquaponic system, they need to have extensive knowledge of symbiosis, they need to be able to construct the system in an efficient way which is not obvious, and lastly, they need to balance both fish and plant nutrients because if one of the two biomass outputs dies, the whole system will fail as well. Additionally, most of the work done on a conventional farm is physical labor, making it slightly easier to infiltrate the market. This work is extensive, and is comparable to the work that it takes to set up an aquaponic system. However where aquaponics differ, is in their maintenance. Once you have calculated the required nutrients that your system must obtain, the only thing you need to put into the system is fish food, and it will run itself. All things considered, aquaponics are much more intimidating to start. People like the idea of selling one thing, and mass-producing that one thing in the most efficient way possible. This is the exact mentality that led to the extinction of 93% of known plant species, as well as desertification, and the use of pesticides and fertilizer(National Geographic). Aquaponics leaves room for the advantages that this idea can have, but eliminates the downsides such as mass-extinction, natural pollution, and fertilizer use. If quantity is what we are worried about, then we must think of this in several different ways. Not only do aquaponics give more quantity for a given amount of water or space, they do so with a given amount of time. The only thing keeping aquaponics out of the agriculture picture, is us undervaluing these efficiencies. We are currently much more concerned with the ease of traditional farming.
Ultimately, aquaponic systems are more intimidating to set up. Not only do they require additional content knowledge, but lack of this knowledge would result in the overall failure of the system as opposed to traditional agriculture that’s failure possibilities are limited to nature. It seems much more intimidating to start a system that also involves fish, however it brings all of the variables into our control which can be extremely advantageous for impoverished areas. There are many ways through which aquaponics can be implemented into these countries that do not involve the same obstacles presented in someone starting their system from the ground up. One way for countries to do this would be by adopting a product. This can serve as system that is already made so that the production factor is taken out, and the only content knowledge required involves the biology of the system. The other way to implement aquaponics would be simply through farmers beginning to use them more. It is generally accepted that this will not happen until it is more cost effective for the farmers. If the water price continues to skyrocket in these developing countries, and land becomes more of an issue due to overpopulation, then at some point aquaponics will be more cost effective. It is not easy to tell when this point will be, or if we are currently there, however once it is reached and the development of aquaponic technology is increased, the market will expand at a significant rate. Aquaponics could serve these countries as a clean alternative to current agriculture, and an overall patch to the idea of water scarcity and malnutrition. If we are going to create a model that serves the needs of underdeveloped countries, than we need to be less concerned with difficulty and more concerned with efficiency.
Conclusion:
If aquaponics are going to make as big of an impact as they are capable of, we need to begin researching them more significantly. Not only would it be much easier to implement these systems if there was better agricultural education, but we must begin to value the idea of resource efficiency much more. One number that would help the overall problem a lot, would be a representation of the food that can be produced in both aquaponics, and traditional agriculture, given a certain amount of money. This value would certainly be different in each countries, and would differ based on the size of the systems. One advantage to our current system is that it is easy for a farmer to calculate the expansion prices of his farm, as they are relatively linear. Aquaponics however, are most expensive at first because you need infrastructure, pumps, and additional energies sources. Given the unpredictability of these prices, it would be helpful to see how much a dollar could get you in either system. If this value is not found, then it will be far less likely for farmers to risk going outside of the norm and build aquaponics.
Conventional agriculture is responsible for many great things in our society, and will always have a place in feeding the planet. However, we cannot continue abusing it the way we are, and we must therefore implement aquaponics into our food system as well. If we keep expanding our grazing lands, our available lands will shrink, and result in even more overpopulated cities. Additionally, it would result in even more deforestation which would only speed up our rate of pollution. Aquaponics will greatly reduce space issues, allowing us to grow plants and fish virtually wherever we want. The need for insecticides and pesticides will be reduced. Our need to transport food will be reduced, thereby reducing the amount of carbon we release into the environment. Global warming and pollution would thus be minimized. Since plants will grow 30% faster, a healthy and varied food supply will be increased.
Furthermore, monocropping will lead to the extinction of ¼ of our plant species, and take a toll on our health. Although aquaponics do not unilaterally solve this problem, with the localization of diversified food markets, it can allow us to eliminate the need for monocropping. Each country can have its own ‘global’ food market, and be able to grow whatever they want regardless of the weather. Lastly, we do not have enough water to keep doing what we are. If the expansion of agriculture is speeding up, then so is our water use. Since we are facing water problems in undeveloped countries, this would effectively increase their water scarcity and the many health problems that follow. Aquaponics can cut our main use of water down significantly, and leave third world countries clean water to meet their basic needs. Aquaponics cannot immediately replace our food market. It has to be developed to the point where it becomes worth it for countries to jump on board. Aquaponics have the ability to relieve undeveloped countries of their seemingly unsolvable issues.
Bibliography:
"Agriculture at a Crossroads." Global Agriculture. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Agriculture, Value Added (% of GDP)." Agriculture, Value Added (% of GDP) | Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.
"AQUASTAT - FAO's Information System on Water and Agriculture." AQUASTAT - FAO's Information System on Water and Agriculture. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2017.
"Child Mortality." WHO. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
Climate Science Glossary." Skeptical Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
"National Geographic Magazine - NGM.com." National Geographic Magazine - NGM.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2017.
"Facts and Statistics about Water and Its Effects." The Water Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.
"Farming Claims Almost Half Earth's Land, New Maps Show." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
"How Do Trees and Forests Relate to Climate Change?" The Ultimate Climate Change FAQ. Guardian News and Media, 11 Feb. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
"Livestock on Grazing Lands." Livestock on Grazing Lands. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
"Malnutrition." UNICEF DATA. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.
Masten, Thomas, Jay Noel, and Eivis Patrela. "A Benefit Transfer Estimation of Agro-Ecosystems Services." Western Economic Forum (n.d.): 2009. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.
Nuwer, Rachel. "BBC - Future - Is the World Running out of Space?" BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
Shah, Puja. "Has Aquaponics Driven The Most Powerful Nations in Human History?" Ancient Explorers. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.
Snyder, Michael. "Agriculture, Value Added (% of GDP)." Agriculture, Value Added (% of GDP) | Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.
"Surprising Facts About the Nutritional Value of Corn." Dr. Axe. N.p., 10 May 2016. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
"Unit 7: Agriculture // Section 2: Earth's Land Resources." The Habitable Planet Unit 7 - Agriculture // Online Textbook. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
"Water Facts | The Water Information Program." Water Facts | The Water Information Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.
"Water Scarcity Issues: We're Running out of Water." FEW Resources.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.
"Women Spend 40 Billion Hours Collecting Water." Women Spend 40 Billion Hours Collecting Water | Inter Press Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
Max Jaye
Senior Project Advisor: Kyle Edmonson
12th Grade Humanities
Animas High School
2/27/17
Introduction:
According to the United Nations, 2.8 billion people are currently living in water scarce conditions, meaning they do not have enough water to meet their basic societal needs. This has numerous negative effects on a society, the most serious of which are poor health and economic instability. This is not a problem that hurts first world countries, but primarily those that do not have a vibrant and stable economy. The lack of a sufficient water supply results in water-borne diseases, high prices for imported goods, and other problems that cannot be adequately dealt with by third world countries. Since the biggest contributor to water scarcity is agriculture, using roughly 70% of available water worldwide, we need a way to reduce the amount of water used for agricultural purposes (Water Scarcity). Luckily, aquaponics is a solution; it generates just as much food as conventional agriculture, while using only 1/10th the water (Water Facts).
Aquaponics is the combination of two efficient growing methods. The first is hydroponics, which is a process of growing plants that requires no soil. The plant receives its nutrients through a system that is focused and directed to the plant media often through pipes, meaning it is not at all constrained by the ground. This has the benefit of using far less water than traditional gardening because the nutrients are not lost through drainage through the soil. Instead they are delivered directly to the root of the plant. Hydroponics can be built vertically, on a rooftop, or even into a spaceship as long as the plants are receiving sun and the proper nutrients. The second system is aquaculture, which is the process of growing fish or aquatic plants. A water filter is required for aquaculture because certain chemicals in fish waste are toxic to the fish, and need to be removed from the system. Aquaponics is the combination of these two methods. Not only does it remove the need for a water filter, the fish waste is actually diverted through the plant media, which feeds the plants and gives them their required nutrients. This method is far more efficient than traditional agriculture, growing plants 30% faster (Water Facts).
Although most of the world’s water consumption takes place in first world countries, the problems related to water scarcity are most prevalent in undeveloped countries. If someone in the U.S. gets a waterborne disease, the odds are that medical treatment is easily available. First world countries can afford to pay higher import prices when the price of water rises, or when the supply is reduced. The first world has the luxury of believing that our water supply is never ending, however, it is these first world countries that are causing most of the world’s water problems through excessive water waste. They are not dealing with the effects as much as undeveloped countries, specifically those in Africa and Southwest Asia. Traditional agriculture has helped our society in countless ways, however the current state of our water consumption calls for a systematic change. Undeveloped nations need to make a change so that their citizens no longer suffer from water shortages. Aquaponics have the ability to help solve many of the life-threatening issues that these nations are facing.
Historical Background:
Although the industrial use of aquaponics has risen recently, the idea of running nutrient rich water through growing media has been around for ages. The Aztecs developed canals that ran through their city that diverted lake water to help feed their plants. The same method of Aquaponic growing was used by the Tiwanaku in Bolivia, and is common among today’s Aquaponic farmers. In China, Aquaponic use dates all the way back to before the common era. Since rice is able to grow in water, they would let eel, carp, and other fish live right in the rice, which would provide nutrients for the rich and speed up the growing process. Additionally, they would release ducks into the pond to eat the bugs that gathered in it, which would serve them as another food source. This was a controlled environment which consistently put out food and recycled their water. It has been said that one of the strongest attributing factors to ancient Chinese civilization’s success was their agricultural security. The ancient Babylonians also used aquaponics by digging out bowls by a river to store water for their plants to absorb (Shah).
While these methods were extremely effective for ancient societies, the use of it slowed until almost entirely disappearing in the Industrial Era. The reason for this has many layers. First, we began using our crops for many different reasons, thereby increasing the demand. As the population grew, we needed to feed more mouths, and while this was happening we found many more ways to use our crops than ancient civilizations. This means that if a farmer wants to grow corn, he can sell it by the cob, to make corn syrup, for animal feed, etc. Second, we became more concerned with quantity than quality. Although aquaponics can create the same amount of food as traditional agriculture, it is not as easy on the farmer. Instead of having automated sprinklers and large equipment do the vast amount of work, Aquaponics require keeping track of the balance of nutrients, and often require more specific infrastructure. If a farmer can grow his crops with ease outside, without having to build anything, conventional farming seems like the best option. Last, water is now less of an issue than it used to be. We can now store water for long periods of time and send water products across the world, partially reducing the need for each community to have their own sustainable agricultural methods. While the combination of these factors make it very tempting to use traditional agriculture, water issues are beginning to present themselves again. With the reincorporation of aquaponics into our agricultural industry, these problems will be greatly reduced.
Evidence and Analysis:
When addressing whether aquaponics would be helpful for our society, it is important to recognize the ineffectiveness and inefficiency of traditional agriculture. One way it is extremely wasteful, is with its use of space. A shocking 37% of Earth’s habitable land is used for agriculture (Unit 7: Agriculture // Section 2). With the growth of our population increasing constantly, this could ultimately have many effects. First, it would result in vast amount of deforestation which is said to be the cause of 23% of manmade carbon dioxide emissions (How Do). Also, the more international trade we have, the more we pollute. Although the use of ships is not extremely taxing on our environment, whenever we use airplanes to transport food it causes extremely high carbon emissions. This is not only making it harder on our environment, but it is hurting us as well. The World Health Organization concluded that 1 in 8 premature deaths last year were linked to air pollution (7 Million). If we are going to continue our agricultural habits, not only will we continue to pollute our world, but we will need 50% more land by 2050 (Earth)! Since aquaponics have the ability to grow without soil, you can build them vertically. As long as there are pipes that are able to get water to your plants, it does not matter where they are. This virtually eliminates the space issue, as we will always have room to build upwards. Additionally, farmers in undeveloped can avoid the need to purchase land, as they can grow aquaponics in their house, in a warehouse, or even underground if it has lights. This expands the market drastically, because most people cannot afford to buy acres upon acres of land, meaning undeveloped countries will have a better chance of localizing their food market. While land itself was not an issue before the common era, it was hard to manage large amounts of land with the technology that was available at the time. Now that land is becoming more limited, we need to reconsider how we use it and commit to implementing soilless growing into our agriculture. The more land we use for grazing or agriculture, the less trees we have to clean up the pollution that agriculture leaves behind. Interestingly, China is currently tackling both of these issues by growing aquaponic gardens up the sides of skyscrapers, which helps reduce carbon emissions as it rises up into the atmosphere. This also vastly increases the amount of space they have to grow, allowing for more living space. Since China is extremely overpopulated, this is a brilliant way to provide for their growing population, while preserving natural resources.
Another way conventional farming is hurting our food market is through the use of monocropping. Agriculture has been focused to the point where our diets have very little diversity. In fact, it is estimated that 90% of the average person’s diet is comprised of only 15 different plants (Study). At first glance this does not seem extremely troubling, but the effects of it run deep in our food market. First, it has become economical for us to use corn due to its mass-production and low price. For example, a company might use high-fructose corn syrup to mimic sugar despite it being much less healthy. Not only is it more healthy for us to diversify our diets, the lack of diversity has much bigger implications than a spike in obesity. If we continue using the crops we are using, it will lead to the extinction of 25% of known plant species (Study). This is because of the way we are cutting the plants down combined with our lack of use of other plants.
The reality is that in traditional agriculture it is a lot easier to grow a lot of one crop, but this is not true with aquaponics. Since crop fields have particular needs, it is much easier to grow the same crop. A farmer might not want to use his land to grow multiple crops because to do so is time consuming, and requires significant physical labor. Also, some plants require more nutrients than others, such that they might not be able to coexist efficiently in the soil. These issues are nonexistent with aquaponics. Since plants are getting mass amounts of the nutrients they need, there is no risk of any plant surviving to the others detriment. Also, since the system runs itself except for fish food, there is little effort in keeping each plant clean and thriving. Aquaponics do not solve this problem, however they give us the tools to. Often times countries export just a few crops. This is not just because of how our society abuses these top 15 crops, it is also because certain environments only allow for the growth of certain plants. Aquaponics allows us to make our own environment. You could potentially grow cactus in Alaska as long as you have the proper indoor heating and lighting. Ancient cultures could not do this with aquaponics because they still used an outdoor system that relied on the appropriate weather. Now we have the technology to grow just about anything, wherever we want. Monocropping is a problem that deserves attention and with aquaponics, we can more easily eliminate it.
Lastly conventional agriculture is inefficient through the use of its water. This graph compares the relative water used in agriculture throughout different continents:
"AQUASTAT - FAO's Information System on Water and Agriculture." AQUASTAT - FAO's Information System on Water and Agriculture. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2017.
The compelling portion of this data is that the continents that proportionally use the most water, are also the ones struggling the most with water scarcity and malnourishment. This means that they stand to gain the most out of an agricultural system that greatly reduces water usage. Since aquaponics are able to grow the same amount of food by only using 10% as much water, this makes aquaponics extremely vital in the process of lowering our overall water use. Additionally, it not only grows the same amount of plants 30% faster, but it has the additional biomass output of fish (Water Facts). If Asia and Africa were to implement aquaponics into their society, the effects on water would be tremendous and surpass agriculture. It would reduce the societal pressure on the local water system, meaning people would not have to use the same water for bathing, drinking, and growing. The water supply would not be exhausted by agriculture, so the water sources could be separated into the people’s different needs. This would effectively reduce waterborne diseases such as typhoid, malaria, and diarrhea, which are common in Africa and Asia. According to the World Health Organization, 35% of under 5 year old deaths are due to pneumonia, malaria, or diarrhea (Child Mortality). Each of these diseases is waterborne, and mostly found in Sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of Asia. Not only would agricultural water reduction help the economy of these struggling countries, it would also increase their citizens’ quality of life and life expectancy.
The reason that aquaponics have not been implemented into these countries as of yet, is a reflection of the current agricultural model, where quantity is most important. Currently we have found a way of growing that works for us, and since these underdeveloped countries are facing issues such as climate change and water scarcity already, it is hard for them to see how their current agricultural model is contributing to these problems. Additionally, the amount of knowledge it takes to start an aquaponic farm is much more than it takes to start a traditional one. If a farmer is going to grow wheat, that is all they have to know. They need to know when the wheat needs to be harvested, how much water to give it, and possibly what pesticides to use. Alternatively, if someone wants to start an industrial sized aquaponic system, they need to have extensive knowledge of symbiosis, they need to be able to construct the system in an efficient way which is not obvious, and lastly, they need to balance both fish and plant nutrients because if one of the two biomass outputs dies, the whole system will fail as well. Additionally, most of the work done on a conventional farm is physical labor, making it slightly easier to infiltrate the market. This work is extensive, and is comparable to the work that it takes to set up an aquaponic system. However where aquaponics differ, is in their maintenance. Once you have calculated the required nutrients that your system must obtain, the only thing you need to put into the system is fish food, and it will run itself. All things considered, aquaponics are much more intimidating to start. People like the idea of selling one thing, and mass-producing that one thing in the most efficient way possible. This is the exact mentality that led to the extinction of 93% of known plant species, as well as desertification, and the use of pesticides and fertilizer(National Geographic). Aquaponics leaves room for the advantages that this idea can have, but eliminates the downsides such as mass-extinction, natural pollution, and fertilizer use. If quantity is what we are worried about, then we must think of this in several different ways. Not only do aquaponics give more quantity for a given amount of water or space, they do so with a given amount of time. The only thing keeping aquaponics out of the agriculture picture, is us undervaluing these efficiencies. We are currently much more concerned with the ease of traditional farming.
Ultimately, aquaponic systems are more intimidating to set up. Not only do they require additional content knowledge, but lack of this knowledge would result in the overall failure of the system as opposed to traditional agriculture that’s failure possibilities are limited to nature. It seems much more intimidating to start a system that also involves fish, however it brings all of the variables into our control which can be extremely advantageous for impoverished areas. There are many ways through which aquaponics can be implemented into these countries that do not involve the same obstacles presented in someone starting their system from the ground up. One way for countries to do this would be by adopting a product. This can serve as system that is already made so that the production factor is taken out, and the only content knowledge required involves the biology of the system. The other way to implement aquaponics would be simply through farmers beginning to use them more. It is generally accepted that this will not happen until it is more cost effective for the farmers. If the water price continues to skyrocket in these developing countries, and land becomes more of an issue due to overpopulation, then at some point aquaponics will be more cost effective. It is not easy to tell when this point will be, or if we are currently there, however once it is reached and the development of aquaponic technology is increased, the market will expand at a significant rate. Aquaponics could serve these countries as a clean alternative to current agriculture, and an overall patch to the idea of water scarcity and malnutrition. If we are going to create a model that serves the needs of underdeveloped countries, than we need to be less concerned with difficulty and more concerned with efficiency.
Conclusion:
If aquaponics are going to make as big of an impact as they are capable of, we need to begin researching them more significantly. Not only would it be much easier to implement these systems if there was better agricultural education, but we must begin to value the idea of resource efficiency much more. One number that would help the overall problem a lot, would be a representation of the food that can be produced in both aquaponics, and traditional agriculture, given a certain amount of money. This value would certainly be different in each countries, and would differ based on the size of the systems. One advantage to our current system is that it is easy for a farmer to calculate the expansion prices of his farm, as they are relatively linear. Aquaponics however, are most expensive at first because you need infrastructure, pumps, and additional energies sources. Given the unpredictability of these prices, it would be helpful to see how much a dollar could get you in either system. If this value is not found, then it will be far less likely for farmers to risk going outside of the norm and build aquaponics.
Conventional agriculture is responsible for many great things in our society, and will always have a place in feeding the planet. However, we cannot continue abusing it the way we are, and we must therefore implement aquaponics into our food system as well. If we keep expanding our grazing lands, our available lands will shrink, and result in even more overpopulated cities. Additionally, it would result in even more deforestation which would only speed up our rate of pollution. Aquaponics will greatly reduce space issues, allowing us to grow plants and fish virtually wherever we want. The need for insecticides and pesticides will be reduced. Our need to transport food will be reduced, thereby reducing the amount of carbon we release into the environment. Global warming and pollution would thus be minimized. Since plants will grow 30% faster, a healthy and varied food supply will be increased.
Furthermore, monocropping will lead to the extinction of ¼ of our plant species, and take a toll on our health. Although aquaponics do not unilaterally solve this problem, with the localization of diversified food markets, it can allow us to eliminate the need for monocropping. Each country can have its own ‘global’ food market, and be able to grow whatever they want regardless of the weather. Lastly, we do not have enough water to keep doing what we are. If the expansion of agriculture is speeding up, then so is our water use. Since we are facing water problems in undeveloped countries, this would effectively increase their water scarcity and the many health problems that follow. Aquaponics can cut our main use of water down significantly, and leave third world countries clean water to meet their basic needs. Aquaponics cannot immediately replace our food market. It has to be developed to the point where it becomes worth it for countries to jump on board. Aquaponics have the ability to relieve undeveloped countries of their seemingly unsolvable issues.
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TED Talk
Writing Goals
One goal I have within my writing is to be more definitive with my thoughts. Although the subject of writing is not one that is valued by its correctness, it is important to be confident with certain thoughts to have a more impactful form of persuasion. For example, in my seminar reflection I start a lot of my sentences with the phrase, “I think,” or, “In my opinion,” and it ultimately makes it look like I am less sure with my thoughts and that I am constantly reassuring the audience that it is okay to disagree with me. I think that this is implied, but ideally I should aim to convince the reader.
Secondly, I would like to procrastinate the beginning of my writing less. By this, I mean that it is most important for me to just start writing and I have a very hard time with that. I noticed that with my college essay I was not able to put out a good draft at first, I quickly saw what I needed to change. Although I often discourage myself because of this critical eye I have for my own work and it makes it hard to put something on the paper. I am constantly tearing myself apart in that regard but I would like to learn to be okay with putting mediocre words in my first draft. If I had put my first draft on paper the first day I was introduced this essay, I imagine I would have a much better product.
One thing I want to be able to do this year is learn how to optimize my word count. One problem I had junior year and with my college essay was coming right up to the word limit. While I am glad that I am not on the opposite side of the spectrum, it seems like sometimes I have trouble conveying my thoughts in the amount of time I am allowed. Part of my problem is that I cannot decide what exactly I want to say. Sometimes I get distracted and try to make points just because I touched near their content. This is the reason my three college essays had different key points in the paragraphs because I knew the story I wanted to tell I just did not know how to bring it home. If I am really going to grow as a writer this year, the one thing I can do is learn to plan my writing so that everything I say adds to the main point.
Secondly, I would like to procrastinate the beginning of my writing less. By this, I mean that it is most important for me to just start writing and I have a very hard time with that. I noticed that with my college essay I was not able to put out a good draft at first, I quickly saw what I needed to change. Although I often discourage myself because of this critical eye I have for my own work and it makes it hard to put something on the paper. I am constantly tearing myself apart in that regard but I would like to learn to be okay with putting mediocre words in my first draft. If I had put my first draft on paper the first day I was introduced this essay, I imagine I would have a much better product.
One thing I want to be able to do this year is learn how to optimize my word count. One problem I had junior year and with my college essay was coming right up to the word limit. While I am glad that I am not on the opposite side of the spectrum, it seems like sometimes I have trouble conveying my thoughts in the amount of time I am allowed. Part of my problem is that I cannot decide what exactly I want to say. Sometimes I get distracted and try to make points just because I touched near their content. This is the reason my three college essays had different key points in the paragraphs because I knew the story I wanted to tell I just did not know how to bring it home. If I am really going to grow as a writer this year, the one thing I can do is learn to plan my writing so that everything I say adds to the main point.