Analyzing the Environmental Burden of an Aquaponics System using LCA

Abstract

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations accepted that soil-less agricultural practices are among economic, scientific, and technological developments in the agriculture sector over the last 200 years. These emerging farming techniques (i.e., hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics) are environment friendly. They can be a good production system in a controlled indoor environment or open-air with few possible alterations. Aquaponics is a combination of two agriculture technologies: recirculation aquaculture and hydroponics, within a close loop. It is less energy-intensive, environment friendly, and less water consumption with a minimum requirement of chemicals or fertilizers. However, other factors govern their agricultural operations, such as climatic conditions, water quality, etc. Above all, it’s important if aquaponics is really resource-efficient and economically viable for small and marginal farmers. To understand the same, an environmental impact assessment of a small solar-powered aquaponics system is carried out using a simple life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The assessment provided visualization of potential benefits for farmers, which can be achieved with the help of the proposed system. The study also has highlighted if solar-powered systems are useful for agricultural production or grid-based power is more useful. The study’s research outcomes will support the further development of aquaponics systems for small and marginal farmers. One important limitation of aquaponics systems is water choice when encountering Indian agriculture in terms of groundwater and surface water quality. This development will lead to the growth of new agriculture systems for urban food systems.