Abstract
Aquaponics is a sustainable food production system combining hydroponics and aquaculture. Although the domestic/small-scale aquaponic production has proliferated worldwide, there is scarce knowledge about how it is performed. The objective of this study was to determine the profile and motivations of aquaponic producers, the characteristics of the facilities and the performance of the production. The average aquaponic producer is a middle-aged man, with a certain level of studies and a moderate household income. The main motivations reported were the production of high-quality, healthy food, the concern for the environment and the autonomy gained. These motivations conditioned the purposes of the aquaponic facilities (mainly education, production of food for self-consumption and as a hobby), which, excepting small sales, did not have an economic motive. Due to their characteristics, aquaponic facilities are particularly adapted for urban agriculture (many of them were located on rooftops) and most of those studied were constructed recently. The nutrient film technique was the most used hydroponic subsystem, followed by media beds, where mostly a polyculture of leaf and fruit vegetables and aromatics are produced. Tilapia was the most common fish species used. In general, there is a lack of proper knowledge and expertise about these complex systems in order to efficiently operate them.
Highlights
Aquaponics is the beneficial integration between hydroponics and aquaculture (Love et al 2014)
Aquaponics is considered a model of sustainable food production (Goddek et al 2015), an innovative farming technique with the potential to produce food to cope with the population growth and the impacts of climate change on food security (Wongkiew et al 2020)
26.4% of the respondents had their aquaponic systems in a yard, 22.6% in an agricultural plot, 18.9% on a rooftop, 11.3% inside their house, 9.4% in a garden and the remaining 13.3% in educational centres, sheds, greenhouses, terraces or periurban parks
Summary
Aquaponics is the beneficial integration between hydroponics (production of plants without soil) and aquaculture (production of aquatic animals) (Love et al 2014). The effluents from aquaculture are used as a nutrient solution for plant growth, improving the quality of the water that is returned to the fish (Hasan et al 2017) or disposed of. Aquaponics is considered a model of sustainable food production (Goddek et al 2015), an innovative farming technique with the potential to produce food to cope with the population growth and the impacts of climate change on food security (Wongkiew et al 2020). Smaller aquaponic systems are common when the aim is non-commercial
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