Farming for our future
The harsh drought period that hit Texas in April 2011 may have left some farmers in shambles, but for Mike Torres at Heart of Gold Organics – it inspired a change in his method of farming.
Torres and his wife, Vanessa, maintained a small outdoor garden prior to the drought that came to the Lone Star State approximately five years ago. With the water restrictions implemented during the dry period, the couple was unable to tend to their crops properly. After some extensive research, Torres discovered aquaponics, a unique farming method that conserves water – an issue that he finds crucial for today’s society.
“Agriculture continues to use water and use resources likes it’s never going to end,” Torres said. “But it will. What happens then? When all these fields dry up?”
Aquaponics is an agricultural system that combines hydroponics, a system that grows plants without soil, and aquaculture, a system that raises fish. The process relies on the symbiotic relationship between fish and plants. The fish produce wastes – microbes and worms – which is converted into a fertilizer for the plants. The plants suck the nutrients from the waste, filtering the water that is returned to the fish.
This biological system, where one system feeds another system, is sophisticated work said Steven Moore, Architecture and Planning Professor at the University of Texas. His expertise in sustainable technology sees potential for this method, as traditional farming methods are not environmentally or socially sustainable due to its fertilizer and water dependence.
The closed-loop fashion that enables water and nutrients to be recycled during the aquaponics process makes this system ideal for conserving water. It uses about ninety to ninety-five percent less water than traditional farming. Torres said aquaponics is a young method so the statistics are speculated, however, in his experience, he believes it.
Moore said society has made significant improvements in water conservation technology, such as the dual flushing toilets that only use a third of water than regular toilets. These technological advances can offset population growth, but only for the mean time.
“Technology matters,” he said. “But in the end, population will win.”
Approximately three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, however, less than 3-percent of that water is freshwater available for human consumption, according to waterinfo.org. With the world’s population increasing by about 80 million people per year, the demand for freshwater access has tripled within the last fifty years, according to WorldOMeters.
Jack Waite, owner of aquaponics farm Aguadulce, said that water conservation is imperative in Texas. Waite began his aquaponics endeavors in 2011 - during Texas’s drought - and could not imagine the timing to be any more perfect.
He said the benefits of aquaponics is not only limited to saving water. The aquaponics method allows produce to grow in any other temperatures - rain, sleet or snow - because of the protected greenhouses. Also, the harvest time is much quicker.
But there are some limitations. With this agricultural method, aquaponics farmers are unable to grow flowering plants, such as tomatoes, peppers, carrots and beets. The plants do not get the right environment in his system, but he said there are some systems out there that are able to cultivate those plants.
But those limitations do not inhibit the farms success.
Aguadulce sells much of its produce to markets and restaurant, such as Barley Swine in Austin. Sous chef Charles Zhuo said the restaurant's owner, Bryce Gilmore’s philosophy is to support as many local farmers as possible and to do it in the most environmentally responsible way.
Working with local farms means different produce will be available to you at different times said the chef.
“It’s not as consistent,” he said, “But that’s apart of the challenge and makes work less boring.”
The restaurant receives lettuce, seaweed and other microgreens from Aguadulce. Attempts to source the fish from the farm have failed, however. There is too much of a demand.
Heart of Gold Organics has the same issue.The farm has received numerous calls from prospective buyers. It’s not an issue of how to move the product, but where to move the product.
“My big fear over the last couple of months is not if I can sell it, but if I can meet the expectations of my buyers.” Torres said.
In Austin, sustainability and farm-to-table have become one of the local trends. This has many waiting a commercial model that is profitable sometime soon. But Waite feels that there is a lot to question and consider before deeming this a plausible idea. Some questions are: how far are you from the market and how much are you paying for your land?
Many factors need to be considered, he said. But what is advantageous with aquaponics is that it is easily replicated and a system can easily be built in someone’s backyard. He feels the future of aquaponics can be exceptional.
“The future is definitely out there,” Waite said. “It’s too efficient a model for it not to explode in the coming years.”
Moore feels the same. Aquaponics is bridging a gap of cities and farming, potentially creating a more sustainable environment for our world.
“Urban farming are trying to bring those two things together, so that cities might actually be functional ecological systems,” he said.
According to the World Economic Forum, the water crisis - meaning the potential shortage of water - is ranked the number one global risk on its impact to society. It is ranked number eight on likelihood of occurring within ten years.
Torres and his wife, Vanessa, maintained a small outdoor garden prior to the drought that came to the Lone Star State approximately five years ago. With the water restrictions implemented during the dry period, the couple was unable to tend to their crops properly. After some extensive research, Torres discovered aquaponics, a unique farming method that conserves water – an issue that he finds crucial for today’s society.
“Agriculture continues to use water and use resources likes it’s never going to end,” Torres said. “But it will. What happens then? When all these fields dry up?”
Aquaponics is an agricultural system that combines hydroponics, a system that grows plants without soil, and aquaculture, a system that raises fish. The process relies on the symbiotic relationship between fish and plants. The fish produce wastes – microbes and worms – which is converted into a fertilizer for the plants. The plants suck the nutrients from the waste, filtering the water that is returned to the fish.
This biological system, where one system feeds another system, is sophisticated work said Steven Moore, Architecture and Planning Professor at the University of Texas. His expertise in sustainable technology sees potential for this method, as traditional farming methods are not environmentally or socially sustainable due to its fertilizer and water dependence.
The closed-loop fashion that enables water and nutrients to be recycled during the aquaponics process makes this system ideal for conserving water. It uses about ninety to ninety-five percent less water than traditional farming. Torres said aquaponics is a young method so the statistics are speculated, however, in his experience, he believes it.
Moore said society has made significant improvements in water conservation technology, such as the dual flushing toilets that only use a third of water than regular toilets. These technological advances can offset population growth, but only for the mean time.
“Technology matters,” he said. “But in the end, population will win.”
Approximately three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, however, less than 3-percent of that water is freshwater available for human consumption, according to waterinfo.org. With the world’s population increasing by about 80 million people per year, the demand for freshwater access has tripled within the last fifty years, according to WorldOMeters.
Jack Waite, owner of aquaponics farm Aguadulce, said that water conservation is imperative in Texas. Waite began his aquaponics endeavors in 2011 - during Texas’s drought - and could not imagine the timing to be any more perfect.
He said the benefits of aquaponics is not only limited to saving water. The aquaponics method allows produce to grow in any other temperatures - rain, sleet or snow - because of the protected greenhouses. Also, the harvest time is much quicker.
But there are some limitations. With this agricultural method, aquaponics farmers are unable to grow flowering plants, such as tomatoes, peppers, carrots and beets. The plants do not get the right environment in his system, but he said there are some systems out there that are able to cultivate those plants.
But those limitations do not inhibit the farms success.
Aguadulce sells much of its produce to markets and restaurant, such as Barley Swine in Austin. Sous chef Charles Zhuo said the restaurant's owner, Bryce Gilmore’s philosophy is to support as many local farmers as possible and to do it in the most environmentally responsible way.
Working with local farms means different produce will be available to you at different times said the chef.
“It’s not as consistent,” he said, “But that’s apart of the challenge and makes work less boring.”
The restaurant receives lettuce, seaweed and other microgreens from Aguadulce. Attempts to source the fish from the farm have failed, however. There is too much of a demand.
Heart of Gold Organics has the same issue.The farm has received numerous calls from prospective buyers. It’s not an issue of how to move the product, but where to move the product.
“My big fear over the last couple of months is not if I can sell it, but if I can meet the expectations of my buyers.” Torres said.
In Austin, sustainability and farm-to-table have become one of the local trends. This has many waiting a commercial model that is profitable sometime soon. But Waite feels that there is a lot to question and consider before deeming this a plausible idea. Some questions are: how far are you from the market and how much are you paying for your land?
Many factors need to be considered, he said. But what is advantageous with aquaponics is that it is easily replicated and a system can easily be built in someone’s backyard. He feels the future of aquaponics can be exceptional.
“The future is definitely out there,” Waite said. “It’s too efficient a model for it not to explode in the coming years.”
Moore feels the same. Aquaponics is bridging a gap of cities and farming, potentially creating a more sustainable environment for our world.
“Urban farming are trying to bring those two things together, so that cities might actually be functional ecological systems,” he said.
According to the World Economic Forum, the water crisis - meaning the potential shortage of water - is ranked the number one global risk on its impact to society. It is ranked number eight on likelihood of occurring within ten years.
Writing by Selina Bonilla
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