Aquaponics generating great interest

Barbados now has its own Aquaponics Demonstration Farm which will be used to train Barbadians interested in pursuing a career in the area.

The demonstration farm, was launched at Adams Aquafarm in Hopewell, St Thomas today, through a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Blue Economy, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Minister of Maritime Affairs Kirk Humphrey said the initiative provides great benefits to the country, noting that it supports new and innovative farming opportunities for small-scale and medium-sized businesses.

“At the same time, it provides an attractive opportunity for the youth and recent graduates as it can incorporate high-tech farming tools and address sustainability concerns from both the aquaculture and agriculture sectors,” Humphrey said.

Aquaponics is the integration of land-based fish farming with the fish waste providing nutrients for the plants, while the bacteria and plants help to clean the water for the fish.

As part of the FAO’s Blue Revolution project, Adams Aquafarm received funding and training to develop a demonstration farm in collaboration with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, which has now been built.

The funding also supports the training of 30 entrepreneurs with five-day training sessions, both classroom and hands-on, who are interested in developing an aquaponics small or medium sized business in Barbados.

FAO’s sub-regional Coordinator, Renata Clarke, explained that the Blue Revolution project supports local food security as aquaponics can grow a tremendous amount of food with a fraction of the water that is normally used in soil-based agriculture while using no chemicals.

“At the same time, food can be grown directly in local communities, providing access to safe and nutritious food, creating jobs and reducing the huge carbon footprint associated with food transportation miles,” Clarke said.

Meanwhile, Regional Project Coordinator at FAO of CC4FISH, Iris Monnereau stated that acquaponics has several advantages as it is less impacted by droughts in comparison to traditional agriculture activities. Monnereau added that with the expected decreases in precipitation, the system will support more climate change resilient farming.

“We know the agriculture sector in the region needs to be more resilient, more innovative and more divserse to attract youth and create employment. This was already very important before the challenges of COVID-19, but it is especially important now. We are therefore very happy that this project makes a tiny contribution in creating more resilient, diverse and innovative livelihoods in Barbados,” Monnereau said.

The project also supports acquaponics training for ten school teachers in Barbados, given the fact that globally, acquaponics is a popular educational tool as it provides a concrete example for core STEM subjects like mathematics, biology, chemistry, and engineering, allowing students to study fish, plants and bacteria interacting in a living ecosystem.

Students can perform water quality tests and measure and track growth rates in fish and plants while learning about topics such as economics, marketing and nutrition.

Owner of Adams Aquafarm Kristina Adams indicated that the farm funded by the FAO has allowed her to showcase a farming system that is 100 per cent suited to Barbados while utilizing local supplies and advanced technology to grow products.

“It is a great opportunity for farmers and young people who wish to move forward with an innovative and productive form of agriculture,” she said.

Adams’ farm currently produces tilapia, specialty lettuces, sweet peppers, tomates and a wide variety of herbs.
anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb