Friday, March 21, 2014

Aquaponics & Agricultural Benefits By Philippe Van Den Bossche

By Robbie Sutter


For the longest time, the methods utilized in order to cultivate crops have been relatively unchanged. The basics have been utilized - sunlight and water included - and they have yielded good results, especially under weather conditions which can change on a day to day basis; sometimes without the shifts being able to be predicted. That being said, a new development has been occurring and it goes by the name of aquaponics. To say the least, it is intriguing and Philippe van den Bossche would be able to agree.

According to an article on Mashable, aquaponics is a unique method that will be able to aid in the growth of plants. Basically, it involves the cultivation of plants and the growth of fish in the same body of water. As fish are able to create waste, the water is able to circulate said waste in order for it to be converted into nutritious feed that the plants would take in so that they could thrive. It was a method that Parcs Holman described as, "replicating nature."

For those who believe that this is an entirely new process, though, you may be surprised to know that it has been around for a while. While the growth of plants and fish in the same water has been done in ancient times, Philippe van den Bossche can cite the focus that is brought onto science more so than ever in this regard. The system that is utilized is sensitive and detail is integral. Attention must be given in order to prevent chemical imbalances, which names such as Philippe can attest to.

One of the details that stood out the most to me was just how much water was able to reach the plants through this method. For example, if a standard watering method was utilized in order to let plants grow, only about 2 to 5 percent will make it onto them. With a detailed aquaponics scenario, though, water flows at such a continuous rate that instances like evaporation do not matter nearly as much. With several gallons of water being pumped, it's apparent that plants will have more than their needed amount of nourishment.

It's not plausible to believe that everyone will be able to run their own structure for the sake of aquaponics. That being said, I have to believe that this can result in much greater crop growth than what standard methods have entailed. I can only imagine just how much easier farming, in general, will be made. Aquaponics, in my view, is a process that was able to seamlessly blend methods in nature with the processes developed in the field of science, which is more than worth praising.




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