Aquapionics print for 31 Days of Urban Agriculture.
This piece is on aquaponics, a cultivation method common to urban agriculture with a symbiotic aquaculture and plant system capable of being produced in tight spaces, including vertically.
Proponents of aquaponics argue that the closed-loop system of cultivation wherein the excretions of fish and other aquatic animals fertilize and enrich the plants being cultivated and the plants in turn clean the water system results in both farmed fish and plants that are healthier, more nutritious, and locally sourced.
Critics point out that aquaponics systems are energy dependent, while adherents note that at a manageable scale the systems are not energy-intensive, making them ripe for another sustainability feature — the clean energy of solar, wind, or certain forms of biomass.
It’s my belief that when clean and renewable energy are put into aquaponics systems, the benefits outweigh the concerns, and that these systems could prove crucial to increasing locally-raised aquatic edibles ton provide a host of food staples and local jobs.
Purchase the print in my Etsy Shop Lady Virginia Vintage.
— Lindsay Curren,
