Every drop counts

Aquaponics is the practice of fish farming combined with the cultivation of plants in water without soil. Some integrated agri-aquaculture farms using aquaponics technology can reduce water consumption by 90% compared to purely traditional agricultural farms. Photo: © FAO/Khaled Desouki

How aquaponics and integrated agri-aquaculture farms are making smart use of water

Aquaponics has become all the trend. The combination of aquaculture, the practice of fish farming, and hydroponics, the cultivation of plants in water without soil, aquaponics is one example of recirculating systems generally called Integrated Aquaculture Agriculture (IAA). Some integrated farms can reduce water consumption by 90% compared to traditional agriculture. This is very good news for the agriculture sector, which worldwide, uses about 70% of available freshwater.

In regions of the world where already scarce reserves of water are getting even scarcer, innovative ways of growing food are crucial. Known for heat and deserts, it is not wholly surprising that the Near East and North Africa (NENA) is one of these regions.

The NENA region has some of the lowest levels of freshwater resources in the world, and these mainly underground, non-renewable stocks are being depleted. The amount of available freshwater has reduced by 60 percent in the last 40 years and is expected to fall a further 50 percent by 2050. In this region, agriculture accounts for 85 percent of this use and will likely take the hardest hit in shortages. The consequences on rural livelihoods, economies and food security could be grave. In this setting, saving water is not only a good practice, it might soon have to be the only practice.

Thankfully, innovative methods exist for reducing water use. IAA farms combine new technologies and good practices to reduce agriculture’s “waterprint” and make smart and efficient use of natural resources.

In aquaponics, water serves a dual purpose: hosting fish and growing crops, generating two products at once. This isn’t the only benefit; the waste from the fish fertilizes the water used to irrigate the plants, and the plants clean the water for the fish. It is a win-win situation. Producing more food with less resources: this is part of the future of agriculture.

In Algeria, Egypt and Oman, like in other countries in this region, water isn’t the only challenge […]

Full article: Every drop counts

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