Closed-loop Growing Systems, Aquaponics workshop

Aquaponics technology combines fish farming and aquaculture, creating favourable conditions for growing plants without soil, in a system where nutrients and bacterial flora naturally arise into the water.

Aquaponics is a powerful and easy-to-care-growing process for food plants and fish. By adding worm composting into the loop, we can achieve an almost closed-loop growing system. The method is based on the efficient recycling of nutrients: fish live in an aquarium, eating worms; fish feces feed the bacterial flora, which converts the nutrients into food plants suitable for consumption. Organic waste is generated as a side product, and then converted into nutritious compost inside the vermicompost, producing again more worms for feeding fish, as well as enhancing the composting process.

As part of the Foodycle workshop, we will research aquaponics technics and develop a specific growing system together. The objective of the workshop is to create an experience for the participants and the public, and to share knowledge about aquaponics systems and their maintenance. The growing system elaborated during the workshop will later on be presented as a public installation, and the data generated by the system and developments in the small plantation can be followed online.

The workshop does not require any prior knowledge of the subject, and is free for participants.