DA launches Urban Aquaponics to ensure sustained food production

May 31 ------ The Department of Agriculture (DA) has launched an innovative technology that combines concepts of aquaculture and hydroponic to allow fish and vegetables to grow together in an integrated system. DA Secretary William Dar said the Urban Aquaponics project aims to ensure sustained food production in urban communities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“We want an agriculture that is modern; we want an agriculture that is technology-based; we want to eradicate subsistence agriculture; we want an agriculture that is inclusive and market-oriented,” Dar said during the launch, in time with the celebration of the Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month on Tuesday Two newly constructed solar energy and electricity hybrid-powered models of urban aquaponics in small and large sizes that can fit on confined spaces in the metropolis are currently housed at the compounds of DA and Philippine Coconut Authority in Quezon City.

These are only two of the five Urban Aquaponics models that the department, through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), will make available for interested individuals and communities in the coming months. Under DA’s Plant, Plant, Plant Program and BFAR’s Food Resiliency and Recovery Program for CoVID-19, 15 small-scale and 10 large-scale fiberglass units, and 50 large-scale canvas units of Urban Aquaponics will be distributed as immediate assistance to urban communities within Metro Manila.

The distribution will follow an institutional arrangement through a memorandum of agreement among the agency and the organized groups identified as recipients of the project. The project will cover the start-up inputs for culture of fish and vegetables as well as include a training component for fast and efficient transfer of technology. Aside from ensuring household and community food security, Urban Aquaponics is seen to offer its stakeholders an excellent livelihood opportunity.

For instance, the small model only takes up a square meter of space but can already yield 50 to 75 pieces of catfish and 54 pieces of lettuce amounting to at least P4,080 per cropping. Meanwhile, the large model, with a width three times the size of the small model, can produce 120 to 300 pieces of catfish and 344 pieces of lettuce for a total of P112,572 in gross sales if sold. The cost of production for these models is only P36,000 and P120,000, respectively.

Source: mb.com.ph