Aquaponics in the S.F. Bay Area

Getting hooked on aquaponics: Aquaponics — the combination of hydroponics and aquaculture — can be a great way to grow food in a small space, with little water and at low cost. In the S.F. Bay Area, a few organizations are building and selling systems. The Oakland-based company Kijiji Grows (kijiji is Swahili for village) has built units for a handful of Oakland schools and a park. Another Bay Area organization, Inka Biospheric Systems, built a system for Sanchez Elementary School in San Francisco. Proponents of aquaponics also see great potential in the developing world because the systems can produce plants and fish with great efficiency, can be made from locally-available materials, and can operate in the dry seasons when water for irrigation is not available. In fact, one of the founders of Kijiji Grows has installed systems in Kenya and Inka Biospheric Systems is thinking aquaponics could help provide food during Haiti's reconstruction and beyond. The article includes a summary of the technology, some photographs, and links to three system providers. (San Francisco Chronicle)

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By Walter Jeffries on March 24th, 2010 at 12:19 pm

This requires biological systems management all the way from bacteria to high level plants and animals. I've been interested in this topic for decades and done a lot with it in marine and fresh water aquariums. It's a great home project and can be scaled up to produce food for a family and even for sale. There are a lot of nutrients generated by the animal life that needs to be addressed. These are valuable nutrients which can become pollutants. It requires a holistic approach that looks at the whole system of life.