Aquaponics and global food challenges

As the world’s population grows, the demands for increased food production expand, and as the stresses on resources such as land, water and nutrients become ever greater, there is an urgent need to find alternative, sustainable and reliable methods to provide this food. The current strategies for supplying more produce are neither ecologically sound nor address the issues of the circular economy of reducing waste whilst meeting the WHO’s Millennium Development Goals of eradicating hunger and poverty by 2015. Aquaponics, a technology that integrates aquaculture and hydroponics, provides part of the solution. Although aquaponics has developed considerably over recent decades, there are a number of key issues that still need to be fully addressed, including the development of energy-efficient systems with optimized nutrient recycling and suitable pathogen controls. There is also a key issue of achieving profitability, which includes effective value chains and efficient supply chain management. Legislation, licensing and policy are also keys to the success of future aquaponics, as are the issues of education and research, which are discussed across this book.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Aquaponics and global food challenges

As the world’s population grows, the demands for increased food pro- duction expand, and as the stresses on resources such as land, water and nutrients become ever greater, there is an urgent need to find alternative, sustainable and reliable methods to provide this food. The current strategies for supplying more produce are neither ecologically sound nor address the issues of the circular econ- omy of reducing waste whilst meeting the WHO’s Millennium Development Goals of eradicating hunger and poverty by 2015. Aquaponics, a technology that integrates aquaculture and hydroponics, provides part of the solution. Although aquaponics has developed considerably over recent decades, there are a number of key issues that still need to be fully addressed, including the development of energy-efficient systems with optimized nutrient recycling and suitable pathogen controls. There is also a key issue of achieving profitability, which includes effective value chains and efficient supply chain management. Legislation, licensing and policy are also keys to the success of future aquaponics, as are the issues of education and research, which are discussed across this book

Coupled aquaponics systems

Coupled aquaponics is the archetype form of aquaponics. The technical complexity increases with the scale of production and required water treatment, e.g. filtration, UV light for microbial control, automatic controlled feeding, computerization and biosecurity. Upscaling is realized through multiunit systems that allow staggered fish production, parallel cultivation of different plants and application of several hydroponic subsystems. The main task of coupled aquaponics is the purification of aquaculture process water through integration of plants which add economic benefits when selecting suitable species like herbs, medicinal plants or ornamentals. Thus, coupled aquaponics with closed water recirculation systems has a particular role to fulfil. Under fully closed recirculation of nutrient enriched water, the symbiotic community of fish, plants and bacteria can result in higher yields compared with stand-alone fish production and/or plant cultivation. Fish and plant choices are highly diverse and only limited by water quality parameters, strongly influenced by fish feed, the plant cultivation area and component ratios that are often not ideal. Carps, tilapia and catfish are most commonly used, though more sensitive fish species and crayfish have been applied. Polyponics and additional fertilizers are methods to improve plant quality in the case of growth deficiencies, boosting plant production and increasing total yield. The main advantages of coupled aquaponics are in the most efficient use of resources such as feed for nutrient input, phosphorous, water and energy as well as in an increase of fish welfare. The multivariate system design approach allows coupled aquaponics to be installed in all geographic regions, from the high latitudes to arid and desert regions, with specific adaptation to the local environmental conditions. This chapter provides an overview of the historical development, general system design, upscaling, saline and brackish water systems, fish and plant choices as well as management issues of coupled aquaponics especially in Europe

COST action ES1104 “Arid lands restoration and combat of desertification: Setting up a drylands and desert restoration hub”

This paper briefly describes COST Action ES1104 “Arid lands restoration and combat of desertification: Setting up a drylands and desert restoration hub”. (COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is one of the longest running European frameworks supporting cooperation among scientists and researchers across Europe.) This networking project’s focus is to provide a hub of knowledge particularly relating to the practical methods of vegetation establishment and restoration as well as sustainable land management in arid and dryland areas. The aim of the Action is to coordinate experts in many fields (hydrology, soils, ecology, agronomy, landscape planning, etc.) to accumulate traditional and scientific knowledge as well to innovate through collaborations. Education and training are a key part of the Action, and post-graduate students have the opportunity to undertake short-term scientific missions and training schools. The Action will continue for 4 years and provide an important source of information on the combat of desertification and arid and dry lands restoration for all stakeholder groups

Plant use in desert climates - looking forward to sustainable planting in the Negev and other world deserts

Plant use in arid regions is facing an enormous challenge. Deserts are under threat from development, over grazing and they are expanding at an alarming rate. The issue of plant use for landscape, environmental and horticultural purposes in desert environments is part and parcel of the issue of sustainable development in these regions and in the Middle East and the issue of water is a highly politicised one. It has been said that here, water and not oil is the chief threat to regional peace. There is thus a great need to find and use plants that are drought and saline tolerant, in order to grow well and to save water. The introduction of foreign, alien species into the Negev Desert in southern Israel and elsewhere has caused enormous problems, altering ecological systems and the intrinsic character of the local landscape. The use of foreign alien species that are heat tolerant and may be drought tolerant is no longer universally acceptable. There is a critical necessity to preserve and enhance the ecological and landscape integrity of desert environments. In the Negev Desert, native plants have largely been ignored for use although they appear to offer a means towards more sustainable development and the protection and enhancement of the environment. However, the placement and type of use needs to be determined. Thus a new landscape paradigm has been developed which appears appropriate for most desert and indeed other landscape areas. This paradigm advocates the use of native plants but places this use within the context of various landscape zones found in the desert. The introduction of the "middle landscape" is an important zone within this model as it is here, in particular, in these in-between areas that resources such as water can be saved and where ecological and landscape values can be enhanced

Systematic Review of Safety and Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccines in Patients With Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 37 million or 15% of the U.S. population and 2 in every 1000 Americans are on dialysis or living with a kidney transplant.1 In 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection became the third leading cause of death for persons 45 through 84 years of age, and individuals with kidney disease are recognized as being at higher risk for severe complications from COVID-19 infection.2,S1 While vaccination is a powerful and cost-effective method to reduce infection-related morbidity and mortality, vaccine efficacy has historically not been rigorously studied in individuals with CKD, and COVID-19 vaccine immunogenicity is largely unknown in this high-risk population. Numerous clinical trials of candidate COVID-19 vaccines have been undertaken; however, it is unknown whether results are generalizable to individuals living with kidney disease, in particular those on dialysis or receiving chronic immunosuppression for treatment of glomerulonephritis or kidney transplantation. We sought to systematically review registered COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials for inclusion of criteria relevant to individuals with kidney disease (Supplementary Methods)