Sustainable Agriculture: Aquaponic Solutions

The Sustainable Agriculture team is using a soil-free, closed-loop, agricultural technique called aquaponics to help lift communities out of malnutrition and poverty. Aquaponics techniques decrease the use of natural resources associated with growing crops. The Sustainable Agriculture team is partnering with Sheltering Wings, a non-profit based in Missouri who ministers with an orphanage and women\u27s shelter in Yako, Burkina Faso and Transworld Radio, a Christian radio broadcasting station located in Benin. The team currently has a best practice prototype in operation. The system will be optimized to fit client needs. In order to meet those needs, the team has been analyzing alternative materials for system construction, cooling techniques to maintain water temperature, and biological indicators for plant health. The goal of the project is to support clients from system construction to crop harvest. Support will be supplied via a comprehensive user manual that outlines how to build, operate, and maintain an aquaponics system and regular communication.https://mosaic.messiah.edu/engr2020/1012/thumbnail.jp