The first of 7 Aquaponic food farms is in transit and waiting on the volunteers of #givehopeglobal to arrive to begin set up. Just imagine a self contained food farm producing 600 lbs of tilapia and 200 lbs of veggies to feed the orphans of Cambry.
2. What is Aquaponics?
Aquaculture Hydroponics
Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture (growing fish)
and hydroponics (growing plants without soil).
3. How the System Works
• An aquaponics system is a controlled ecosystem that uses
biofiltration to sustain fish and plants.
• The fish produce ammonia and solid wastes, which are
transferred to grow beds where these waste products are
converted to plant nutrients (fertilizer) via bacteria and
worms.
• The purified water is then
returned to the fish.
4. How the System Works
With all 7 systems running, we will harvest ~600
pounds of tilapia each month. While plant harvests
will vary widely based on the species grown, we can
anticipate harvesting 1200-2500 pounds of vegetables
each month.
5. Aquaponics vs Traditional Farming
Annual yield in
Aquaponics
Annual yield in
Field
Basil 1.55 lbs/ft2 0.48 lbs/ft2
Okra 0.83 lbs/ft2 0.0093lbs/ft2
• This balanced ecosystem produces
no waste, and all produced food is
organic.
• This closed system fosters very
efficient plant growth as it
provides an abundance of easily
accessible nutrients for plants.
• Studies have shown that plants in
an aquaponic system often yield
3 to 4 times the harvest of plants
grown in similar-sized fields
(Rakocy et al.).
6. Cambry's Nutrional Needs
• Nutrient deficiency causes a
wide range of crippling
defects, including decreased
physical and cognitive growth,
increased risk of disease, and a
drastically reduced life
expectancy.
• The diet of the those at
Cambry consists primarily of
rice and beans.
7. How Cambry Benefits
• While donations from outside
organizations have significantly
improved the children’s diet,
this has left the orphanage
highly reliant on outside help.
• An aquaponics system would
allow Cambry to grow crops to
exceed their nutritional needs
and give them the freedom to
adapt harvests to meet their
future needs.
8. How The Community Benefits
• Once completed, these
aquaponics systems will
bring an agricultural
industry that will, in addition
to feeding those at Cambry,
give them a product to take
to market.
• This system will also
improve the surrounding
community by providing a
source of fresh food with
large monthly harvests.
9. Short Term Goals
• We plan to build the first
phase of this project starting
October 5th.
• The number of grow beds
supported by the fish is
dependent on the amount of
waste the fish produce.
• We expect to harvest the
first portion of our grow bed
by early December.
10. Expenses
Grow Beds – 4 for $6,460 (2 for ~$3,230)
Solar System - $3,790 + Cost of Batteries in Haiti
Electrical Material - ~$2,000
2800 Gallon Fish Tank - ~$700
Shelter over Fish Tank - ~$2,000
Grading - ~$2,000
Fish Supplies - ~$1,000
Well - ~$2,800
Freight Costs - ~$4,000
Total - ~$24,750