Aquaculture+in+Tanzania

====** PROBLEM STATEMENT: **In Tanzania, fisheries have become so exhausted that fishermen are struggling to make a living and are resorting to highly detrimental methods such as [|blast fishing] to bolster their harvests. Without seeking alternative technologies, overfishing risks destroying ocean ecosystems and marine-dependent societies alike.====

** PROJECT GOALS: **

 * 1) ====Publicize the benefits of aquaponics as a self-sustaining alternative to conventional fishing and growing====
 * 2) Adapt an aquaponics system to the site at Mbutu Amani
 * 3) Develop alterations to the system's design to allow it to be implemented in a variety of different sites and environments
 * 4) Create an alternative source of income and food while simultaneously working towards a healthier ocean

** PROJECT DETAILS: **

 * Basics of aquaponics:[[image:appropriatetechnology/aquarium-aquaponics.jpg width="309" height="187" align="right"]]

>>> Fish raised in tank and produce ammonia (waste) >>> Eliminates need for imported food products & establishes local economy
 * Aquaponics = combination of raising fish & growing plants
 * 1) Tank water used to irrigate plants
 * 2) Soil bacteria convert fish wastes into usable nitrates (fertilizers)
 * 3) Clean water is returned to fish tanks
 * 4) Both halves thrive!
 * Variety of benefits
 * No waste produced (reused fertilizer and water)
 * Self-sustaining (does not require constant input)[[image:appropriatetechnology/Aquaponics_at_Growing_Power,_Milwaukee.jpg width="280" height="182" align="right"]]
 * Produces a variety of food (fish, vegetables) as well as herbs for medicine, etc.
 * Food security
 * Drought, land scarcity, or poor soil quality have no effect on the system's production
 * Materials
 * Fish tanks
 * Plant beds
 * Water pump
 * Aeration pump
 * Irrigation tubing
 * Fish & plants
 * Adaptability
 * Can use recycled objects (metal troughs, bathtubs) as fish tanks
 * Will work on any scale
 * Home, neighborhood, community, city...
 * Exist in vertical or horizontal spaces
 * Success is not dependent on weather or climate


 * Site description:

Mbutu Amani, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 4 ponds on 12 acres 2 wells

Fish auction in Dar


 * Where else could this work- Long-term solutions:
 * Kenya- materials are available locally, warm weather reduces heating costs, local agriculture to keep money recirculating to boost local economy, uses 90% less water than traditional agriculture (perfect for this fresh water [[image:http://www.amshaafrica.org/projects/aquaponics/Pilot_Aquaponic_Project_Kisumu.jpg width="302" height="231" align="right" caption="Pilot Aquaponics Project - Kisumu"]] deficient area), successful in arid climates
 * Gaza- can be done in small spaces and on rooftops (ideal for a war-ridden territory where long-term agricultural investment is not really an option), shortages of water and electricity are not an issue
 * Your own home- small set-ups quite possible, little work has to be done to keep it functioning
 * **Key point:** use a Permacultural Lens- observe and then interact. Do the people eat fish? Would the set-up be too invasive/destructive for the area? No single solution to cure hunger, poverty, or depleted oceans, but unique, specialized solutions in different areas can make a world of change!
 * Building holistic systems- Ocean Impact:
 * [[image:http://whyveganguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/water_16660306.jpg?w=560 width="302" height="302" align="right"]] Helps combat effects of over-fishing: 90% of protein consumption in Tanzania consists of fish
 * Most fishing occurs in sea grass beds, mangrove, and coral reefs; supplying fish protein through aquaponics cuts down on reef destruction already occurring due to warming ocean temperatures and pollution.
 * Climate change has caused unpredictability of rains, leading local people to overcompensate for sketchy food sourcesby fishing even more or migrating out of native areas: aquaponics allows people to remain in their homelands without causing extensive damage to fish populations; helps counteract the stresses of global climate change
 * Commercial fisheries create mass dead zones from fish waste (nitrogen); aquaponics utilizes this nitrogen to fuel plant growth

Ande Fieber afieber@calpoly.edu
Megan van Hamersveld mvanhame@calpoly.edu Kylie Zarmati kzarmati@calpoly.edu

** RESOURCES: **
About Aquaponics http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/adams/gh/pdf/Intro_Aquaponics.pdf

Healthy Harvest Hydroponics SLO http://healthyharvest.gardeningunlimited.com/

Aquaponics with Permaculture https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BFfSHJKdqvjWU4ZLDayoAsO6aggRL9VxZ-n14ouFADE/edit?pli=1#slide=id.i22

Third World Aquaponics http://www.friendlyaquaponics.com/third-world-systems/

Aquaponics in Kenya http://www.amshaafrica.org/projects-and-clients/current-projects/aquaponics-in-rural-kenya.html

Aquaponics at Cal Poly http://brainbankexchange.wordpress.com/2014/04/17/aquaponics/

Aquaponics in Gaza http://www.greenprophet.com/2014/08/why-gaza-needs-hydroponics-and-aquaponics-for-food-security/

Backyard Aquaponics http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/fishing-for-answers-will-the-oceans-run-out-of-fish

ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS ON CORAL REEFS AND THEIR EFFECT ON FISHERY OF KILWA DISTRICT, TANZANIA http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ejesm/article/viewFile/93423/82850

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