Aquaponics is a system that combines the seemingly independent practices of cultivating plants in water and raising aquatic life. By taking advantage of the natural symbiotic interactions between the two mini-systems Aquaponics has become a valuable technique to produce food for sustainable living. Although it is a self-sustainable system (for the most part) the effectiveness of Aquaponics as a larger scale system is largely doubted due to the relatively high startup costs and relatively low food production per square foot.
A question I’ve always had was: why are vegetables and fruits are so much more expensive than fast food from chains like McDonalds? As shown in the documentary Food, Inc. there are families within the United States that make the decision between filling the stomaches of their children, or eating healthy. Since the startup costs of these sustainable systems are so high,to offset them, vendors would likely keep prices for these items at a premium . Besides these startup costs, it is impossible to produce the sheer amount of food equivalent to that of traditional farming techniques. Since the supply would be less, the price of the items would tend to increase. This does not bode well to those that cannot afford these items originally. It does little if anything to improve the situation these people are in on a daily basis.
Just like many previous attempts to promote more sustainable living Aquaponics, although it provides unique benefits, will prove to be insignificant as the majority of America is concerned more with profit margin than environmental consequence. Unfortunately for us, by the time we adapt these innovative systems, it will be too late to make a difference.
