Shashank Dubey was once relaxed in his company task in Delhi. Someday, he learn an editorial about greens grown at the floodplain of the Yamuna river and the prospective well being dangers related to consuming them. This information afflicted him.
“Those greens are grown in polluted environments and loaded with heavy metals. Individuals who eat them get deadly sicknesses, reminiscent of most cancers,” the 33-year-old tells The Higher India.
“Except that, city citizens are so depending on packaged and deep-fried meals, which is damaging to well being. The standard of the meals that we eat issues. So I believed I will have to develop my very own greens,” he provides.
After running for just about a decade as an electronics and communications engineer, Shashank hand over his task in 2018 and moved to Vadodara. Quickly after, he ventured into rising his personal meals. However like a majority of city citizens, house was once a constraint for him.
As a substitute for conventional vegetable farming which calls for a large number of time and massive land, the engineer selected aquaponics farming, which mixes aquaculture and hydroponics. On this manner, fish is helping people develop meals because the vitamins from fish excreta enrich the water used to develop crops.
These days, he grows just about 2,500 forms of crops, which come with inexperienced leafy greens, medicinal herbs, and vegetation.
Hydroponics vs aquaponics
Whilst in search of choice strategies to standard farming, Shashank came upon hydroponics in addition to aquaponics strategies of farming.
Explaining the variation between the 2, he says, “In hydroponics, crops are grown with out soil as a base. As a substitute of soil, the roots are immersed in water. A gadget is positioned through which a set amount of water assists in keeping biking. Moreover, liquid chemical fertilisers are added to nourish the plant.”
In the meantime, aquaponics combines hydroponics with aquaculture.
“The main distinction between hydroponic and aquaponic setup is the media used to supply vitamins to the soil. It has a equivalent setup of hydroponics however with an extra fish tank to reproduce fish. The fish excreta is decomposed by means of micro organism into nitrate which is a perfect fertiliser for crops. It’s like imitating the river ecology. Thru this fish tank, water is regulated all through small tanks that grasp crops,” says Shashank, who has upcycled drums and cans to make use of as fish tanks.
As opposed to nitrates produced by means of fish waste, Shashank provides iron nails, lime and egg shells to spice up iron and calcium vitamins within the media.
“The largest good thing about this system is that at the side of rising meals with out soil in much less house, additionally it is natural. Additionally, there is not any wish to fertilise the crops in my opinion,” says Shashank.
Apparently, aquaponics farming saves 80 % of the water required in a traditional farming setup, he informs. “Farmers too can harvest further source of revenue by means of breeding and promoting fit to be eaten fish instead of greens,” he says.
Commercial
Decentralising meals manufacturing
After six months of analysis and the aid of ICAR-CAFRI, Vadodara, he grew greens via aquaponic farming beneath synthetic gentle in a 600 sq toes space for 3 years. Seven months again, he moved to develop greens in a business terrace setup.
With none earlier farming revel in sooner than, as of late, Shashank is in a position to harvest about 500 kg of greens per month from his 2,000 sq toes aquaponic terrace farm. He now additionally trains city citizens interested by farming.
“I sought after to construct this farm to reveal that city folks too can develop greens on a daily basis. I fortify them for a yr to lend a hand them perceive the gadget so that they achieve self belief to develop greens in an aquaponic setup,” he says.
Gautam Trivedi (26), a Vadodara resident and tune manufacturer by means of career, sought after to develop his personal greens. After receiving coaching from Shashank, he arrange an aquaponics farm in a 50 sq toes space of his lawn. “In an aquaponics arrange, we get great inexperienced leafy greens which might be crunchier and higher in style than that to be had available in the market. It additionally calls for low upkeep,” he says.
To this point, he has skilled 35 folks from Gujarat and Rajasthan via offline and on-line categories.
“This can be a one-to-one procedure. I habits a six-hour elegance. Within the preliminary 3 hours, I tell them in regards to the other crops {that a} farmer can develop. Within the subsequent 3 hours, I teach them on the best way to enforce the aquaponics gadget,” says Shashank, who fees Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000 for offline and on-line categories, respectively.
Sharing a couple of recommendations on aquaponics farming, he says, “Vegetation require an atmosphere with the optimum temperature. For example, to develop leafy greens, a temperature between 25 and 30 levels Celsius is wanted. While for hilly vegetation, reminiscent of strawberries, you want to cut back the temperature to 18 levels Celsius, and for vegetation like lettuce, as much as 15 levels Celsius. We use city clay pots to control the temperature of water within the gadget,” he provides.
As opposed to this, he suggests farmers introduce fish like gold and koi fish. “They produce extra excreta and in addition live on in harsh temperature stipulations. Simply make sure that to filter out the water sooner than including the fish to the tank; water will have to now not be arduous. You’ll upload 150 fish in a 1,000-litre tank. For fit to be eaten fish, you could possibly require a tank of three,000 litres as their measurement grows,” he says.
Shashank says it prices Rs 800 consistent with sq toes to determine an aquaponics terrace farm in a vertical setup. “This price can also be lowered to Rs 400 if farmers need to keep away from vertical farming. This can be a one-time funding,” he provides.
“Meals manufacturing is elementary but city citizens avert from the speculation. As a substitute of incomes a excellent source of revenue for myself, my center of attention is on enabling city Indians to develop their very own greens although they’ve a small house — as small as one sq. foot, The aquaponics farming will permit folks to decentralise meals manufacturing,” says Shashank.
If you want to be informed aquaponics farming, you’ll be able to touch Shashank at +91 99742 04501.
Edited by means of Pranita Bhat