It’s obvious Ann Forsthoefel of “Aqua Annie” is excited by aquaponics, the growing of plants fed by nutrients from fish, which in turn provide a source of food when they reach maturity. “There are so few inputs compared to growing crops in the soil,” she said. With her gardens, she’s constantly building up the soil that is depleted at the end of each growing season.
The beauty of aquaponics, she said, is that there isn’t that constant work because the fish are giving nutrients to the plants. While she doesn’t regard aquaculture as a panacea that will feed the burgeoning world population, Forsthoefel feels it could fill an important gap in the food system.
“Here in Portland, we consider ourselves the foodie capital of the world and yet, of the produce we consume, 95% comes from outside of our region,” she said. “Just look at the agriculture leakage on the economy alone! If we started growing what we ate in our cities, I think we could turn unemployment numbers totally around, let alone our health issues, let alone everything else.”
Check out the video below…
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