Aquaponics system has been introduced since 1960s but was only popular in recent years due to the public’s interest in plant and livestock activities at home. Aquaponics system is a combination of aquaculture, which is fish farming and hydroponics, which is growing plants without soil. These two ideas rely on each other in a closed system of water circulation. In this symbiotic system, a water from fish tank that contains waste produced by the farmed fish is used as nutrients for the plants. Indirectly, the plants filter, clean and purify the water before it returns back to the fish tank. Aquatic living in fresh water is ideal for applying this aquaponic system as most of the plants need fresh water for life. Saltwater life can also be used, but the plants to be used also need to be compatible with the water.
Among the things that are concerned lately are, out of the world’s total water resources, only 2.5% are clean water sources and of that total, only 0.3% can be used by humans. From this limited water source, 70% is used for agriculture. With the increase in human populations and the increase in industries that cause pollution of water resources, coupled with the increasingly significant impact of climate change, competition for water resources has become increasingly worsening. Water shortages have been felt almost across the continent which involved more than 40% of the world’s population. It is anticipated by 2025, about 1.8 billion people in the world will feel the impression of a significant water shortage (Hambrey Consulting, 2013). This water shortage will have a direct impact on world food production which contributes to food shortage and famine. Nowadays, crop production requires much water use. To produce one meal per day, it is estimated that the water used is around 2000 to 5000 litres (Rashmi Menon et. al., 2013). In addition to the abundant use of water, excessive use of fertilizers, especially chemical fertilizers that are the main inputs in conventional cultivation methods, is a problem in food production. The use of these chemical fertilizers besides contaminating the environment, especially water resources, is also a major contributor to the cost of production in agriculture.
Recognizing the importance of sustainable and environmentally-conserving resources, the aquaponics method which is hydroponics and aquaculture combination system, has been able to reduce the use of water and fertilizers in agriculture as well as can be implemented by all levels of society including urban communities with limited living space. The results show that the aquaponics system can save up to 80% of water use and 75% of land use for agriculture (Rashmi Menon et. al., 2013). Hence, the implementation of aquaponics should be welcomed by every level of society in Malaysia because it eases beginners to venture into agriculture and fisheries, rises farmers’ income and increase national economy of agriculture.
As sophisticated as the term aquaponics sounds, to maintain the system is the complete opposite, it is very simple, in fact it also ease beginners to venture into agriculture and fisheries. The cost to filter the waste of fish is much cheaper compared to conventional methods. Earthen ponds or raceways is where most of the aquaponics production takes place, and these system are static or flow through. Fish in these systems produce nitrogenous and mineral wastes, to be specific ammonia (NH3) excreted by fish as a waste product from protein metabolism is converted to nitrate (NO3-) by nitrifying bacteria so it may be used by plants. This natural symbiosis relation enables anyone who want to start venture into agriculture to not worry about having a filtration system for the fish to remove their excess waste because the plants in the system act as natural filter for the waste. This will also reduce the start-up cost to build an aquaponics system because both of the essential elements are benefiting each other.
Other than that, aquaponics is 100% organic since there is no synthetic chemicals are used. The only essential components of an aquaponics system are as follows: water, fish feed, light, electricity for the water and air pumps. A much simpler system of aquaponics may have less components mentioned. Unlike conventional method, where synthetic fertilisers is needed or used which very high in cost for start-ups or beginners. Also, with the options to choose which synthetic fertilisers is also troublesome for someone who have zero knowledge about agriculture. With the use of aquaponics, synthetic fertilisers and fish filtration is no longer required and this will reduce the costs for beginners to venture into this system. Some may argue that with the use of synthetic chemicals will increase the quality of the plant or vegetables that we eat, to counter that, the harvested plants of aquaponics system will remain alive since the roots are not cut at harvest. Based on the research done by Todd Sink (2016), plants that are harvested from aquaponics system and is stored in a refrigerator also will have longer life-span and still fresh with crisp and taste well even after 2 weeks (p.2).
Thus, aquaponics is very suitable for anyone or beginners since maintenance of the system is easy. This system is also high in term of its operational efficiency since the essential elements of the system are fish, water and plants, where all of them are benefiting each other. With no use of synthetic chemical, production cost also is reduced. Not just that, the harvested products is also longer in life-span and fresh.
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