/tags/urban-farming/ Recent content in Urban Farming on Grainy Mære Hugo en Tue, 16 Jan 2024 22:50:00 +0200 /aquaponics_farm_closing/ Tue, 16 Jan 2024 22:50:00 +0200 /aquaponics_farm_closing/ <figure><a href="/img/stadtfarm20243.webp"><img src="/dith/stadtfarm20243_dithered.png"></a> </figure> <p class="intro" data-letter="T">Today I read that the Stadtfarm in Landschaftspark Herzberge has to close for good because of income losses due to missing sales to the catering industry, fewer customers, and rising energy costs.<sup id="fnref:1"><a href="#fn:1" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">1</a></sup> That’s a real loss for the area, because the concept of aquaponics is really fascinating.<sup id="fnref:2"><a href="#fn:2" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">2</a></sup> By utilizing natural cycles, the breeding of edible fish (African catfish<sup id="fnref:3"><a href="#fn:3" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">3</a></sup>) is combined with the cultivation of vegetables. The liquid excretions of the catfish serve as valuable plant fertilizer: they pass through a biofilter, where bacteria convert the ammonium into nitrate. The water is then used to feed tomatoes, peppers, chilies, and herbs, before cycling back to the fish. It’s a closed-loop system that works without soil or additional irrigation.<sup id="fnref:4"><a href="#fn:4" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">4</a></sup></p>