Indoor Ag-Con is pleased to share that our marketing partner, The Aquaponics Association, will be hosting their 13th Annual Aquaponics Conference in Dallas, TX from 09/12/24-09/15/24. This conference will also include a 1-day preconference workshop (tickets purchased separately) on 09/12 hosted at Texas A&M Agrilife Center (Dallas, TX), which is geared towards beginning aquaponic farmers, students, as well as those who wish to further their aquaponic learning!
Overall, they are anticipating 300+ attendees from a diverse background (nonprofits, industry players, producers, academia/students, educators, and interested stakeholders) during the event. The 3-day conference will include two days of presentations from industry experts, researchers, students, nonprofits, and others involved in aquaponics as well as one day of touring Timberview Farmstead, a local aquaponic farm. e (https://aquaponicsconference.org/).
Indoor Ag-Con is pleased to share event and industry updates from our marketing |media industry allies like the Aquaponics Association. We wanted to share details of its upcoming 2020 Aquaponics Conference. Themed “Cultivating the Future” | the 2020 Aquaponics Conference is scheduled for October 16-18, 2020. This comprehensive online event is packed with sessions, virtual tours, networking opportunities and more. Wherever you are in your aquaponics journey, there is a community for you at this event. You’ll have the chance to engage with industry professionals and grow your aquaponics skills.
Commercial Aquaponics — Experienced aquaponic growers can help you understand more about what it means to run a commercial facility in today’s climate
STEM Educators — Learn how to dynamically engage with your students using STEM principals by engaging with nature through aquaponics.
Research— Discover what is happening in the academic world with aquaponics and how it will affect the next generation of farming.
Community Aquaponics — Growing food for your family or learning how to do your first system? Connect with people who are all doing the same thing.
In addition to conference sessions, attendees will also have access to the Aquaponics Virtual Showroom. Here you’ll be able to explore featuring the best products and services in the aquaponics industry. You’ll also have access to great networking opportunities. Among them, direct messaging, chat rooms, live polls from presenters, and a virtual cocktail hour. What’s more, don’t miss your to chance to ask live questions to aquaponics experts from around the world and more!
To learn more about the 2020 Aquaponics Conference, including the full schedule and registration rates visit the 2020 Aquaponics Conference site
About The Aquaponics Association
The mission of the Aquaponics Association is to promote the benefits of aquaponics through education and outreach.
The primary goals and/or vision of this association are as follows:
Promote the benefits of aquaponic growing;
Educate the general consumer and food safety officials about the inherent safety of food grown through aquaponics.
Dispel myths and rumors about food grown through aquaponics.
The vision for this organization is that it will create educational materials. It will also facilitate an aquaponic speaker’s bureau and act as a resource or liaison to the press. Eventually it could also possibly offer legal and insurance assistance. It also hopes to offer standards and certification for our rapidly growing commercial aquaponic industry.
Aquaponic system at the University of the District of Columbia
The coronavirus outbreak is already disrupting international travel and trade. The pandemic could impact the global food supply chain and leave some populations without adequate nutrition.
This pandemic shows that we need to invest in local agriculture to boost our supply of local, reliable food. Aquaponics, hydroponics, and controlled-environment agriculture can produce large amounts of food with minimal space and resources. These water-based growing methods do not require soil and can be practiced from arid deserts to urban rooftops.
The coronavirus is exposing one major hidden cost of our global system: it is at risk from disruptions like pandemics, extreme weather events, military events, and economic or political upheavals. As the climate changes, these extreme events are more likely.
How does this hidden cost of the global food supply chain manifest itself?
An american consumer can find similar prices for a tomato grown 100 miles away and a tomato grown in another country 2,000 miles away. But during a global travel ban or category 5 hurricane, your local tomato will still be there. How do we account for this benefit during the good times, so that there are enough local growers to support us during possible disruptions?
Aquaponics, Hydroponics, and Controlled-Environment Agriculture
The problem is that with a changing climate, water shortages, and growing population, there is less land to grow for more people. Deserts, freezing climates, and urban areas do not have the arable soil to grow a meaningful amount of their own food to achieve food security.
Aquaponics is a food production method integrating fish and plants in a closed, soil-less system. This symbiotic relationship mimics the biological cycles found in nature. Benefits include dramatically less water use; no toxic chemical fertilizers or pesticides; and no agriculture discharge to air, water or soil.
Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants in water-based systems with externally supplied nutrients.
Controlled-Environment Agriculture (CEA) is the practice of raising crops in a protected, optimal environment like a greenhouse.
These growing methods maximize the amount of crops that can be produced per square area per year. Plants can be grown densely and quickly because conditions are ideal and roots are delivered exactly what they need. And controlled-environments allow for year-round production.
Aquaponics brings the added benefit of fish – an efficient supply of animal protein. It takes 30 pounds of feed to produce a one-pound steak, only 2 pounds for a one-pound tilapia filet. Fish can be grown densely and indoors, compared to the large operations required for beef, pork, and poultry.
Economies across the globe must find ways to value the hidden benefits of local, efficient agriculture to encourage more local growing. There will always be another coronavirus-type event, let’s make sure we have a reliable supply of local food for it.
Indoor Ag-Con
