As the population grows, the amount of arable land decreases. Skyscrapers have been built in these land. Have you ever wondered if this roof can be your source of income? Anyone can cultivate fish and vegetables on the roof of the house and can also be benefited. This will also make proper use of the empty roof or yard of your house and our food needs will be met.

★Basically, the integrated cultivation of vegetables(hydroponics) and fish is called aquaponics.

Aquaponics system:

In details, aquaponics is the production of non-toxic fresh vegetables and fish in a single integrated system made up of a combination of aquaculture and hydroponic methods of vegetable cultivation without soil by reusing water. The aquaponic system consists of a fish tank called a “Fish tank” and a tree vessel called a “Grow bed“. Fish is produced in the “fish tank” and vegetables are produced in the “Grow bed“. The waste or excrement produced by the fish in the “Fish tank” is fed to the “Grow Bed” with the help of a pump. Which becomes food for the plant in the presence of tiny friend bacteria. As a result there is no separate food for the plants After taking food from the tree water, the purified water is again stored in the fish tank. This cycle continues throughout the day.

Advantages of aquaponics:

1. At the same time non-toxic fresh vegetables and high quality fish can be produced.
   
2. Since soil is not used, soil-borne diseases and germs are free and always clean.
3. There is no need to buy any kind of chemical fertilizer for the plants and there is no use of toxic pesticides so the products produced are non-toxic and healthy.
4. There is no problem in picking weeds.
5. High yields are available throughout the year in few places.
   
   

★As aquaponic is an environmentally friendly farming method, the method can be effective in providing fresh vegetables and fish to the consumers in case of emergency food security. So let’s play a role in the country’s economy by producing fish, vegetables and fruits on the roof or in the yard of everyone’s house through that method.

Md. Al-Rakib
Student, agriculture faculty
Sher-e- Bangla Agricultural University
08-11-2020


Photo by Soo Ann Woon on Unsplash