2008 Annual Report for FNC06-627
Micro Solutions for Urban Agriculture
Summary
WORK ACTIVITIES
Finishing the installation of the aquaponics again took longer than expected. The pump, battery, and solar panels didn’t arrive until mid May. Work progressed slowly due to the fact that our season was in full swing by the time the materials arrived and we had less labor than originally anticipated. Over the course of May, June, and July, New Roots: cleared and leveled the ground and erected a second greenhouse to house the tilapia tank and extra seedling shelves, filled the beds and filtration tank with pea gravel (to protect the pond liner and as a medium for growing watercress); installed the pumps and piping. In the first part of August we finally installed the solar panels and tested the aquaponics system. After filling the system with water and a few short tests to balance the flow of water, the system was up and running for three days straight. Unfortunately this late completion date did not allow us time to introduce fish to the system since they need up to 8-9 months of warm weather to reach market size.
We have used the grant funds as follows:
• $1400 on 2 60W photovoltaic panels, 1 charge controller, 1 deep cycle battery, and 2 DC pumps.
• $150 on a scale
• Purchasing seed for beet, arugula, radish, sunflower, and pea sprouts ~$100-150
RESULTS
Due to the time of the year the system was completed and a lack of fish, we decided not to keep the system running just to grow sprouts hydroponically. Unfortunately, we did not have the will or labor power to monitor the system as closely as it needed. This means checking the system several times a day to ensure there is plenty of power coming from the solar panels and both pumps are working correctly. Another important aspect that encouraged this decision was that a sudden change in our sprout conditions (sprouting them by watering from above vs. sprouting in a constant stream of water) could greatly affect the harvest, which would not be good for customer trust and sales at the farmers market. This is especially true because at the beginning of the season we had some mold problems and inconsistent harvest which was reflected at the farmers’ market. Luckily, this was a solved by a fan but we didn’t want to have inconsistent harvest again in the same season.
As we stated last year, the majority of the results of this system will be manifested when the system is up and running for at least a couple months or more. But, we were able to increase our sales and varieties of sprouts at our local farmer’s market and a restaurant. This was enabled by an increase in space provided by the second greenhouse. We were also able to recycle a lot of the growing medium we use for sprouts (compost/potting mix, coir husk, and vermiculite) since we had already established a vermiculture system in 2007. We again experienced that building this system took much needed labor away from other projects on the farm. We gained experience in plumbing, installing photovoltaic panels, and installing pumps.
These are our approximate sprout harvests for the season:
• Sunflower - 173 pounds
• Radish - 51 pounds
• Arugula – 17 pounds
• Beets - 4 pounds
• Pea Shoots - 40 pounds
• Corn – 4 pounds
WORK PLAN FOR 2009
This coming year, we plan to run the system hydroponically, not incorporating fish. We will focus again on sprout production and sales. We will primarily grow sunflower, radish and pea sprouts. Our main consumer base will be Tower Grove Farmers Market with additional sales to restaurants. Our intention is to see if we can have a smooth, consistent year with the sprouts – increasing our yield and therefore our profit.
OUTREACH
The primary way we shared the aquaponics system with others is by hosting tours, a workshop, and field trips that give people an up close look and explanation of the system. We also hosted a Department of Agriculture tour group, which included NGO staff and public officials from countries in South America, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia. This provided a great chance to introduce aquaponics to a diverse and geographically spread out group of fairly influential individuals. Our guests asked many questions about both the vermiculture and aquaponics system.
This year we again intend to have field trips and tours at our farm. The aquaponic system is always a highlight of these tours. We also share information with the thousands of customers who buy our sprouts each year.