Aquaponics is described as the combination, the marriage if you will, of aquaculture (raising of fish) and hydroponics (cultivation of plants in water). If aquaculture and hydroponics were to mate and produce offspring, the offspring would represent the best qualities from each parent. This combination represents a farming technique that has been around for thousands of years, but not until recent
ly did we define the term aquaponics. Now, with the advancement in scientific knowledge and the application of modern technology, an old farming technique long overlooked has been transformed and reborn into what is becoming a farming revolution. The genius of aquaponic farming lies in our ability to recreate the symbiotic relationships that exist in nature. These symbiotic relationships, in which we are most interested, occur between fish, plants, and microbes. In simple terms, fish produce a waste product that is converted into fertilizer, which in turn feeds the plants. Microbes are the middlemen, the worker-bees that are responsible for converting this unusable and otherwise harmful fish waste into a perfectly usable plant nutrient. Of course the system is much more complicated than this, but the general concept is that simple. Due to these beautiful symbiotic relationships, we can farm in a way that produces fish, a healthy source of fats and protein, as well as many varieties of plants that produce the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates. Where do we fit in? My name is Allan Pershina and I am the founder of Flooded Aquaponics. Together with my super rad girlfriend, Laleña Meyer, we plan to build an amazing aquaponic farm right here in Santa Rosa, California. Being that this is a new endeavor for both of us, and although we have gained a lot of knowledge over the past year, we are trying to be smart, be patient, and start small. Starting small allows us to focus on the quality of our products and to manage issues before they become problems. We are focused on producing hyper-fresh and high quality vegetables, and raising happy, healthy fish. We are on track to start selling our produce at the local farmer’s markets by the spring of next year. We are planning to have a veggie booth at farmer’s markets in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Occidental, and hopefully Sebastopol. Our initial selections will be somewhat limited, ranging from a few varieties of lettuce to swiss chard, kale, basil, mint, and bok choy. We will have a fun virtual tour of our farm and a display with fun facts and educational material. We are excited to bring aquaponics to Sonoma County and we invite all to come and visit. Stay tuned for updates and pictures of our progress! We are very excited to bring aquaponics to Sonoma County and we look forward to educating and answering all question about this fun new farming technique. We are super excited to start construction of our greenhouse this month. Groundwork has already started, so stayed tuned for progress and updates.
