POSTER PRESENTATION ABSTRACT
Bushbuckridge local municipality is home to high unemployment rate in the Ehlanzeni district municipality due to shortages of industrial and mining development in the area. Agricultural activities are the main source of income for the poor. However, the community is faced with the challenge of diminishing natural resources such as land and water. The human population is rapidly increasing while natural resources are limited implying that if sustainable/green agriculture is not accelerated man’s basic needs such as food etc. will one day not be met. As a result, agricultural land is converted to business development activities such as shopping centres, game lodges, guest houses, recreation etc. This has resulted in conflict between farmers, community members and the business sector.
The human population is rapidly increasing while natural resources are limited implying that if sustainable/green agriculture is not accelerated man’s basic needs such as food etc. will one day not be met. In search for a solution, scientists have recommended aquaponics as an alternative system of sustainable food production which is adaptive to climate change. Hence, the aquaponics pilot project is implemented in Acorns to Oaks High school in Bushbuckridge. Aquaponics is the co ncept of combining aquaculture and hydroponics systems into one cohesive closed loop system that cycles nutrients and water to the mutual benefit of the plant and fish species within the system (Fox et al. 2010)
This paper sought to investigate the sustainability and viability of aquaponics as a system of food production. In particular, the main focus was on answering two main questions namely: Is aquaponics a sustainable system of food production? How beneficial is the aquaponics project in the local community? This survey took on a mixed approach; hence both qualitative and quantitative questions were explored. A questionnaire was used as the main method of data collection. The results indicate that aquaponics is not only a sustainable system of food production but it is also adaptive to climate change. Furthermore, it has benefitted the community in various ways, such as employment opportunities, access to fresh food, water conservation, tourism and youth attraction to agriculture.