The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced today that Lethbridge College has been awarded an Innovation Enhancement Grant of $200,000 over two years to advance applied research in the area of commercial aquaponics.
“It is very exciting to see our work in aquaponics moving forward with greater purpose,” says Lethbridge College Vice-President Academic and Chief Learning Officer, Peter Leclaire. “The announcement by NSERC validates Lethbridge College’s ongoing efforts to create a more robust research agenda. It also demonstrates the importance of strategically working with industry to further the development of new technologies and processes that will enhance opportunities for our industry partners and for our communities.
Aquaponics is an exciting development in agriculture where fish and plants are cultivated together in a recirculating growing system that can efficiently and safely produce plants year-round. The system considerably enhances growth rates of greenhouse crops compared to traditional greenhouse production.
“The Government of Canada is very pleased to provide NSERC funding to the Lethbridge College, which will increase its opportunity for collaboration with local companies and producers in the pursuit and adaption of new technologies in the expanding field of acquaponics,” stated Jim Hillyer, Member of Parliament for Lethbridge.
Funding from this award will be used to support a unique project that will assist aquaponics producers to make technical improvements to their systems and to overcome policy obstacles to aquaponics. It will also be used to help interested parties investigate and adopt commercial-scale aquaponics as an environmentally sustainable form of agriculture.
“Aquaponics has been a part of the college’s Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (ACE) for approximately 13 years,” says ACE Head of Research John Derksen. “It was established to show the beneficial relationship between fish, plants and beneficial microorganisms, and to demonstrate how this symbiotic relationship can provide a form of agriculture that minimizes water and energy use. The fish provide the nutrients for plant growth as beneficial bacteria break down their waste into a usable form and the plants remove harmful ammonia and nitrate from the water for the fish. All of this is done within a closed system.”
Derksen adds that aquaponics offers enormous potential to expand on existing food production while addressing issues of food security, sustainability, water conservation, and energy consumption. Recirculation aquaponics systems range in size from micro-systems for residential use to large commercial operations.
To complete the research, Lethbridge College will partner with Trimark Engineering Ltd. of Lethbridge, Dr. Nick Savidov of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD), and the Alberta Aquaculture Association.
Trimark Engineering Ltd. will offer its experience in the fish industry and in the design of fluid handling, solids separation and energy management.
“The proposed research will further demonstrate the economic viability of aquaponics systems and will provide both commercial operators and new entrepreneurs with the information required to make business decisions,” says Principal Engineer K.B. Takeda. “Our involvement will bridge academic research with industry experience to enhance the credibility and applicability of the research outcomes.”
As one of the world’s foremost authorities on aquaponics, Dr. Savidov will lead the project and is excited about continuing ARD’s long partnership with Lethbridge College in the area of aquaponics research.
“The combination of ARD expertise in the development and running of pre-commercial aquaponic systems and the college’s own research capacity creates a unique opportunity for this project to advance the whole area of aquaponics and achieve international recognition,” says Savidov. “Several companies in Alberta and beyond have already adopted aquaponics and have expressed their interest in commercializing the technology. The success of this project will mean better logistical support to those companies and higher chances for them to succeed. Aquaponics represents a truly ecosystem approach to food production significantly minimizing environmental impact from agricultural operations.”
Penny Takahashi, an aquaponics technician at the college, is excited by the rapid growth of aquaponics in the United States and in Canada. “Aquaponics has changed rapidly over the last four years and the number of people touring our facility has increased by 75 per cent,” she says. “People want to know they can grow their own food to sustain themselves.”
The $200,000 in funding, available through the College and Community Innovation Program, represents a significant external investment into applied research at the college. This NSERC award is the first that the college has received since obtaining Tri-Council eligibility in 2011.