The project “Ciclar Vida” is an initiative developed by a cooperative team composed of researchers, technicians, and students who have successfully achieved the first lettuce harvest in experimental aquaponics systems.
This team is made up of members from the National Institute of Limnology (INALI, CONICET-UNL) and INTA Ángel Gallardo, in collaboration with other scientific institutions.
Innovation in Aquaponics
Débora Carvalho, a researcher from CONICET and project director, highlights that working with emerging lines of research is always a great challenge, especially in the current context of limited resources for science.
The production of vegetables in aquaponics is an agroecological process free from harmful agricultural inputs, which cares for both the health of producers and consumers.
Since 2018, INALI has been addressing the topic of aquaponics, but it was in 2022 when the project secured funding, allowing the implementation of nine independent and replicable modules. These modules have enabled the execution of scientific experiments with the necessary statistical rigor for the project’s development.
Advancements and Collaborations
The combined experience of fish and vegetable production has progressed with multiple tasks, from putting the recirculation system into operation and hydraulic tests, to the first planting of pacu in October.
The tasks, coordinated with researcher Natalia Calvo, aim to optimize resources and the productivity of integrated pacu farming with vegetables in small-scale aquaponics systems, applicable to urban and family agriculture.
The progress achieved allows for advancements in scientific matters and envisions concrete possibilities for transfer and commercialization, the result of cooperative work with personnel from other institutions. Besides INALI and INTA, members of CICYTTP (CONICET-UADER) and ICIVET Litoral (CONICET-UNL) are also participating.
The project also collaborates with a feed company interested in producing specifically for aquaponics, achieving at this stage two types of feed: one commercial and one with nutrient modifications to enhance plant growth.
The participating company contributed the fish feed and juvenile pacu specimens, while INTA provided the space and production costs.
Aquaponics is an emerging productive technology in Argentina, with great potential for positive social, economic, and environmental impact. It promotes the production of safe food, free from agrochemicals, and with efficient use of natural resources, adaptable to various climatic conditions and production scales.
The Future of Aquaponics in Argentina
The “Ciclar Vida” project focuses on family-scale aquaponics modules proposed by the FAO, built with accessible and low-cost inputs, aimed at complementing families’ diets with high-quality nutritional foods free from contaminants.
Carvalho adds that the project is moving towards self-financing of necessary inputs, which will allow offering healthy aquaponic vegetables and contributing to sustainability through science.
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