Tech: Farm cultivates fish and vegetables
It combines fish production with cultivation of vegetables.
With a closed water and nutrition cycle, the farm saves 90% of water, compared to conventional fish and vegetable production.
Furthermore, it needs 70% less cultivation area than conventional farms. Carbon dioxide emissions are very low, because the farm produces and sells its products close to the customers, thus reducing transport and refrigeration. On an area of 1,800 sq metres, the ECF City Farm produces about 25 tonnes of fish and 30 tonnes of vegetables, per year.
The farm is using an age-old technique to grow tomatoes, peppers and greens in a miniature container farm, fertilized with fish excretions. The earliest pioneers of aquaponic farming included the ancient Aztecs and Chinese.
From May onwards, weekly vegetable boxes will be available for 300 customers. Fish sale (perch) will start in October. ECF plans and constructs turnkey aquaponic farm systems for sustainably produced food, and intends to build up an international franchise of city farms.
The company says vast resources are wasted in conventional food production processes. They aim to produce food of highest quality in the most resource efficient way.
ECF is a start-up which has been supported and funded by Climate-KIC, a Knowledge and Innovation Communities group focused on climate change, put in place by the EU’s European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
