By Sydney Selman
On Monday April 4, about 15 Tallahassee Community College students invested their time in maintaining a local aquaponics farm at the Crawfordville Community Center in Crawfordville, Fla. This event was sparked by a community outreach project in the students’ College Success Course.
So what is aquaponics? The most simple definition is that aquaponics is the marriage of aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (the soil-less growing of plants) that are then utilized to grow plants in one integrated system. The fish waste provide a food source for the plants to thrive in and the plants provide a natural filter for the water that the fish grow in.
According to Michele Corichi, Director of the non-profit aquaponics company, Farming the Future, this is a very special project that combined both college students and young children spending the day at the community center learning about aquaponics and growing your own crops.
“I believe in sustainability and knowing where your food comes from,” Said Corichi. “We provide possibilities for [the youth] they had never thought possible.”
The students conducted water quality tests and were able to work side-by-side with the children by planting seeds for the farm and teaching them about the nitrogen cycle.
“It’s a great learning tool,” Said Corichi. “It teaches the students about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.”
