A model to follow to grow healthy food by building sustainable local food gardens using recirculating water methods including Aquaponics and Hydroponics.
I have designed a “Zero Lot” sustainable food growing system that incorporates recirculating water methods. The April 2012 edition of Cornell University Small Urban Farm guide called this system “a good fit for small spaces”. The Zero Lot hybrid system design will be different depending upon the individual’s needs and circumstances. They can be built completely by locally sourced materials or purchased, either in sections or as complete packages so as to meet different needs and wants. This should ensure the availability of affordable sustainable food growing systems to provide a solution to growing your own healthy food. Water conservation, use of green technology, reducing the carbon footprint along with healthy locally grown food are just some of the benefits.
Growing your own food is both rewarding and self-empowering. You do not need a huge plot of land or even a “green thumb”. If you follow some simple ground rules and are willing to experiment and learn new methods, you will be rewarded with healthy, nutritious food resulting in improvements to your health as well as providing some level of food security. You can grow by using Hydroponic nutrients or incorporate Aquaponics that would allow you to grow both fish and plants in a manmade ecosystem that incorporates recirculating water. This could easily be done by adding a small fish pond enabling you to recirculate the effluent rich fish water and growing healthy food in a variety of grow beds and containers. Fish provide the nutrients for the plants and the plants purify the water for the fish in this self contained easy to maintain system.
You can incorporate numerous grow beds and containers in the sustainable food growing systems. You can use floating raft beds, NFT’s, media beds, wicking beds, dutch buckets, rain gutters and roof panels or perhaps do vertical gardening? In future blog articles, I will discuss these in further detail. As you can see, there are many options available. In order to provide the backyard gardener with the greatest range of vegetables and fruits that can be grown in such systems. I recommend that you incorporate as many of these growing methods as possible in your sustainable food growing systems.
The Zero Lot sustainable food growing systems can be scaled to size and can be replicated. They can also be operated off grid. You can have fresh food at home, work or anywhere they are set up. You can teach your children and others the knowledge to grow their own food locally by natural means. They can also be the basis of feeding both your family, the community as well as provide income to the small urban farmer who may sell locally grow food at the farmers market. Fresh locally grown healthy food that is the type recommended by most medical and health professionals as what we should be eating.
Healthy food grown in the Zero Lot sustainable food growing systems
Please consider making a donation.
Your donations will make a positive impact by enabling us to fund a portion of the costs of the monthly farm tours, host training workshops and provide associated manuals, cover staff costs and assist the building and installation of sustainable food gardens using recirculating farming methods including Aquaponics and Hydroponics. This will empower individuals and communities by providing solutions to end hunger rather than continued continued reliance on food aid.
Feed Hunger Now is a 501(c)3 non profit organization. Donations are tax deductible. Florida State Charity Registration Number CH 41373.
Prefer to donate by check or cash? Please complete our information form and send to:
Feed Hunger Now, P.O.Box 105, Goldenrod, FL 32733 USA
