More thoughts on where this is all going

[Kobus Jooste]

For the last couple of contributions, especially around commercial aquaponics and the formation of aquaponic associations / professional bodies, I suddenly found myself a little bit on the antagonistic side of the debate.  Now even though I may have never been the world’s greatest optimist (a pessimist is right most of the time, and is pleasantly surprised at being wrong, after all), I think there is much more to my train of thought than what can be shoved into a paragraph.  My pictures are of smaller systems that I have built in my back yard, but I have made little mention of a 2-year effort to investigate and develop commercial aquaponics opportunities in South Africa.  Through a lot of very detailed number crunching and business model development I believe that I understand the South African fresh product market reasonably well, as well as the type of Cap Ex and ROI that one can expect from a large operation.  How large exactly?  Well, 65 000 square feet with a HACCP standard processing facility.  65 job opportunities, and it very, very nearly flew.  It made it all the way to the final Treasury Due Diligence vetting and then the political wheels of the venture came off.  There were a lot of excuses – World Cup over spending, Health and Education cash flow problems, our key man in government loosing a key election. 

 

Around this time I took a very dim view of aquaponics.  Not because I was wrong about the fantastic farming method, but because the fantastic farming method was still wrong for my setting.  I’m a technical person, and for me the focus always were understanding the ecology of aquaponics and designing for the South African environment.  I missed the fact that there is not even a functional 3000 square foot commercial system that has stood the test of time to prove to the financiers that their very large pile of money is going towards a safe bet (as safe as agriculture can be in this place).  I missed the psychology of being the first to back new technology, of risking money (your own, tax payers’, whatever).  It is round about this time that I told myself to back off and take a sabbatical.  What I found is that I am still passionate about understanding the ecology of aquaponics and designing for the South African climate, but that I took a big reality check in terms of the readiness of the technology for the market, and the market for the technology.  Therefore, if I sound cautious about commercial efforts, regulation of the industry and the potential impact that AP will be having in the coming 10 years, it is because I have indeed become very, very cautious.  In a heartbeat, most people will tell you that electric cars is a really cool idea.  Ask them what they drive, and the reality sets in.  Some stick their neck out, but most do not.  I think the reason for this is multi-faceted, and that the electric car and aquaponics are very similar in market placement and developmental and growth predicament.  Both are efficient modern variations of an existing theme.  The existing alternative, although visibly undesirable and hopelessly unsustainable, still has a grip on the market that need to be pried loose.  Part of this grip comes from market share and value, part due to the convenience of the existing method compared to adopting a minority alternative, and yet another part from the sinister influence that a powerful market player can have on the decision making ability of a politician.

 

Some of the toughest battles that lie ahead this side of the pond is to sort out some sort of certification and to get into the market in an arena dominated by bulk buying and mega farms.  This is not a fight that anyone should take on alone, and hence I support calls for a regulatory / professional AP body.  I further support calls made by individuals on this forum to work together in co-operative supply ventures.  It is in the essence of the people that practice aquaponics that I think the future of the industry lies.  I’m impressed by it, as I am from a nation that is not very good at that.  Over here you are first and foremost a colour, then a sex, and then an age.  Politics are divisive here, and historically, even groups that believe they are a community with a single identity ends up having three different churches, 6 different schools and as many political parties.  Standing together for a common goal is not as obvious as it may seem.  Hence, I think from the discussions that I have been quietly observing of late, and to draw again upon some questions I asked in previous blogs, some detail is beginning to emerge from all the fuzziness.

 

First of all, I think there is great unity in aquapons to push the industry forward, to give everyone a voice and to assist everyone in getting up to speed.  I therefore think that a professional body of such likeminded people would be an exiting thing to behold.  That is because I think I have an answer to the past question of “what kind of person gets into aquaponics, or would like AP crops.  We have a mix of environmentally aware, sustainability minded, altruistic and health conscious individuals who are more interested in promoting aquaponics than becoming top dog operator or primo finger wagger.  This is rather special, because nowhere else in anything that I have been involved in has this come across quite as strong.  I think we have a long way to go, just as hydroponics had to since its birth.  I’m glad to be present at the beginning of AP’s journey, and am truly looking forward to seeing where it is going to take me.  Here’s to the Mavericks.  Lets all give it a bash!!  I must now go chase some rain, as we are probably the only place in the world still experiencing a drought and it is raining now.  Need to fill containers.

[Raychel A Watkins]

We are pioneers and all you have to do is look at history.  Because I live in America we can use it as an example.  How many pioneers failed before there was one success.  How many times did Edison fail at the light bulb?  What if he had given up?  How long before someone came along with the tenacity to keep going.  We as aquapons need to really push the sustainability mode for most people.  A city like New York can handle a big commercial venture but not even then without a lot of funds.  If we live in a less populated area we can not take that mode.  We should not be thinking of trucking produce around.  This defeats the purpose of FRESH. 

We are pioneers and we will make mistakes.  If our mistakes are too big we may have to get out.  Because of our addiction I don't believe this is possible.  None of us are exempt from mistakes.  A very minor mistake can be deadly.  Take for instance my latest screw up.  I was so worried about the Ammonia in these two tanks that were attached to each other.  I tried about 20 solutions and none worked.  Keep in mind the fish did not seem to be that stressed.  I was the one that was stressed out.  I had dumped the tank several times I had remove fish, you name it I made corrections to no avail.  I finally found the solution.  I moved this empty tank up put some old water some new non chlorinated water in it.  Keep in mind I had never put fish in this tank before.  I put about 60 fish in this tank  put air hoses in it and planed to put the fish elswhere the next day.  Here is what happened  The ammonia is corrected and 48 of the 60 fish are dead.  They were dead in 18 hours.  I saved 12.  Am I giving up.  Hell no It was not aquaponics that failed I made  move I never do.  I didn't test the tank with a few fish.  I know better.  I recieved a news letter from the Friendlies in Honakaha, they have had 2 fatal mistakes, not to the fish but to the crops.  Are they giving up Hell no.  They are regrouping thinking it out and forging on.  Olomana gardens made a fatal mistake recrently by assuming the electricity in the fish world came on when the house did.  Wrong and they lost a myarid of fish.  Are they quitting absolutly not.  Glen has rigged up a system where this can't happen again.  Aquaponics never failed in any of these cases.  These were all human error.  Takke regular farming.  How many farms were wiped out in tornados, flooding, fire, and various other problems like bugs, disease you name it.  Farming is a hard job and there are always losses.  But with aquaponics we have a much better advantage. I have made gardens all my life gave up in the last 12 years because it is just too hard.  I love aquaponics, no weeding, no digging, no bending over, and not chemicals.  How can you beat it.

I guess I am saying this to say don't be discouraged if you can't find the money to go commercial for it may not be the way you should go.  I was all hep to do that before God pulled me up short and said look at your age and what it will cost you in health, wealth, and other things.  i realize then it is my job to show the younger generation about sustainability.  What to do when the grocery store closes.  Where does lettuce come from anyway?  Do we really realize that this generation is lost as to how to produce food, how to save themselves, how to live healthy and a myarid of other things.  Our job is to keep on keeping on untill we have addicted the masses to aquaponics.  But also to teach this and future generations about heath and sustainability.  Take a look at TC's  property.  It is not just aquaponics but true sustainability.  Until we can go big if that is what we choose change one mind at a time and have fun doing it.  That is the path I have choosen.  I am working on teaching my son-in-law how this is done.  he just had a very large brain tumor removed and has to work on retraining a lot in his brain.  He is very fortunate in retaining his skills but has a terrible problem with short term memory and stress.  I believe aquaponics will help his brain heal completely and I am thinking about this for our veterans who come back with these traumatic brain injuries.  Many of them will not be able to work so they will end up homeless.  It has already started.  I believe aquaponics will give them a way back.  I am not going to start with the entire military I am starting with my son in law.  We will see wht happens.  Just keep on everyone we shall overcome but never if we give up.  I hope I have made sense.  Let us see where all this takes us keep your mind open for changes. 

[TCLynx]

There are some success stories out there but few long term ones yet.  Most are no more than a few years old but making it past your first two years in a business is definitely better than the ones who gave up after the first year.

 

Now doing aquaponics in the COLD part of the country can definitely be more challenging but then again, you might grow trout instead of tilapia.  Most people have found that the veggies will bring in more money than the fish since it is hard to compete with the large scale aquaculture operations and they are usually having trouble keeping their heads above water too.

 

I feel that aquaponics is only one part of being sustainable and feeding the world and food security.  Perhaps it isn't the best solution for every situation.  For some people without access to stable electricity or the funds to set up alternative energy solutions, perhaps they should be doing wicking beds and an extensive low tech farm pond for growing food and skip the aquaponics.  Or some form of BIO-Ponics other than strict aquaponics might be more appropriate.

[Kobus Jooste]

There are a couple of smaller (one or two greenhouse) operators in the community - they seem to be doing OK.  Perhaps you can look at the "commercial aquaponics" group to see what they are chatting about over there.  In my arena there is just too many cost drivers against getting off the ground with any great success right now. My biggest issue is the cost of fish food vs the low value here for tilapia, but I'm sure there are similar number crunching issues elsewhere.  Of late, I have become convinced that my energy will be better used in the type of school level awareness that is required to get the general person on the street over here thinking about sustainability and food quality.  This mindset is not mainstream at all, resulting in the frustrating fact that none of the key attributes of aquaponic production means anything to the average consumer.  Price is everything and without a great market for the fish, the plan will need to be carefully considered - likely down the road of Coastview Aquaponics, in order to get off the ground.  Unfortunately I have expended all my resources learning all these lessons over the last 3 years and do not have the desire to get tangled up in a commercial aquaponic experiment right now - not with my own resources at stake. 

[Jeff Pernell]

I'm new to the community, but I thought this post was very well stated.  Because of the fact that you posted it on my birthday, I figured I better comment.  I live in Montana, USA and I've been looking into aquaponics with tilapia as a commercial venture for several years with the hope of a large closed loop system at some point.  I'm still having trouble making the cash-flow look worthwhile. (It's tough to beat the prices from the mega farms).  Where are the success stories? I hope they exist!  I'm always glad to be in the company of the early adapters and the Mavericks!  Cheers.

[Raychel A Watkins]

Excellent Kobus.  I am in total agreement with you.  I have always been an optimist, maybe a dreamer is a better word.  Most of my friends think I am a little nuts when i start these things.  They are pleasantly surprised when things work.  I have taken my falls but it is always worth getting back up.  You spoke of the electric car have you seen the documentary "Who Killed the electric car".  Still the electric car lives on and appears to be making a breakthrough here in AMERICA.  We are even putting in charging stations in Hawaii.  The road may be rough but it is doable.  In this community we have very intelligent, dedicated, optimistic,  and reach for the sky people.  I applaud you for trying so hard to bring this to South Africa.  What they always tell us in America is remember Edison failed at least 100 times before he got a lightbulb to work.  I think he was addicted as we are addicted.  I think that is what it will take, intelligent , dedicated, and addicted people.  It is impossible to put it down and walk away.  So lets all get on the boat and show the world that we can produce an affordable, sustainable, good for the environment, and still healthy and delicious way to grow food.

By the way Kobus your writing is eloquent.  I love to read your writing.  Keep it comming.

Mahalo Nui Loa for coming back to the site.  We need you on the boat with us.

[Kobus Jooste]

Sahib - I still have my concerns about regulatory body powers and quality control, especially in terms of smaller operations.  In South Africa, certification and HACPP facilities is beyond the reach of small growers, and with organic getting the same shelf price as normal, quite frankly the effort is worthless.  Obviously this perception is entirely based on my location and may differ from country to country.  Here, any form of regulation will put small operators under pressure, and although I do not use this statement as an argument in favour of do as you please, it guides my gut feel response to such discussions.

[TCLynx]

[Green Acre Aquaponics]

Very well said Kobus!  Sounds like it came from an optimist, a cautious one, but an optimist nonetheless.  Yes, let's all bash away! 

[Sahib Punjabi]

Great...nice to see we are starting to get some consensus :-)

 

God bless,