Aquaponics production of catfish and pumpkin: Comparison with conventional production systems

Abstract

Aquaponics is known to be a smart way of producing fish and crops simultaneously; however, there is a paucity of information about the extents of this system's efficiency over other conventional methods of food production. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate the performance of a catfish–pumpkin aquaponics system in comparison with recirculatory and static aquaculture systems (for fish performance), as well as irrigated and nonirrigated systems (for pumpkin performance). Results obtained showed that the production of fish in the aquaponics system was 29% and 75% more efficient than recirculatory and static aquaculture systems, respectively. The survival of the fish was also significantly improved probably due to better water quality in the aquaponics system. With respect to pumpkin production, yield in the aquaponics system was about five times the performance in irrigated land and eleven times those in nonirrigated land. This study gives definitive evidence to support the efficiency of the aquaponics system over other conventional food production methods.