US (CA): Brea farm uses aquaponics system to save water and grow produce

A Brea farm is reshaping the local farming industry. Following the State of Emergency declared in early January by Gov. Jerry Brown, the California drought has become a big concern for farmers throughout the state. Future Foods Farms in Brea aims to make their farms drought and eco-friendly.

The organic farm has grown their produce through a dynamic method called aquaponics, a practice that mixes aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining system in which water is recycled with fish, said Amber Amos, a volunteer worker at Future Foods Farms.

“We use the nutrients from the fish and the pond water to water our plants, and then our plants recycle our water and then goes back into our fish,” Amos said.

As the owner of one of the largest aquaponics farms in California, Adam Navidi has recruited several scientists as consultants in addition to several college professors and interns who maintain and collect research on a daily basis.

The 25-acre farm has ponds of tilapia that are fed organic sprouts. In turn their waste produces a chemical called nitrite which can be broken down and turned into fertilizer by bacteria and then used to water their crops.

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