US (MI): Hannahville Youth Services offering aquaponics program
Director of Youth Services Rod Lovell said the program has already been a success, and improvements will be made to it in the near future.
Hannahville's aquaponics program was not Lovell's first experience with aquaponics and agriculture, he said. He has worked with an aquaponics facility in Garden, and has been interested in greenhouses since his youth.
"I've always had greenhouses," he said.
A major motivating factor behind the decision to create an aquaponics program was the opportunities it provides for Hannahville's students. Local students helped set up the aquaponics greenhouse and some are employed there. Money raised by selling vegetables grown as part of the aquaponics program is then re-invested into the Youth Services Department.
"It's a cultural thing, too - bringing farming back and getting in touch with the land," Lovell said.
Butterhead, bib and mixed-leaf lettuce; Swiss chard; cilantro; parsley; thyme; pak choi; basil; and microgreens are all being grown as part of the aquaponics program. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and green beans are also grown in Dutch buckets set up at the facility.
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