US (KS): Students want to feed the world using aquaponics
“It was always something I knocked around, but I was like – I can’t do anything about it,” said Luke. “Little ‘ol me in Stafford, Kansas, population 1,000 – what can I do to solve the hunger problem?”
But as he stood in Stafford High School’s greenhouse on this afternoon, it is apparent Luke’s view of the world has changed. Nearly 800 million people don’t have enough food to lead a healthy life, according to the World Food Program. But Luke is ready to tackle that number, one person at a time.
It started with constructing a greenhouse three years ago through a grant, he said. But recent efforts started in Cargill’s research in agriculture class, in which Luke and fellow junior Josh Harter are enrolled. They’ve been working on ways to grow multiple plants from a single seed. They are experimenting with meal worms – conducting experiments on how they eat cardboard, Styrofoam and plastic with the idea the worms could help landfills.
And in the greenhouse, Luke and Josh are working with aquaponics – an aquaculture system where the waste produced by fish is used to create nutrients for plants. The fish, fed worms grown in the greenhouse, supply nutrients for plants grown hydroponically, which in turn, purify the water. No chemical, fertilizers or pesticides are used.
Yet the idea is broader than the school’s own greenhouse. Luke and Josh have been trying to design the perfect system that can be used in third-world countries with limited resources.
Read more at kansasagland.com
