The economics of aquaponics

Pioneering farmers try to tap the potential of the agricultural technique, with mixed success

By Andrew Gomes

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 26, 2012

~~<p>Lettuce is easy to raise. So are fish in a tank. Connect the two and you've got aquaponics — a simple concept that has given rise to such systems sprouting in backyards, on apartment lanai and at schools all over Hawaii in recent years.</p>
<p>But a bigger impact could be in commercial farming, given that aquaponic crops grow faster while using less land, water and labor. They're also organic.</p>
~~

Lettuce is easy to raise. So are fish in a tank. Connect the two and you've got aquaponics — a simple concept that has given rise to such systems sprouting in backyards, on apartment lanai and at schools all over Hawaii in recent years.

But a bigger impact could be in commercial farming, given that aquaponic crops grow faster while using less land, water and labor. They're also organic. Login for more...