Innovation: The innovation here is the selection of different crops and fish and grow them simultaneously. The filtering system and maintenance of the water quality will enhance the growth of both fish and crops. Solar system can be fixed that automatically power the water pumps that oxygenate the pond system

Sector/Industry Application: Agriculture (Aquaculture)

Description: Aquaponics is a system of aquaculture that combines the conventional aquaculture (the raising of aquatic animals such as fish) with hydroponics (the method of growing plants in water i.e. soil-less farming of crops). It uses these two technologies in a symbiotic combination in which the plant uses the waste from the fish pond as food while at the same time filtering the water for immediate re-use by the fish. The system offers diverse and stable platforms for farmers to grow vegetables and and fish at the same time. Thus aquaponics offers double sources of income (sale of vegetables and fish) as the farmer can continue to earn money even when the market for either fish or vegetable goes through low patronage. This system has remained an emerging technology for sustainable agriculture due to its low water usage, limited land requirements, suitability for poor soils, efficient nutrient recycling and the production of fish and vegetables that are free from herbicides, pesticides and heavy metal accumulation. The development of the mobile model of the conventional and aquaponics systems as being proposed in this project will open a wide window of food security through increased agricultural productivity as the portability of the system will encourage homestead, urban and tenant aquaculture. Despite these potential gains, Nigeria is yet to reasonably exploit the production of the technology. Among the commonly bred fresh water fishes are the catfish and tilapia, which have high survival rates and local demands. The success of aquaponics practice lies mainly on the ability to manage water quality parameters. The essence of this technology is to develop a system of growing fish and plants at the same time for poverty alleviation.

Problem: Our research will solve the problem of hunger as fish and crops will be grown simultaneously to our overall benefit.