Review on Aquaponics System as A Sustainable Food Production Source

ABSTRACT: The global population is growing day by day, so the food demand is escalating as well. Traditional farming practices cannot cater to increasing fooddemand. Environmental stresses like global warming, mass flooding, insects attack, droughts are some of the key players affecting crop yield. These factors leave the soil barren for cultivation and attaining the highest yield. These changes demand a selection of an alternative method that is not only environment friendly but also sustainable. Aquaponics provides an ideal system for growing plants in soilless conditions. The Aquaponics system is a dual scheme of growing plants and fish at the same time. These systems utilize different approaches for growing plants and fishes simultaneously. This is through by circulating mechanism of an aquaponic system where fish waste in aquaculture provides nutrients to plants for the nourishment of hydroponic units. And plants purify water by utilizing nitrogen to maintain water for fish survival and growth. An aquaponic system is a sustainable methodology that does not affect the environment like conventional farming and is built on the recycling principle. A variety of vegetables like lettuce, cucumber, coriander, spinach, eggplant, basil are popular among domestic aquaponics farmers. Fishes are selected based on features like temperature for growth, nutritional requirements, etc. This review some of the main aquaponics systems and their components. Different requirements for establishing a successful aquaponic system are discussed. Furthermore, thesustainability of the aquaponic system is investigated, as the aquaponics system saves water and delivers nutritious food at smaller and larger scales