The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) situated in Mohali has established a pilot ‘Aquaponics facility’ at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary University (GADVASU), Ludhiana. This facility has been making headlines lately due to its innovative approach and immense potential in aiding agriculture-based economies.
The State-of-the-art Facility
This advanced facility comes with up-to-date sensors that monitor and regulate the farming system automatically. The supercomputing power offered by C-DAC plays a crucial part in developing agricultural technology. Furthermore, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) provided the necessary funding support for the project.
Special Features and Significance
One of the distinctive features of this facility is that it is nearly 100% organic. It requires significantly less land for a similar yield of crop and consumes 90% less water. The fish and plants grown together in this facility are found to be more nutritious which makes them suitable for urban areas where the demand is increasing rapidly.
The use of this technology is expected to attract aspirational rural youth into the mainstream. It will not only increase the productivity of the land and enhance the farmer’s income especially in non-coastal areas but will also give agri-economy a significant boost.
Understanding Aquaponics
Aquaponics is an amalgamation of hydroponics, soil-less agriculture, and aquaculture within a closed system. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in a nutrient-rich, water-based solution, without using soil. In contrast, aquaculture involves breeding, raising, and harvesting fish, alongside aquatic plants.
There are three key components in the aquaponics process: fish, plants, and bacteria which help in the cycling of nutrients, specifically the conversion of ammonia into nitrate.
In an Aquaponics system, the farmer combines aquaculture with hydroponic vegetables. The fish waste acts as a natural fertilizer for growing plants, which in turn absorb nutrients and filter the water. This filtered water is then repurposed to replenish the fish tank, making it an environment-friendly technique.
Benefits of Aquaponics
Aquaponics boasts high water efficiency and doesn’t need soil or fertilizers. It also prevents the waste from aquaculture from polluting nearby watersheds and gives farmers more control over production, leading to lower losses. Moreover, this system can be implemented on non-arable lands such as deserts, degraded soil, or sandy islands.
Although the creation of an aquaponics system might require a substantial initial investment, it incurs minimal recurring costs. Additionally, aquaponics can enhance quality-of-life, as it enables local food production using simple harvest methods and allows for the growth of culturally appropriate crops.
About Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)
C-DAC, the driving force behind this initiative, is a premier Research & Development organization under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity). It’s known for its pioneering work in IT, Electronics, and related areas, including the creation of India’s first supercomputer PARAM 8000 in 1991.
Apart from this, C-DAC has played a crucial role in various agricultural projects, such as measuring quality parameters of tea and rice with their Electronic Nose and Vision (ENOVISION) system. They have also developed a Wireless Data Logger to measure the fitness of perishable agricultural items, and an Internet of Things (IoT) based system for efficient agriculture.
