Aquaponics in Middle School? Just ask us.
An exploration of resilient and sustainable farming practices. Snails and fish and crawdads–oh my!
Tomorrow's Solutions for Today's Emerging Issues
This six-week Reach Beyond cycle is devoted to social impact, biology, and other sciences, students set up three aquaponic mini-systems and learn about the social impact and possible future uses of this resilient form of food production. Aquaponics is a sustainable method of agriculture that combines raising fish in tanks with soilless plant culture, resulting in the growth of substantially more food with less water, land, and labor than traditional agriculture. Our students delve into the social impact issues of food security, health crisis outbreaks, and natural disaster recovery, aquaponics as a possible solution to the issue of urban food deserts, and the role of aquaponics in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They hear from both local community experts and those with national and worldwide recognition through online video conferences. They even have the opportunity to design and engineer their own aquaponics systems. Our middle school students experience first-hand how to manage their aquaponic mini-systems, and at the end of the six-week cycle, they have not only a solid understanding but also some tasty microgreens, as well as wheatgrass, basil, and lemon thyme.