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Aquaponics

2020

Benin

Foundation Hubi & Vinciane (FHV) is a Belgian NGO active in the Parakou region of Benin. Togetherwith the local people they set up projects around healthcare, education and agriculture. In one of these projects the foundation tries to introduce aquaponics in the region. Aquaponics is a hybridform of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic way:fish feces are used as nutrients for the plants, which thus filter the water and keep it clean for thefish. That way, both plants can be cultivated, fish can be farmed and water can be reused.

The long term goal of the project is to introduce small household scale aquaponic units to families, who can use it as a vegetable garden, thus providing an additional source of food/income.

In November 2019, five such systems were installed in the city of Parakou. They are used for testing and research. They were installed at three different locations: the center of innovation of Hubi & Vinciane, the university of Parakou and la Ferme de Sokounon. To guarantee good water flow, the systems need a water pump and use some electricity. At the university this comes from the grid, which is unreliable. During this project, a PV installation will be built at the university to provide reliable energy source.

So far, the small aquaponic systems were imported from South Africa, this makes them expensive. If some time remains, we will look at options together with the foundation to implement this systemlocally: finding the right materials for the aquaponic systems on local markets so the smaller farmerscould benefit from the system as well. This would reduce the price of this system and make it economically viable.

At the university they are also building a larger aquaponic set up for research purposes on a larger scale. This set up uses multiple pumps and aeration pumps. To make sure there is a reliable energy source, a backup PV system will be designed for the university as well to complement the grid.

Currently the professor of the university who is in charge of this project, Dr Ibrahim Toko, is still looking for a way to provide sufficient funding for this project.

Students
Ann-Sofie Van Nevel
Zeno Verboven
Margot Verbinnen
Coach
Federico Brinchilin & Steven De Baerdemaeker
Technology manager
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