UNAM

The project takes place in collaboration with the University of Namibia (UNAM), more specifically the Department of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, led by Professor Tamuka Nhiwatiwa. The Namibian team is researching how aquaponics systems, combinations of fish farming and plant cultivation, can be made robust and self-sufficient in rural desert areas, without the need for continuous human monitoring.

This project aims to develop, on a small pilot scale, an independent water source for desert aquaponics. The concept is to harvest fog from the nearby ocean, introduced by the cold Benguala current, and purify it to make it suitable for the sensitive aquaponics system. A recent scientific paper by Professor Tamuka’s team on the quality of harvested fog will serve as a starting point for designing the fog collection and purification mechanism. 

The project will be carried out jointly by three students from KU Leuven and three students from UNAM.