Farm in Yunlin County Showcases Experimental Aquaponics Techniques

TaiwanPlus News

A farm in southern Taiwan is growing fish and vegetables with experimental aquaponics techniques, aiming to spread the use of sustainable farming.

Transcript

00:00 Creating a virtuous circle.

00:02 These fish and the plants they're being fed

00:04 are part of an aquaponics farming project

00:06 in Baozhong Township in southern Taiwan.

00:09 The three-year-old farm is the largest of its type in the country.

00:12 It grows both vegetables and breeds fish,

00:14 and it will soon offer classes for tourists and students

00:17 who want to learn more about sustainable farming.

00:20 The water from the pond is used to grow vegetables.

00:25 Then the clean water is returned to the fish.

00:28 So this cycle of work is a new cycle.

00:37 Growing crops and fish farming consume a lot of water.

00:40 But when done right, aquaponics can drastically cut down

00:43 the amount of water used.

00:45 It works like this.

00:46 The runoff water from growing the vegetables at this farm

00:49 is sent to nearby fish ponds.

00:51 This carries nutrients to the fish who eat it

00:53 and then add their own waste material into the water.

00:56 This dirty water is then pumped back to the plants

00:59 and acts as a natural organic fertilizer.

01:02 When it comes out the other end clean,

01:04 it's sent back to the fish.

01:05 It's a process that reduces the wasted water

01:07 of both agriculture and fish farming

01:09 by keeping it in a closed loop.

01:12 It's also something that could prove useful

01:14 as the climate crisis continues.

01:16 Taiwan has endured several major droughts in recent years

01:19 and this summer when typhoons returned,

01:21 they destroyed huge swathes of crops

01:23 causing a spike in food prices.

01:25 But projects like this aquaponics farm

01:27 are only part of the answer to a bigger problem.

01:30 Meeting Taiwan's environmental goals

01:32 means getting the word out about techniques like this.

01:35 In 2050, we hope to have a clean water carbon emission target.

01:40 What are the measures?

01:42 We are looking forward to this.

01:46 We are working with the Ministry of Agriculture

01:49 to create a food and agriculture trade facility

01:53 and a friendly environment for trade.

01:57 By opening their door to the public,

01:59 this farm hopes to cultivate more than just fish and vegetables.

02:02 They're hoping to plant a seed for future generations

02:05 and show the role sustainable farming can play

02:07 in producing the country's food.

02:09 Patrick Chen and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.

02:12 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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