Aquapioneers is a Spanish start-up asking for funding for their open source, aquaponics kit which allows you to easily grow your own food.

In the future, it’s likely to be necessary that everything we eat is sustainable, turning us all into mini-farmers. Already, there are many people working on making growing fresh produce at home easier.

One such example is Aquapioneers. This startup has developed an open source kit which allows you to 3D print your own aquaponics ecosystem. If you’re not familiar with this system yet, it’s essentially a way in which waste from both the fish and the plants are used to benefit each other.

For example, the plants receive nutrients from the fish and then, in turn, purify the water. As the founders explain in their video: “We are dreamers and we use fish poo to revolutionize urban agriculture in Barcelona.”

The idea certainly looks very futuristic and until recently, appeared unattainable to the masses. However, even if you haven’t got a green thumb and hate fish, Aquapioneers are ensuring their aquaponics ecosystem is easy for everyone to use. The company’s aquaponics structure simply relies on a simple, DIY plywood structure.

After assembly, the structure stands at around four feet, with a planter resting atop the fish tank. As well as this, there is a LED which provides the light required for the plants to grow.

Salad with a Side of Fish Poo

If you’re not put off by the idea of fertilizing your own food with fish waste, then you can support Aquaponics by heading to their crowdfunding page on Ulule.

Here, the Aquapioneers explains their process. Firstly, they developed a 3D model to figure out how the design would work, and from this, they created a prototype.

Currently, they are raising money to help cover the costs of their research and development phase. So far, they’ve received £24,317 and have just 48 hours left. They hope to release their open source kit by the end of this year.

You’ll then be able to get your hands on a planter which requires far less work than owning a garden and costs a lot less too. In fact, the pioneers state that their aquaponic planter is 100% organic and uses 90% less water and requires 80% less work compared to traditional gardens.

Although the Aquapioneers isn’t big enough for growing large crops, they’re also developing a 25 m2 Greenhouse with Digital Fabrication “to explore Aquaponics on a bigger scale”. Check out the company’s Ulule to find out more or watch the timelapse below.

Source: psfk