Progressive Agriculture

We visited a friend who has a farm and works with the indigenous people to provide sustainable farming. He has been doing this in Costa Rica and Panama for over 10 years.

He has a huge aquaponics greenhouse set up on his farm.

This is a stunning system. Maybe you have heard about.

It is a closed system. Nothing added, and amazing production out.

It uses a fish pond...any size from 25 gallon tank with Goldfish to a large pond with Talapia. The waste from the fish starts to pollute the water. The water is pumped up to growing beds which fertilizes the plants, gravity drains the "cleaned" water back to the fish tank. You eat the fish and vegetables.

Plants grow up to 4 times faster in this system.

Granted, my explanation is simplified but not by much.

The indigenous people live on depleted and worthless land that can no longer support sufficient crops to sustain them. They are in need of very, very cheap ways to produce food because they have almost no money.

He set up a demonstration aquaponics farm to prove the system and train people.

He already invented a wood burning stove that costs $0.17. This is critical because the indians die in their 40's because they breath wood-fire polluted air. His stove burns clean and is dirt cheap.

I love the inventive talent here. This is an eclectic collection of people, some of them brilliant, some talented and, sure, some criminals.

I am frequently amazed by what is available from their talents.