Indiaponics - Proto Village - Aquaponics in India

hi , how do you do, I am very happy to get the opportunity to talk to the best exclusive people in the world. I need to start my own aquaponics garden home base system to experiment and grow my own food. I live in a city. how do I start.

Hi Murray, if you manage to source chipper/shredder locally in India, I would like to know the source and price. Thanks

Hello Murray,
Have you been able to obtain the mulcher yet? If not, how far off are you?

Hi Murray,
I had no idea you were doing such good work around the world :) Your description of conditions in India brought a tear to my eye. I hope that my donation assists with your purchase of equipment for this very worthwhile project - I wish I could have given more. My toteponics system built with your design template October 2011 is going strong now with 50 trout harvested last winter and 70 silver perch very healthy at present. I have more veggies than I can eat so my family and friends are very happy (bok choy going gang busters at moment). I'd love to attend one of your commercial AP workshops in future - when you are close to South Australia.... so that i can in future assist with AP projects in third world countries. I have a family friend who is interested in a system for her orphanage/sustainable farming demo site in Philippians - I would be interested in any information/advice on how I could go about such a project in future.

Carl Charter

Hi Murray! Have seen your videos on you tube, but were not aware that you had a blog too; I would have loved to have made it to your workshop when you were in India. India definitely needs to promote Aquaponics among the heavily marginalized small farmer community.

I however would not recommend the walking catfish, since they are highly invasive to natural ecosystems. Recently there was a big crack down by the authorities on the outskirts of Bangalore on some people who were trying to farm them illegally.

Hi Murray, there are a few types available in India.. I use one that is manufactured by Bhide & Sons, Sangli...have tagged you on the link on fb.

Hi Murray
Wow! What a story. The AP projects that I am involved with in Bali are a breeze compared to the challenges you are facing. However, the basic problems are the same in developing countries. Each step forward is usually followed closely by a couple of strides backward!

I am interested in your plans for 24V DC for pumping water. I have experimented with 12V DC marine-grade bilge pumps (1500 gal/hour) with limited long-term success. I really don't know why NGOs persist with wind turbines - they are so unreliable and inefficient in the long-term because a base-load supply is always needed. Even solar is problematic during the monsoon, but frankly wind is a waste of money.

In my experience, I have found that long term success of projects like these rely upon training of local people. We are setting up a small system to be used specifically for training in Bali. We hope to eventually see AP systems in several orphanages, but it is a long-term commitment. There are way too many aid projects lying derelicty throughout the developing world because the primary infrastructure and training were not first developed within local communities.

I would definitely encourage you to source your mulcher from India, rather than import it. You will be supporting local businesses and economic development in the area. In Bali we use locally sourced materials and contractors at all times. It is very challenging, but is essntial if the aid we offer is to be meaningful to the community we are serving. Any success will be built on long term relationships.

I am pretty heavily committed to my own project work, but I will throw a few bucks into the hat for your efforts, knowing that it will be helping in an important task. Keep up the good work mate.

Garry

Youd never see it in Australia
Just about all the major Asian aquaculture species are banned there

Tillapia
Carps
Barbs
Giant gourami
Walking catfish
Snakeheads
Bullfrogs
Bawal / veg piranha

Prob mostly with good reason! They are prolific survivors
Tasty too!

I really think some of these superfish will make even greater aquaponics systems in Asia
Lele catfish will be extremely productive and not fail with lack of aeration
And really pump out so much fish wastes!

Bullfrogs too are delicious! They have waste issues that duckweed would help capture

Asia also has some great aquatic vegetables

Genjer ( limnocharis fulva) will cop you 50000 fine in Oz but in indonesia it's a delicate tasty spinach. Great aquaponics. Pan Asian in any rice paddy where it hasn't beeneateb out!
Also Neptunia oleracea a water legume that could make aquaponics a closed nitrogen system if fish browse it - great in steamboats
My favorite is Kangkong water spinach in aquaponics - amazing productivity

By the way. Tillapia love them all

And leucaena foliage, soaked then sun dried to a powder can replace most fishmeal in a diet for catfish

Thanks Murray!

Yes poo fed fish aren't my ideal lunch either but it demonstrates an incredible water quality tolerance!

They also love pellets, worms, and other more conventional foods!
Which is how they are grown commercially.

Wiki says
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_catfish

In parts of India it's called mugudu and is a delicacy

In java it's so cheap it's a favorite of the rural and urban poor
Here it's called Lele
It's kept in a bucket alive at the foodstand as it breathes air only a damp sack keeps them alive
When required it's quickly eviscerated and dropped in hot oil
Crispy fried and served with rice, raw vegetable salad and chilli sambal

Hi Murray
I'm enroute to eastern indonesia. They have similar problems
If I may suggest a few things
Here the best lowland species is catfish - clarias spp
Air breathers that can be stocked at phenomenal densities and even live in and eat raw human sewage.
They can be raised to eating siZe in as little as 50 days
They are very tasty
They would be available there

Hope that donation helps, make a difference. Just left your country, loved it! Maybe I'll see you in central florida some day. You got me in AP, now I give alot of food away. Spread the wealth.

I enjoyed reading your blog
I hope to use it with my year 9 Ag class when we study aquaponics later on this year.

Excellent work, Murray. I wish I had known that you were coming to India. I would have loved to meet you.
Would you be interested in a way to raise water head without using electricity? It relies on running water flow. Would that help in this case?

Your article bought tears to my eyes because the plight of people in countries like India has been one of the things I have been watching intently for a few years now. Nearly 300,000 Indian farmers have committed suicide since 1995 and many people say it is because of GMO seeds.

Dr Vandana Shiva is a hero to help the Indian people and expose what is going on too. https://vimeo.com/59404290#

By you bringing this to light in the public eye is something that desperately needs to be done too. We need more voices to show the world what is happening instead of sweeping it under the carpet and then going about our daily business.

Thank you and I am very glad I know you.

Hi Murray
Fascinating story.

I have tried to make a donation but am not sure if it has gone through OK. I often give thanks for our privileged lives in Australia and am happy to give a little when I know it will get to where it is needed most. I'm only sorry it can't be a lot more.

Please get back to me if it has not gone through.

Where are you getting the water for the fish? Is there any underground? I assume fish water will evaporate pretty quickly there. Are you doing some wicking beds as well?

On a side note, I managed to keep some fish alive through our 5 day blackout. Every hour or two I would go and lift buckets of fish water and from as high as I could lift, and pour the water back into the tanks. With two tanks I could only manage about 10 buckets each time but I was able to save about 15 or 30 fish in each tank (they are not easy to count!) and have not lost any since. They varied from 4 to 7 inches each.

Also been meaning to tell you that I having good success rates striking cuttings for flower plants in the fish tank grow beds. I am careful not to use poisonous varieties.

Old fashioned roses, hydrangeas, daisies, lavender, dahlias, perennial petunias and lots more. When the cuttings have a few roots on them I plant them into pots of soil and keep them Very wet with fish water (sitting in a couple of inches deep) for a week or two, gradually cutting back to harden them off. I think it could have commercial value. (Not for me though - I have enough to do!)

Keep up the good work!

Leonie in Montville. Qld

I am deeply moved, Murray. You are a great man. I wish I could afford to donate more. Anyway, I do my best.