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  • From: Toby Hemenway <toby@patternliteracy.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Is This Aquaponics Then?
  • Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2015 08:06:17 -0700


> On Jun 7, 2015, at 3:28 PM, Steve Hart <stevenlawrencehart@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> We know that composts of all nature of
> recipes assist in stimulating natures dynamics and it is in my opinion that
> this is where we need to travel in designing and building better solutions.

Aquaponics involves microbe-driven nutrient conversion of manures to live
fertilizers very similar to those that go on in soil. Why isn’t that natural?
Because it’s in water? Soil fertility is in water too (nutrients are water
suspended or dissolved, else the roots couldn’t take them up).

Steve, could you describe what you mean by “natural?” It’s a slippery word
that means very different things to different people.

As I’ve said before, nuclear fission is natural, arsenic is natural, botulism
is natural, polio is natural. Those are not healthy to have near human
systems. Burning of some landscapes by indigenous people is artificial, yet
extremely healthy for biodiversity and human welfare. The natural/artificial
distinction is not a valid criterion to judge appropriateness of a system.
Natural does not equal healthy, artificial does not equal unhealthy. Any
permaculturist should know that our criteria are function and ecosystem
health, not some slippery and arbitrary set of boxes created by subjective
prejudice as to whether something is “artificial” or not. We’ve gone round
this one several times, and you keep returning to “aquaponics produces
artificial food” as the basis for your argument. Can you cite evidence for
your claim that aquaponic food is no healthier than soda pop?

This is why I don’t think you know what aquaponics is (and posting the link
to wikipedia doesn’t persuade me).

Organic farms grow plants in water-suspended fertilizers that are produced by
a mix of microbes that convert manures, and the plant roots are held in a
mineral matrix.

Aquaponics grows plants in water-suspended fertilizers that are produced by a
mix of microbes that convert manures, and the plant roots are held in a
mineral matrix.

The principal difference is that the manure conversion in soil is done in
much drier conditions (compost) rather than in a liquid microbial slurry. But
the biochemistry—the microbial population—is very similar (more bacteria and
protozoa in aquaponic systems, fewer fungi)

We need to be looking at the effects of these process on human and ecological
health, not making a “this isn’t natural therefore it’s bad” arbitrary
judgement based on whether we like the technology or processes involved, or
whether we things there is some esoteric life force present or not.

Toby
http://patternliteracy.com

Coming in July: my new book on urban permaculture, The Permaculture City.
Pre-order it at on-line booksellers or at
http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_permaculture_city/









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