Merging the best of the Green and Blue Revolutions : Integrating aquaculture with agriculture

1. Merging the best of the Green and Blue Revolutions : Integrating aquaculture with agriculture Kevin FitzsimmonsUniversity of Arizona, Professor World Aquaculture Society, Past-President American Tilapia Association, Sec./Tres.

2. Global food crisis • Rapidly increasing population • Diversion of foods to fuels • Increased costs for water, fertilizer, fuel • Multiple demands for farmland (urban sprawl, industrial and mining, solar and wind generation, wildlife conservation, watershed protection, etc.) • Need for second generation biofuels

3. Need new model for food production • Green Revolution – huge increase in food production, but heavy reliance on irrigation, fuel and fertilizer • Blue Revolution – almost 50% of seafood is farm raised, but many environmental impacts (effluents causing eutrophication, algae blooms, cage conflicts with other users in oceans, bays and lakes)

4. Green Revolution Benefits Costs Large demand for fertilizer Increases in irrigation (area, amount, frequency) Less “organic” More pollution Needs More education & training • Large increases in yield • Improved varieties Needs • Increased demand for trained specialists • Sophisticated farmers

5. Blue Revolution Benefits Costs Demand for feeds with fishmeal Demands for clean water (volume and surface area) Diseases and parasites Effluent pollution, algae Needs On-land farms More education & training • Large increases in seafood yield • Domesticated stocks Needs • Increased demand for trained specialists • Sophisticated farmers

6. Historical perspective • Traditional farming around the world integrated livestock and crops • East and South Asian farmers have long tradition of integrating agriculture and aquaculture • Asian sustainable farming systems support huge populations • Fish – vegetable – rice (complex carb) diet is suggested by most nutrition experts

7. Historical perspective • Modern agriculture cannot follow Asian model of small-farm integrated systems (gardening) • We need an industrial version merging aqua- and agri- cultures • Taking the best of the Green and Blue Revolutions

8. Green Revolutions weaknesses are Blue Revolutions needs and vice-versa • Fertilizer demand • Increase in irrigation • Chemical fertilizers pollute groundwater • Industrial crops with by-products • Aquaculture effluent rich in N and P • Fish grow well in irrigation water • Fish wastes are slow release, organic • Fish feeds need alternatives for fish meal and oil

9. Models • Arid lands • Tropical lands • Tropical coastal • Temperate lands • Marine

10. Arid Integrated Systems • Tilapia Grapes, wheat, olives, barley, sorghum, cotton, melons, peppers

11. Data report – Tilapia effluents irrigating cotton • Water pH reduced from 8.3 to 8.0 • Added 19.7 kg/ha total N during one crop.

12. Olives with aquaculture effluent Olives with well water

13. Data report -Olives irrigated with effluent

14. Tropical Inland Integrated Systems • Tilapia oil palm, rice, sugar cane

15. Coastal Integrated Systems • Shrimp / fish Halophytes and seaweeds

16. Fish-shrimp-halophytes Eritrea

17. Shrimp and Salicornia(halophyte)

18. Temperate Integrated Systems • Carp vegetables • Catfish soybeans, corn • Trout alfalfa, vegetables • Aquaponics

19. Marine Integrated Systems • Salmon kelps, nori, mussels • Shrimp seaweeds and oysters • Fish seaweeds, bivalves

20. Shrimp/fish and edible seaweeds

21. Data report - Daily growth rates of Gracilaria with shrimp effluent over 4 weeks % growth per day

22. Why Tilapia ? • Second most important farmed fish after the carps • Most widely grown of any farmed fish • In 2007 moved up to fifth most popular seafood in the US

23. What’s needed next? • Large scale investment • Best technologies of ag and aqua • Economies of scale • Governmental consideration • Trained production staff and semi-skilled farming staff

24. Multiple use of Water Gila Farms, AZ