Greenhouses not
only add extra income by allowing season extension and a controlled
growing environment, they can also allow growers to grab some tourism
dollars.
Thanks to AgVisions LLC, a California-based company, growers can put
together a whole tourism experience – complete with commercial
production, a place for tours and a retail shop.
“AgVisions came about because what we realized is there’s
definitely a greenhouse factor that is more than commercial production,”
said Rebecca Nelson, co-owner of AgVisions. “It was really a
concept that was borne from an interest of growers and individuals
who want to know more abut the newest technologies for growing food.”
A typical AgVisions greenhouse would have three bays: one for commercial
production, one for tours and one for the retail sales. Nelson said
the retail sales include anything from T-shirts to hydroponics home
kits to fresh produce. The bay for tours will be set up with a variety
of systems for visitors to see: aquaponics, hydroponics, organics
and conventional greenhouse growing.
The bays each provide a different aspect for the tourists. The tours
start in the retail bay and move into the tour bay, where the typical
guided tour lasts about one hour. The tours highlight the growing
systems as well as the technology. For those playing host to school
tours, AgVisions supplies curriculum with the greenhouse kit that
growers can give to teachers to take back to the classroom to connect
the tour to their actual science studies.
On their tours, vegetables won’t be the only thing visitors
see growing. Using the science of aquaponics, the AgVisions greenhouses
will also incorporate fish life into the system.
“Aquaponics is a combination of hydroponics and recirculating
aquaculture,” Nelson said. “Rather than mixing a commercial
fertilizer, you’re using the water waste from the fish.”
Rather than the traditional hydroponics system, which simply runs
water through, aquaponics recirculates the water from the fish to
the plants and back to the fish.
“The fish are providing the nutrients (for the plants), and
the plants are providing a filter, for the water the fish live in,”
Nelson said.
This system leaves the fish with clean water and plants with the nutrients
they need.
“You’re just taking the two industries that developed
side by side (hydroponics and aquaculture) and putting them together
and ending up with a better system than either of them separately,”
Nelson said.
For those worried about putting fish waste directly on the plants,
Nelson said it is actually safer than using chicken or cow manure.
“It’s much safer because fish are cold-blooded animals,
and most of the pathogens aren’t going to live in or on the
fish,” she said. “The only introduction could be through
and outside source – like from a worker’s hands.”
Aquaponics systems have great potential in developing countries as
a way to supply vegetables and protein to the people, Nelson said.
The protein – the fish. AgVisions greenhouse systems would include
food fish and decorative fish, such as koi – but the focus is
on food fish.
“The real essence of aquaponics is about food production,”
Nelson said. So far, she said, they have had good experience with
tilapia and bass, as well as other types of fish. The area where the
system is set up will dictate what types of fish are included –
as each state and region has different rules regarding which fish
can be raised.
“There is need and demand for food, but in teaching, AgVisions
takes it one step further and allows them (growers) to show people
what these facilities can really do,” Nelson said. “The
technology is feeding people, and they’re seeing it work.”
These aquaponics systems are similar to the hydroponics and aquaculture
display at The Land at Disney’s Epcot Center – but the
technology in the smaller systems is more up-to-date, Nelson said.
A complete AgVisions agritourism greenhouse comes complete with the
greenhouse growing systems, materials, facility set-up, guidance as
well as promotions. Basically, Nelson said, the grower supplies the
funding and the space to build the greenhouse. A start-up system costs
around $400,000.
For more information on AgVisions, visit www.agvisionsllc.com. And
to learn more about aquaponics, visit www.aquaponics.com.
Nelson is also co-owner of Nelson Pade Multimedia, which publishes
“Aquaponics Journal.” AgVisions is owned by Dan Brentlinger,
Nelson and John Pade.
Recommended
crops and fish
The fish and plants
you select for your aquaponics system should have similar needs as
far as temperature and pH. There will always be some ompromise to
the needs of both, but the closer they match, the more success you
will have. As a general rule, warm water fish and leafy crops such
as lettuce and herbs will do the best. In a system heavily stocked
with fish, you may have luck with fruiting plants such as tomatoes
and peppers.
Fish that do well
in aquaponics:
