Clear Flow Aquaponic Systems® provide a continuous supply of fresh food, 365 days/year, in any climate. Aquaponics for Food Banks, missions, churches and social enterprises around the world have embraced the Nelson and Pade, Inc.® technology to provide fresh, nutritious food.
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Below are three excellent examples of social and mission aquaponic projects. In these aquaponics projects, Nelson and Pade, Inc provided assistance, training and systems to help feed people with fresh, quality food, creating wellness and better nutrition for those in need.
Mississauga Food Bank
At Nelson and Pade, Inc.®, we believe that our company can help to provide food security for all nations through aquaponics and controlled environment agriculture. It is such a joy to see our clients embrace a similar vision and be the good in the world! AquaGrow Farms at Mississauga Food Bank in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada is paving the way for the future of food banks in Canada, and we are humbled to be apart of it. Way to grow Mississauga Food Bank! Watch the Video – Innovator of the Year!
Catalina Margulis of the Harrowsmith, written for Canadians by Canadians, recently published an article on ‘The Future of Farming’, featuring Nelson and Pade, Inc. and one of our growers, AquaFarms at The Mississauga Food Bank in Canada.
Marqulis writes:
What does every kid learn in school? That to grow anything, you need seed, soil, water and sun. But what if you removed soil from the equation? Wouldn’t the possibilities be almost endless? And now that’s becoming a reality. A form of agriculture that combines aquaculture (fish farming) with hydroponics (growing plants in water), aquaponics is an interesting alternative for cold-weather nations like ours, as well as urban centres and community growers, as Ontario’s Mississauga Food Bank is showing. “I read an article online about a year ago about aquaponics, and realized it had potential to help solve a challenge at the food bank,” says Christopher Hatch, executive director of The Mississauga Food Bank. After more research, Hatch hired Wisconsin-based aquaponics consulting firm Nelson and Pade, Inc. to help him set up a system at his facility. “I liked the idea of growing year-round in Canada, with our weather, and it being so cold in winter,” says Hatch. “This way, we can grow in the warehouse and control the environment.” “The Mississauga Food Bank is a very innovative use of our technology because it’s using aquaponics to feed people who don’t have fresh food—it’s a great new direction for food banks,” says Rebecca Nelson, co-founder of Nelson and Pade. “We have the longest history and most experience in aquaponics. We provide growers with everything they need, including aquaponics training, so they can be successful both short and long term.”
Lakeland University, Sheboygan, WI – Malawi Aquaponics Project
Nelson and Pade, Inc.® provided the Clear Flow Aquaponic System® for the Lakeland University Aquaponics Project in Malawi Africa. SHEBOYGAN – Students and professors from Lakeland University Aquaponics are preparing to build an aquaponics facility in the country of Malawi in Africa. The project is a collaborative effort between business and biology students at the university and a graduate student, Patrick Tembwe, of Malawi. Tembwe, a 2004 Lakeland graduate, is back on campus studying for his MBA and is motivated to start a business that makes a difference in his home country. “I was really happy to hear how aquaponics is operated and instantly I said, ‘Yeah, I want to try it,’” Tembwe said. Aquaponics is a system of aquaculture in which the waste from farmed fish supplies nutrients to soil-less plants grown hydroponically. The facilities produce vegetables and fish for consumption. Tembwe and four Lakeland students are learning how to operate the system through a partnership with Lake Orchard Aquaponics, an aquaponics facility north of Sheboygan. “Right now Patrick is learning all the skills that he needs and tools that he needs to set it up in Malawi,” Britanni Meinnert, an instructor of hospitality management at Lakeland University, said. Read the full article
Living Food Bank®
Providing Fresh Food for Those in Need A Living Food Bank® includes the complete aquaponic system and crop protection, designed for local climate conditions and crop choices, plus a complete energy system (solar panels, battery bank and generator back-up). A Living Food Bank® can be set up anywhere, to provide fresh fish and vegetables to those in need.
Missions, Urban Centers, Developing Countries The Living Food Bank® is a unique aquaponic food production system that provides a continuous supply of fresh fish and vegetables, grown aquaponically. The Living Food Bank® was designed for missions and social projects in developing countries, urban areas and other places that traditional agriculture doesn’t work or access to fresh food isn’t available. The Living Food Bank® produces a high volume of fresh food in a small space, using minimal resources. This reduces the reliance on imported food rations for feeding programs in developing countries while providing higher quality, more nutritional food.
Living Food Bank® at NWHCM The first Living Food Bank® aquaponic system is set up in Haiti at the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission in St. Louis Du Nord. The system at NWHCM is housed in a tropical greenhouse. The aquaponic system is designed to grow tilapia, a fresh water fish and a variety of vegetables. In addition, field crops such as corn and potatoes will be grown in the soil using excess, nutrient-rich, system water. Executive Director of the mission, Janeil Owen, is collaborating with Nelson and Pade, Inc.® in developing aquaponics in Haiti and expanding the use of the Living Food Bank® throughout Haiti.
Since soil is not necessary to grow crops in aquaponics; the system can be set up nearly anywhere. The biological process that makes aquaponics work relies on beneficial microbes that naturally occur everywhere to convert the fish waste into water soluble nutrients that the plants use. Filtration components in the aquaponic system simply provide habitat for the microbes and removal of the solid fish waste, which can then be used to fertilize soil crops.