Does Aquaponic Farming Have a Difficult Learning Curve?

Recently, during a talk on aquaponics with a group of farmers, questions arose about the learning curve of aquaponic farming. 

It was something like this: “We are farmers. We know a lot about planting, growing and harvesting, but this seems like a really large learning curve to do commercially considering the handling of fish and plants and monitoring all of the elements. What background or training does someone need to do this successfully? Would we need to hire someone to manage this?” 

It is always interesting to me when farmers question the learning curve of aquaponics.  Traditional farming is one of the most complex processes there is, with significant risks due to weather, disease, pollution, rising fertilizer costs and the necessity for a massive amount of land.  Most farms are inherited and knowledge, land and equipment has been passed down though the generations. 

Taking just two crops, fish and vegetables, and raising them in an indoor, sustainable system that embraces the symbiotic relationship between these organisms is, in my mind, much simpler than managing a whole integrated farm with various animals, inputs and crops.

What probably best speaks to the “learnabilty” of our aquaponic systems is the diverse mix of people who operate them, from school teachers to start-up commercial farmers.  Most of our clients using Clear Flow Aquaponic Systems® for commercial food production come from a background other than farming.  Here are a few examples:

• BJ (an architect) and Cat (an electrical engineer) in AZ have been running a Nelson and Pade commercial aquaponic system for about 10 years.  They are currently expanding their operation and their son is joining them in the operation of the aquaponic farm.
• Mike in Ohio is a successful aquaponic farmer who was a videographer.  In fact, we met him when we hired him to do some promotional videos for us.  He loved the concept so much, he enrolled in our training and project planning, bought land and one of our commercial aquaponic systems and started his aquaponic farm. He is now in the planning phase for a very large expansion to keep up with demand for his premium vegetables and “sashimi-grade” tilapia. 
• Bob, who founded a Tech Company, and Lauri, a professional in the tech industry, established an aquaponic farm on the Caribbean island of Bonaire. They are now planning their second expansion.

None of these people had a background in raising fish or vegetables.  In addition to these, we’ve had executives, medical professionals, school administrators and school teachers, entrepreneurs, architects, engineers, chefs, realtors, developers, ranchers, electricians, financial analysts, truckers and people from a variety of other backgrounds purchase our commercial aquaponic systems and operate them successfully. 

Keep in mind, we don’t just sell a system.  The manuals, training courses, processes and procedures developed by Nelson and Pade, Inc.® provide our customers with the knowledge they need for startup and the day-to-day operations. When a question arises, growers utilize our grower support program to quickly get answers.

If someone has a willingness to learn and follow our manuals and procedures and an eagerness to be successful in aquaponics, they can successfully operate our aquaponic systems. 

What is Aquaponics?  Learn more now!