AQUA-IFS Aquaponic for Increased Food Security

 

Aquaponic system for increased food security in Sierra Leone.                   

Commercial aquaponic system supported by INCITIS EU funded programme in Sierra Leone

Thanks to funding from the European Union, under the INCITIS project, in collaboration with the Government of Sierra Leone and the Njala University, Agriculture Department we could upgrade our commercial aquaponic greenhouse in Kenema, Eastern Sierra Leone.

A key learning and positive experince we took was the performance of local crops growing in soiless aquaponic systems, mainly the DMW (Deepwater culture system) and the media bed system filled with granite gravel and LECA light expanded clay substrate. 

For the next phase we plan a NFT nutrient film system to shade the water tanks from direct sunlights, whilst growing crops above the fishtanks, so we utilise each square meter of the greenhouse for production of crops and fish. 

Growing ocra in a gravel based media bed

Young tilapia fingerlings for outgrowing

Aquaponic cucumbers :)

 

Salone aquaponic system videos

 Here is some videos of our aquaponic nursery and training center in Kenema, Sierra Leone

Aquaponic training with the ETU Fisheries and Aquaculture student department

September 2024: workshop on aquaponic system design and production with students from Njala university. 

The one day training course highlighted the aquaponic concept and the various growing techniques. here we can see a locally constructed DWC DEEP WATER CULTURE system, that is connected to the fish tanks as source of nutrients.

Students infront of a media bed with expanded clay pebbles for fast germination in the seedling stage.

 

Aquaponic Greenhouse with tilapia hatchery for Food Security! Feed Salone!

Our story of aquaponics in Sierra Leone 

Breeding tilapia in our glass tanks

Sump tank with distributor and grow-out tank with solids removal filter

Photovoltaic powered

A shaded, tropicalised 160 square meter greenhouse houses the aquaponic system

Built with mainly locally available material and upcycled products

Growing commercial and improved varieties in soilless medium, here seen clay pebbles

The distributor and the grow-out tankwith the solids removal filter attached

Deep water culture (DWC) aquaponic growbeds are aerated with an airpump for maximum growth

A complete unit seen, with fishtanks, biofilter and 5 square meter of growbed surface, deep water culture system DWC

A media growbed using clay pebbles is excellent to start seedlings. Here we see an improved variety of cucumber

Growing oak leaf salad in media beds using clay pebbles is a good way to start bulk seeds that can be later transferrred to the DWC deep water culture rafts.

A compact media bed 1.5 square meter system with different seeds starting 

Physalis is a promising crop for hydro- and aquaponics. The seeds have germinated well after just 10 days.

Our seed starting unit with a variety of vegetables that are of high value and are also not available presently at the market. 

Blue violet basil growing in the DWC raft

Tomato clone taking root after just 6 days of being put in the aerated DWC raft. 

The Aquaponic System in Kenema is growing! Time to scale up Aquaponics in Sierra Leone