Guam Green Growth is offering aquaponics pilot training lessons to residents who want to learn more about growing their own food and possibly building a business.
Many community-based nonprofit groups and mayors' offices have expressed interest in the program, said David Crisostomo, aquaculture specialist with the University of Guam Sea Grant. As the principal director and lead of the program's development and teachings, Crisostomo anticipates expanding the project to interested individuals.
Anyone who decides to build an aquaponics system at home can experiment to see what works best for them. This includes exploring the feeding rates of fish and testing and monitoring the water quality. The G3 program and UOG Sea Grant offer interested members and groups of the community the necessary technology and hands-on training, entirely free of charge. Participants are also given a free aquaculture system and their first stock of fish – with a network of communication for direct access to information on sustainable food production.
Crisostomo expects UOG's backyard aquaculture system to evolve into networking opportunities for participants - exchanging lessons from each other's experiences. Students and youth-related agencies can determine if these areas appeal to their interests and career aspirations.
"I'm hopeful that the small systems will generate interest and creativity with individuals, to be able to move to a more commercial level," Crisostomo said. "At the same time, families can continue to operate small systems as teaching tools for their kids and the community around them. Schools can get involved with these systems as well to have a real-world application for STEM activities."
Read the complete article at www.postguam.com.