Upset with information in regards to the high quality of greens grown on the Yamuna river banks, Shashank Dubey began to develop veggies on his terrace utilizing aquaponics. Right this moment, he grows round 2,500 forms of vegetation.
Vadodara-resident Shashank Chaubey determined to develop his personal meals after he learn an article that claimed that the greens grown on floodplains of the Yamuna river have been contaminated with heavy metallic content material.
Triggered by this information, he took issues into his personal palms, however he quickly realised how area was a constraint for him.
Instead, the engineer determined to offer aquaponics farming a attempt. Whereas brainstorming, he had additionally gravitated in direction of hydroponics however in the end selected aquaponics.
“The most important distinction between hydroponic and aquaponic setup is the media used to supply vitamins to the soil. It has an identical setup of hydroponics however with a further fish tank to breed fish. The fish excreta is decomposed by micro organism into nitrate which is a perfect fertiliser for vegetation. It’s like imitating the river ecology. By this fish tank, water is regulated all through small tanks that maintain vegetation,” says Shashank. He upcycled drums and cans to make use of as fish tanks.
In addition to nitrates produced by fish waste, he additionally provides iron nails, lime and egg shells to extend the iron and calcium vitamins. After six months of analysis and help from ICAR-CAFRI, he efficiently grew greens in a 600 sq ft space for 3 years.
In 2018, he determined to stop his job and develop greens in a business terrace setup.
Presently, he grows almost 2,500 forms of vegetation, which embody inexperienced leafy greens, medicinal herbs, and flowers and harvests 500 kg of greens each month.
Discovered his work fascinating? Watch this brief video to seek out out extra:
(Edited by Padmashree Pande)
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