HGCS Aquaponics

We are very excited to announce that Friday we had our first harvest! We were able to harvest 16 heads of red leaf lettuce, and our staff and student interns were able to have their first organic salad from our garden. This is very promising for the future of our lab as we hope to have regular, large harvests. The success of our lab is not only to have a few salads here and there, but to be able to build a system that can be replicated in third world, bringing both food and the Gospel to those who are hungry!

Aquaponics is a form of sustainable agriculture that combines aquaculture, the raising of fish for consumption, and hydroponics, the raising of vegetables without soil. The farm consists of a fish tank and a grow bed. The fish help the plants, and the plants help the fish. This type of system where two very different species help each other thrive is called a symbiotic ecosystem. In this ecosystem, the fish give the plants fertilizer so they can grow quickly. In return, the plants make the water clean for the fish, so they can be healthy.  The earliest form of aquaponics is seen in China, 1,700 years ago. China grew rice and fish together in one field. A more recent example is the chinampas, or “Floating Gardens”, of the Aztec Empire, 500 years ago.

Today was an exciting day in the new Aquaponics Lab. For the first time we had students take a tour and get a glimpse of what God is doing at HGCS through the vehicle of Aquaponics. The vision  and mission of a quaponics was born out of the desire to see students engage in STEM learning, coupled with a missional focus towards their local communities and the nations. Aquaponics seemed like a perfect fit! The science, math, and hands on learning piece fits naturally into our curriculum and producing food to meet the physical needs of those around the world provides students a platform to “Make Christ Known.”  In the weeks ahead please check back for more photos, news, and student opportunities. This blog will serve as a launching pad for all our information and document the journey as we seek "To Know Christ, and Make Him Known through Christian Education."