Section A: Animal Production Flashcards
Definition Of Agriculture
Agriculture can be defined as the art, the science and the business of producing crops and livestock for economic purposes
Aquaponics
Aquaponics is a sustainable farming technique that combines aquaculture and hydroponics
Parts of an Aquaponics System
Rearing tank
Hydroponics subsystem
Sump
Benefits of Aquaponics
- Reduction in the use of water
- No need for artificial fertilizers
- More plants can be grown at the same time because of its density
Disadvantages Of Aquaponics
Electrical energy is required
Cost of fish food
Start up cost must be high
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is the growing of plants in a soiless medium, a water-based environment or in an intert medium
Components Of a Simple Hydroponics System
- Growing chamber
- Air pump
- Delivery system
- Reservoir
- Submersible
Benefits of Hydroponics
Very little water is lost to evaporation
The nutrient solution is perfectly balanced
No harm to the environment
Disadvantages of Hydroponics
- Initial set up is costly
- Reqquires committment and dedication
- Vulnerable to power outages
Grow Box system
The grow box system is the use of an enclosed box-like structure filled with a special mixture medium inside the box
Standard size for grow box
30 x 5 x 8
Benefits of a grow box system
- Controlled environment
- Space effeciency
- Year-round growing
Disadvantages of a grow system
- Initial set up cost is high
- Requires maintenance
- Limited crop variety
Urban farming
Refers to small areas within the city for growing crops and raising small livestock for own consumption or sale in neighbourhood markets
Peri-urban farming
Refers to farm units close to town which operate intensive semi or fully commercial farms to grow vegetables and other horticulture.
