Ken Konschel, 49, of Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal, has won the Inventor Award from the International Foundation for Science in Sweden for his self-sustaining farm on which fish, vegetables, chicken and worms feed off each other.
A series of pipes connects a 40 000-litre fish tank to a hydroponic farm. Waste from fish is used as liquid fertiliser for the plants, which are grown in water. The roots of the plants, in turn, filter algae and excess fish food from the water. The filtered water is then pumped back into the tank.
Konschel breeds red-breasted tilapia or bream, which feed on lettuce, carrot leaves, lawn cuttings and spinach.
“Nothing goes to waste,” says Konschel, who has spent two years in the US studying the latest technology in fish farming. “The system provides fresh, nutritious fish and organic vegetables, irrespective of seasonal or climatic changes. It also uses very little water.” He also breeds chickens whose waste is used as compost in his vegetable gardens and to feed worms – which in turn are used to feed fish. Konschel says he wants to teach his methods to local people.
The Source