An Aquaponics Training System Is Being Developed in Burgas

A training program for aquaponics is being developed in Burgas - systems for simultaneous cultivation of fish and plants. Installations could supply fresh produce a family or developed on an industrial scale.

Creating a sustainable agricultural business today requires the introduction of sustainable farming techniques and innovations for rural and semi-urban farmers. One of them is aquaponics, which is still not popular enough in Bulgaria.

Aqaponics is an innovative, sustainable, high-performance technology that combines aquaculture production (in a recirculation system) with organic plant breeding. An example for controlled organic farming with an ideal growing environment. Allows year-round production of various crops, according to the season and demand, close to the consumer. This new technology not only combines all these characteristics of production, but also utilizes waste substances with mutual benefit.

Unlike traditional agriculture, aquaponics uses 1/6 of the water for sustainable development and produces 8 times more food per decare, without the use of pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers, all year round, in various locations and in all conditions.

Over the last 10 years, aquaponics has gained worldwide recognition due to the fact that it is proving to be a reliable and sustainable method of growing food.

From September 6-10 in Burgas is held training of trainers, covering all aspects of aquaponics. The main lecturers are Assoc. Prof. Dr. Galin Nikolov, Executive Director of NAFA, Alexander Atanasov, Ph.D. and Konstantin Petrov - teachers at the Thracian University - Stara Zagora.

The course is part of the aquaponics training system, developed in communication between specialists from five countries - Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey and Cyprus.

The training includes all the main aspects of fish and plant farming in aquaponics, as the task of the participating trainers is through presentations and discussions to form a training course with a practical focus, which will be provided free of charge on the project website www.smartfarmingproject.eu.

The training program is developed with the support of the European Union, Erasmus + Program under the Smart Farming 4.0 All project.The aim of the project is to collect and present information on new technologies in agriculture and in particular to support the development of hydroponics and aquaponics by making them more accessible to the general public.