Food and Money from Water-Based Farming

Aquaponics with fish in the tank.

A startup is taking the bull by the horns with regards to food sufficiency and hunger mitigation in the country. Uproot found by Robi del Rosario is using technology together with agriculture and aquaculture in enabling the growing of crops for food even without the presence of land or soil.

Uproot aims to promote a community-based aquaponics program that will enable them to sell their produce to hotels and restaurants thus earning generating revenues, aside from having a sustainable source of food for themselves.

Plug and Play

Contrary to conventional knowledge, aquaponics is a very straightforward system wherein plants are raised without soil but instead have their roots in water. But Uproot brings another dimension to aquaponics.

The plants are planted on a bed wherein water is underneath, with the Uproot system instead of applying chemical nutrients to the water, fish are living inside the water tank. These fish then produce their biological wastes and these are then converted into organic fertilizers and nutrients for the plants.

This was explained by Robi during their participation at the recently held Your Way 2 Silicon Valley Pitching Tournament. The good thing is, the water is filtered by the plants and re-circulated back into the tank. 

Citing statistics that 7 million Filipino children experience hunger, Robi says the Uproot system based I communities will help significantly in addressing the problem. 

Robi stated that 1 square meter of space, a community or family can grow 100 pieces of tilapia and on the plant bed about 50 high-value crops can be grown with both fish and plants harvested in 2 months.     

This adds a dimension in urban agriculture and aquaculture that many communities can develop and utilize for their food and revenue needs. This also does away with frequent transportation requirements when going to the market. 

Uproot is still in the process of refining itself by making efforts to partner with corporations with regards to having the program part of its community participation and social responsibility projects.

Uproot hopes to involve 50 barangays in this program and the ai is not only to make them farmers but to enable them to be entrepreneurs at the same time.