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Hobby Farming - Sustainable Food and Practical ApplicationsSmall scale agriculture is generally labeled as Hobby Farming. The term is often used to describe a wide variety of activities from gardening to backyard livestock to part-time farming etc. Perhaps hobby farming is to vague of a label to describe smaller scale farmers that have indeed made important and vital contributions to the economy of the country and to the economical well being and health of thousands of families. Canada's agriculture census defines a hobby farm as one on which the main operator reported 190 days or more of off-farm work and whose farm did not employ any year round paid labour. A working paper by Stephen Boyd, Statistics Canada, March, 1998, titled "Hobby Farming: For Pleasure or Profit?", explores the topic in more detail. Interestingly the working paper states that "According to 1991 Census of Agriculture data, there were 50,991 census-farms in which the main operator reported 190 days or more of off-farm work and whose farm did not employ any year round paid labour. Part-time or “hobby” farmers are an integral part of the agriculture population." It also points out that "Among the hobby farmers in Canada 40% are reporting positive net cash farm income. Only 9% of these hobby farmers are reporting net cash farm income of greater than $10,000. Ontario and BC’s farm population consists of the highest proportion of hobby farms (18% and 16% respectively). Hobby farming is not a new phenomenon in Canada and hobby farmers do not appear to be a dying group. It is obvious that there is much more to this pursuit than making a profit." Reference Link PDF Format in new window Clearly there are people that hobby farm for personal pleasure and also for the healthy food value of the crops and family social interaction benefits of growing your own food and living a desired way of life. There are also others that achieve financial benefit from their small scale farming endeavors. Aquaculture and Aquaponics in Small Scale FarmsHobby farming continues to be a topic of great interest among people that live in rural areas, or those that wish to become rural residents and those that practice urban agriculture. Hobby scale farming appeals to people that seek to grow their own food and be safe in the knowledge of knowing what goes in to producing it. Of course there are also many smaller scale or full time natural farmers that seek to make some or all of their income from farming. Hobby farming also appeals to retired or semi-retired persons as well as families. Many small scale farmers today, incorporate farming practices that produce diversified crops and make efficient use of land and resources with a minimal potential for adverse impacts. It is surprising the number of farmers that are now using polyculture techniques to farm in a more efficient and sustainable manner. There are aquaponic operations around the world that successfully grow fish, plants and other animals in a self contained farm, yet use minimum chemical based fertilizers or pesticides. Most use aquaponics, a combination of hydroponics and aquaculture techniques to reduce the land, water and resource requirements needed to produce a sizable crop. How does aquaponic farming apply to modern natural agriculture? Aqua Farming entails the growing of fish and plants. It is a practice that can be incorporated into most existing farm operations as a means of producing a supplementary cash crop. Aqua farms can also become a stand alone activity, in a small scale as a second profit center or in a large scale as the principal farming crop. Many small scale and full time farmers alike are taking a close look at the opportunities that aqua farming may hold for them to produce their own food, or as a means to generate additional cash flow. This type of farming practice has it's roots in age old methods, dating back thousands of years. The simplistic approach and synergistic aspects of aquaponics has a wide appeal among gardeners, hobby farmers and full time natural farmers alike. Combining multiple crops in a synergistic manner has tremendous potential for diversity, cash value and cost reduction. Hydroponics is a farming practice that is widely used by thousands of people worldwide. When combined with fish culture we call it polyculture or Aquaponics, a combination of hydroponic techniques combined with the cultivation of fish, where the nutrient needs of one crop are produced by the other crop. Aquaculture (fish farming) alone, can be undertaken in most locations as a seasonal or year round activity. The same goes for aquaponics (fish and plant farming) depending upon your climate, farming activities can be undertaken outside in warm climates or inside buildings in colder regions. With aquaponic systems greenhouse structures make good shelters in many areas while in other places you may need an insulated structure if you wish to achieve year round growing. However small scale hobby systems can be used just about anywhere, including the space in the garage or basement. There are various growing methods employed in growing fish and plants and there are also "off the shelf" small scale aquaponics systems available. Most work well to produce fish, veggies and plants for the family or even for a larger group such as neighborhood associations etc. If you are a bit mechanically inclined you can also build your own systems using locally available materials. Would you like an easy to use free manual explaining how to build your own hobby aqua farm? It will produce fresh fish, vegetables and herbs year round at home and can be set up in your garage, barn, greenhouse or basement! Use this as a learning system to get your feet wet. This system is functional, inexpensive to build and educational to use. The "barrel-ponics manual" contains step by step instructions and pictures for constructing your own hobby scale aquaponics system. To review a simple build at home hobby scale aqua farming systems, we suggest that you download a free copy of Aquaponics in a Barrel, By Travis W. Hughey from the aqua farming knowledge Base Library Exploring an Aqua Farm Business?Read the Aquaculture Business Guidelines article. It covers some of important requirements to review and test before attempting to establish an aqua farming business. Read it and do your own appraisal. The suggestions for business planning are intended to provide preliminary advice and to act as a guideline to follow in your early research. The article is not intended to provide complete detail. Persons wishing to investigate the potential of an aquaculture business may find this information to be useful in learning more about the basic need of a fish farming business. Aquaculture Planning and Site Selection Guidelines Once you have explored the aquaculture business guidelines, you should have a better understanding of the business needs and requirements. This is the first step in exploring the business. If it looks good and you wish to explore it further then contact me to gain additional information and discuss the business development aspects in more detail. |
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