Frequently Asked Questions What is Aquaponics?   Aquaponics is a technology that combines aquaculture (fish farming) with hydroponics (growing plants without soil). See also What is Aquaponics? What is Luke's Mission?   Luke's Mission is a Christian organization dedicated to helping care for the poor in Haiti by assisting in the training of health care providers, and public health initiatives, including aquaponics. See also About Luke's Mission What are Tilapia?   Tilapia are hardy and disease-resistant fish, native to Africa and the Middle East. What benefits does Aquaponics have over traditional farming practices?   Aquaponics has several benefits over traditional farming. According to North Carolina State University, who did the original research on this subject, one can grow enough food to feed a family of 5 in an area the size of a parking space with aquaponics. Clearly, one can grow crops more densely that in traditional farming, as we have demonstrated in our prototype. This kind of growing is helpful in areas such as Haiti, where the soil is poor and deforestation has stripped the country of the nutrient rich topsoil. Isn't this technology too complex for developing countries?   The beauty of the aquaponics system is in it's simplicity. It does seem complicated when one first looks at it. But the concept is really quite simple, as are the materials needed to build the system. We were able to determine that all the materials needed to build the Haiti prototype were readily available in Haiti with the exception of the pumps which Luke's Mission has committed to providing. In addition, the Haitians are working on establishing a manual pump system that is available with materials in Haiti. The challenges we have faced have not been difficult to overcome. A good deal of planning helped us make the system quite successful from the start. Currently, however, we think that aquaponics provides the farmers with an alternative to traditional farming with its problems. Luke's Mission has had a large amount of interest from a number of missionaries in Haiti and nationals in two African countries, Zambia and Zimbabwe. We are currently working with these people to assist them in setting up aquaponics systems. How can we help with the Luke's Mission Aquaponics Project?   First and foremost please pray for this project and the people of Haiti. Conditions in Haiti are desperate and help is very much needed. Interested parties may contact one of the committee members (see Contact Information) to arrange a tour of the prototype in Durham. Financial contributions are tax deductable and should be made out to Luke's Mission Aquaponics Project. Check the website for regular updates on the progress of this project.