Growing Fish In Arizona

When I first came to Arizona I never thought I would see such an engaged community involved with protecting a vital nutrient we human beings need, at least, half-gallon a day: WATER. It was the first time I heard about harvesting rainwater and compost toilets. My first impression was that if these people are willing to recycle their own poop they are really committed to the cause. And I then realized: this is THE place. I came to Tucson to study aquaponics, an integrated food production system that uses a beneficial relationship of growing fish and plants together. But I have got to admit; growing fish in the desert is not much of a tradition. I have always associated deserts to sand dunes, camels and mirages fooling thirsty explorers. How is it possible growing fish right in the middle of the Sonoran desert and why is that important for Tucson? …show more content…
Cattle, Copper, Citrus, Cotton and Climate. These five elements were crucial to the development of the State of Arizona and their importance is even evidenced on the Arizona State Great Seal, in which we can see a range of mountains with a water reservoir and a dam, irrigated fields, cattle and a miner. Those irrigated fields represent agriculture in Arizona, which has become a multi-billion industry. Arizona grows enough cotton each year to make more than one pair of jeans for every person in the United States. Yuma has been considered the winter lettuce capitol of the world. But water, of course, is a large part of the equation behind all these facts. As a matter of fact, irrigation uses up to 69% of the water available in Arizona. In other words, a small group of approximately 1,000 farmers uses three times as much water as all Tucsonans