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  • Aquaponics for food production – a sustainable vertical garden at School of Engineering of Porto
    Publication . Brandão, Roque; A. Sousa, Cátia; Duarte, Abel J.
    The greatest increase in the worldwide human population will rise concerns about the sustainability of cities and soils, climatic changes and food access or security. Furthermore, in the present day, many urban areas around the world are grappling with challenges related to their food supply infrastructure. Urban agriculture can play a crucial role for impoverished households by enhancing food security and generating income. Nevertheless, traditional agriculture contributes to soil erosion and soil and groundwater pollution. Additionally, climate change disrupts animal life cycles and leads to species extinction, significantly reducing the availability of food for humans and other organisms. For this reason, aquaponics holds promise as a method for integrating urban agriculture for plant cultivation and safe fish production. This project aims to develop and install an optimized aquaponics system at the School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto (ISEP). This vertical garden was created using two tanks with circa 2,000 liters of water for fish and spans three floors, featuring three flower boxes and over 120 positions for growing vegetables. Furthermore, in conjunction with this project, pedagogical activities were developed, involving students from various ISEP courses, including Bioresources, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Informatics Engineering. This project highlights a successful implementation of a soil-less vertical garden in urban buildings, embraced by ISEP, enabling the complete integration of nature into urban environments and promoting greener and more sustainable cities.