Growing Together: Aquaponics in Rural Israel and Palestine
IPCRI partnered with Byspokes, an innovative UK-based NGO, to introduce water-efficient food production systems in two communities identified as being disproportionately impacted by the conflict (one in Israel, one in the Palestine).
About Growing Together
In September 2013, IPCRI and Byspokes introduced water-efficient food production systems in two communities identified as being disproportionately impacted by the conflict - a Bedouin village in Israel's Negev and a refugee camp in the West Bank.
"Growing Together" was an 8-month pilot program that educated average citizens about aquaponics and hydroponics systems and how to build and capitalize on these systems. This knowledge, we hoped, would increase the capacity of host communities to produce organic vegetables, fruit, and fish, resulting in nutritious food while also conserving water and land. The pilot program included trainings, aquaponic system installation, outreach events, local internships, and more.
What is "aquaponics"?
Aquaponics is a contained, low-cost, low-resource-intensive method of growing vegetables and farming fish. Byspokes is a leader in the development and implementation of this technology in Israel and the Palestinian territories, with active sites in Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, and Jericho.
Byspokes hydroponics and aquaponics systems:
Use cheap, locally available materials (mainly reclaimed or recycled)
Work with the extremely high alkalinity and high pH of the groundwater in the West Bank / Israel
Grow plants which thrive in the local conditions and are already part of the local diet
Enable production of plants with high water requirements even during the driest times of the year
Offer the opportunity to grow nutritious and marketable plant species that are not consumed locally at present, such as basil, lemongrass, and butternut squash