Dar es Salaam Aquaponics
October 22, 2014
We held a brief planning meeting to discuss site specifics, scope out the landscape on Google Earth, and create more short-term goals to move the project forward. We are still trying to get in touch with the site owner and are planning to meet up with Dylan, a fellow Cal Poly student with a background in permaculture and aquaponics.
October 31, 2014
Happy Halloween! Today we met with Dylan to discuss his interest in traveling to the site and how we might gather information about it from all the way in California. Ideas include contacting the resort owner (who owns neighboring property) and searching for local NGOs or nonprofit agencies to help us collect some research. Site specifics are necessary for proper design and scaling of the project, and we would also like to look into what kind of materials might be usable and available. Our next steps are to continue communicating with our knowledgable connections!
What's New
November 1, 2014
This morning we met up with Eric Djanie, an aquaculturalist from eastern Africa who is currently studying at Cal Poly. Eric gave us tons of great information on the current state of fish farming in the region, which types of fish will be the most successful, and how we might develop a business model that appeals to locals. We realized that although aquaponics is a good solution to the over-fishing problem, it will have to be profitable for it to become a feasible business, so Kylie suggested we consider partnering with the neighboring resort. This collaboration would allow us to sell produce (American-loved produce like lettuce, which is easier to grow and would be very popular with American tourists) to the resort and plan on sending the fish to market for locals to buy. This way, the operation has a steady income from its vegetable production and (hopefully) a local popularity from its ability to produce a locally-grown source of protein for Tanzanians.
December 3, 2014
Our collaborator Steph Fellows was happy to report to us this morning that the landowner of the site in Mbutu Amani is doing everything possible to facilitate our project! Of the two sites available to us, one is adjacent to an elementary school, which would love to be involved in the construction and operation of the aquaponics facility. Our team (Kylie, Dylan, Megan, and Ande) has also been given the opportunity to travel to Tanzania, live in the schoolhouse, and implement the project ourselves while teaching the local schoolchildren about our system. We're very excited!
December 5, 2014
With the production of our fundraiser video today, we hope to begin receiving donations to help cover the cost of travel to Tanzania for our team in summer 2015. The video can be viewed here! We are incredibly grateful for all the support we receive.
December 10, 2014
As our academic quarter draws to a close, we would like to thank our Cal Poly class for all the support, advice, and collaboration it has given us. We plan to stay in touch with our professor, Pete Schwartz, and hope that he can become a collaborator on this project as we continue to move forward.