Aquaponics in Bangladesh: current status and future prospects

Bangladesh is a densely populated country in the world having small land and vast water area.The country has excellent fish culture potentiality because of its abundant water resources.Currently aquaculture is being intensified in Bangladesh to meet the demand of fish protein for increasing population.Agricultural land is also being converted to other uses everyday that is creating pressure on natural resources.Lack of food security and food safety are also serious problems here.Aquaponics, as a combined system of recirculating aquaculture and hydroponics, is an innovative technology in Bangladesh which could contribute to addressing these problems.However, there is a lack of quantitative research to support the development of economically feasible aquaponic systems in the country.Although many studies have addressed some scientific aspects, there has been limited focus on commercial implementation.The analysis shows that in aquaponic system water use is minimum, fish and vegetable production per unit area is higher than the conventional aquaculture and agricultural systems.Therefore, aquaponics have ample scope of enhancement of sustainable food production, especially in adverse geographical context of Bangladesh.