Submitted by John Owens
New Development in Urban Agriculture
A new development in urban agriculture is surfacing just off the campus at Chicago State University and at selected high schools in Chicago’s West and South sides. Tilapia and Perch are being raised organically and symbiotically alongside crops of fresh vegetables. Chicago State professor Emmanuel Pratt is developing and promoting aquaculture in Chicago based on systems that he pioneered with Sweet Water Organics in Milwaukee. Follow this link http://sweetwater-organic.com/ for the Milwaukee story.
Learn about projects in the Chicago area
For the Chicago story please join us at 2 PM, Sunday, November 20 at the Ascension School Pine Room, 601 Van Buren, Oak Park. This presentation is sponsored jointly by the Ascension Catholic Church Community Garden Group, the Interfaith Green Network and the Shawnash Institute. Event Flyer to share with others is attached.
Urban Fish and Vegetable Farm in Milwaukee and now Chicago
Sweet Water Organics is an urban fish and vegetable farm. Our goal is to provide fresh, safe food for our local communities while maintaining reasonable prices and respecting our environment.We strive to become a resource for job creation and use of urban settings.
Raising Healthy Fish
In the Milwaukee operation Sweetwater Organics is currently raising approximately 35,000 Perch and 20,000 Tilapia in their sustainable aquaponics systems. In these re-circulating systems, the fish waste acts as natural fertilizer for plant growth and the plants act as a water filter.
Perch is low in Saturated Fat. It is also a good source of Selenium, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin B12, Phosphorus and Manganese. Tilapia is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Niacin and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin B12 and Selenium.
