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Lessons Learned from Introducing Aquaponics to Higher Education Curricula

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Enhancing Environmental Education Through Nature-Based Solutions

Part of the book series: Integrated Science ((IS,volume 4))

Abstract

Aquaponics is an innovative and sustainable food production technology which has the potential to make a significant contribution to twenty-first century food systems, especially if there is an adequately trained workforce. In this chapter we review the efforts of an international consortium to develop a curriculum for teaching the basics of aquaponics to final year undergraduates and Masters students. As a nature-based solution which addresses a number of socio-environmental challenges, including food and water security, water pollution, human health, and climate change, aquaponics combines aquaculture and horticulture in an ecologically balanced closed-loop system. Teaching aquaponics promotes ecological literacy among students, thereby enabling future professionals of various careers whose activities are affected by—and have consequences for—environmental issues, and provides a pathway for introducing the concepts of sustainable development and the circular economy to higher education curricula.

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Acknowledgements

Aqu@teach was co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union (Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership for Higher Education 2017-1-UK01-KA203-036663). The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and thank Zala Schmautz, Linda Tschirren and Fridolin Tschudi (Zurich University of Applied Sciences) and Darja Istenič and Franja Prosenc (University of Ljubljana) for their contributions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Design, University of Greenwich, London, UK

    Sarah Milliken & Benz Kotzen

  2. Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Andrej Ovca & Tjaša Griessler Bulc

  3. CEIGRAM, Technical University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Morris Villarroel

  4. Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Wädenswil, Switzerland

    Florentina Gartmann, Nadine Antenen & Ranka Junge

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  1. Sarah Milliken
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  2. Andrej Ovca
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Correspondence to Sarah Milliken .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, CIMAR, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Clara Vasconcelos

  2. CIMAR, University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal

    Cristina S. C. Calheiros

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Milliken, S. et al. (2022). Lessons Learned from Introducing Aquaponics to Higher Education Curricula. In: Vasconcelos, C., Calheiros, C.S.C. (eds) Enhancing Environmental Education Through Nature-Based Solutions. Integrated Science, vol 4. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91843-9_11

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