The Aquaponics Project:

Improving Food Security in Namibia

in the Face of Climate Change

Sophie Antoniou, Nicholas Merianos,

Mary Rego, Sarah Strazdus
Advisors: Professor Joseph Doiron
and Professor Kenneth Stafford
i
 The Aquaponics Project:
Improving Food Security in Namibia in the Face of Climate Change

An Interactive Qualifying Project

Submitted to the Faculty of
WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Bachelor of Science

By
Sophie Antoniou
Nicholas Merianos
Mary Rego
Sarah Strazdus

Date:
13 May 2020

Report submitted to:

Dr. Clemens von Doderer
Dr. Lara Beer
Mr. Burton Julius
Hanns Seidel Foundation

Professor Joseph Doiron

Professor Kenneth Stafford
Worcester Polytechnic Institute

This report represents work of WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence
of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial
or peer review. For more information about the project program as WPI, see
http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Projects
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Abstract
We worked with the Hanns Seidel Foundation to improve food security in Windhoek,
Namibia with aquaponics. We worked remotely with our sponsors to provide facts sheets,
videos, a manual, and a prototype to aid in their Aquaponics Project. These deliverables will
educate Namibians on the benefits of aquaponics and aid in the development of aquaponic
systems throughout the country. We analyzed documents and conducted interviews to create our
deliverables. We recommend our sponsors adapt our deliverables for use in their other global
project sites.

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Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the many people who contributed to the success of our project.

We want to thank…

Our interviewees, Manny Barra, Paul Mason, Brent Meins, Joe Pate, and Jim Rugarber who were
generous enough to speak to us over Zoom and email about their aquaponic systems. Their
openness to share information on why they started using aquaponics, how they built their
systems, and problems they have encountered greatly impacted our deliverables. It was also
incredible that they were willing to share photos and videos of their aquaponic systems, it greatly
improved our understanding of aquaponics.

Our sponsors at the Hanns Seidel Foundation, Clemens von Doderer, Lara Beer, and Burton
Julius who continued to work with us on the Aquaponic Project through our inability to travel to
Namibia. Their ability to adapt to change and communicate efficiently in a remote environment
allowed us to create a successful project. As well, their constant feedback greatly improved the
design of our deliverables.

Our advisors, Professor Doiron and Professor Stafford for their unwavering support our group
throughout C and D term. Their flexibility, understanding, and support during the changing IQP
experience and tips on how to work remotely provided us the opportunity to create a successful
project. We greatly appreciate their creative ideas, such as Pau Hana, to make this unique IQP
experience as normal and meaningful as possible. This project would not have been possible
without their constant support and motivation.

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Executive Summary

Introduction
In recent years, climate change and drought has negatively impacted Namibia's
agriculture industry. In 2019, the President of Namibia declared a Drought State of Emergency.
This drought has caused a 42% decrease in harvest production (UNICEF, 2019). This has had
drastic effects on the food security of Namibians. Nearly 430,000 Namibians were estimated to
be food insecure as of March 2020 (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
2020). It is important that Namibia takes action to find more sustainable methods of agriculture,
such as aquaponics.

Sponsors
We worked with the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) in Windhoek, Namibia to create
materials for their Aquaponics Project. The HSF has project centers in 71 different locations.
They were founded in 1967 with the goal of “Service of Democracy, Peace, and Development.”
In Windhoek, the HSF works to educate the community on important topics such as climate
change, climate-smart agriculture, and renewable energy. Their current initiative is the
Aquaponics Project to combat food insecurity in Namibia. For our IQP project, we helped create
materials that the HSF will use to teach the community about aquaponics.

Objectives
The goal of our project was to address the food insecurity of Namibia with the use of
aquaponics. We aimed to produce educational information to teach the public about aquaponics
and how they could build their own systems. As well, we wanted to extend this information to
people across the world. To achieve these goals, we completed the following four objectives:

1. Provide educational information about aquaponics through fact sheets and videos.
2. Create a viable aquaponics prototype design for Namibia to improve food security.
3. Create a construction manual infographic and video based on the aquaponic prototype
design.
4. Create a blog that shares information online about aquaponics and our project.

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Methods

Data Collection and Analysis

To create our deliverables, we used qualitative data from online resources and interviews.
The online resources used were journal articles, newspaper articles, blogs, educational websites,
and government websites. They were found to contain reliable and universal information that
could be applied to our project. The information we utilized was determined by the specific
topics and leading questions that our sponsors provided for each deliverable. Our team also
conducted several interviews with current aquaponic growers to gain more practical information
on running a system.
To analyze the data that our team collected, we used a process called thematic coding.
Thematic coding is the process of identifying common themes throughout the data collected to
categorize the research. This establishes a framework of themes around the central topic, in this
case aquaponics. These themes were the analysis of the information that we collected throughout
our project and creation of our deliverables for HSF.

Deliverable Development
To create our deliverables, our team used an iterative design process. The iterative design
process involves establishing what is needed to generate the deliverable, creating the deliverable,
and then going through a feedback process. In the feedback process, the deliverable is revised
until there are no more improvements, at which time, the final deliverable is produced. From our
objectives, there were four main deliverables created. These were the blog, the fact sheets and
related video, an aquaponics prototype design, and a manual infographic and related video.
Using the iterative design process for these deliverables, we were able to create successful
deliverables that fit our sponsor’s needs.

Findings

Themes
Throughout our project, we gathered information for our deliverables through online
research, interviews, and feedback from our sponsors. Several themes emerged from our analysis
of this data. Table 1 shows the four overarching themes of information we found, Purpose,
Economics, Yield, and Design, and their corresponding subsets lie underneath. These themes
guided the information included in our deliverables.

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Table 1: Breakdown of themes

Purpose Economics Yield Design

Food Security Investment Crops Design Factors
Sustainability Market Fish System Parameters
Commercial/Revenue Production Time
Education

Deliverables
We developed several deliverables for the Hanns Seidel Foundation’s Aquaponics
Project. These deliverables exemplify the themes discussed in the previous section. The
deliverables created were:

1. Fact Sheets
2. Video Summarizing Fact Sheets
3. Aquaponic System Prototype
4. Manual Infographic
5. Prototype Construction Video
6. “Aquaponic Chronicles” Blog

These deliverables can be found on HSF’s website, ThinkNamibia.org.na, and will aid in
their initiative to educate Namibia on sustainable agriculture, as well as, informing the public on
the benefits of aquaponics.

Discussion

Challenges
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our group faced numerous obstacles in the completion of
our project. One major difficulty was the travel restriction, which resulted in us not being able to
travel to Namibia. While this was a large challenge, we moved forward with our project and
continued to work with the Hanns Seidel Foundation remotely from the United States. This
resulted in small communication issues, as there is a six-hour time difference between our
locations. However, our team adapted to these challenges and were flexible with the
communication. We also adapted the framework of the project by implementing more online
tools, such as creating the “Aquaponic Chronicles” blog, as well as utilizing Zoom to conduct
interviews with aquaponics growers.

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Recommendations
Our team has several recommendations for the future use of our deliverables for the
Hanns Seidel Foundation. When planning to travel to Namibia and interact with young students,
we spoke with a teacher about the best ways to engage students in lessons. The main takeaway
was that the lessons should include games and interactive elements. Therefore, we recommend to
the HSF that students have hands-on experience, so they are more likely to be engaged in what
they are learning. This can be done by having the students help build the aquaponics system and
later harvest the crops. For the fact sheets, manual, and videos, we recommend that the HSF
include these within their lesson plans while at the school. We also recommend that these
documents are made easily accessible to and be advertised to members of the community who
are interested in learning more about aquaponics to improve food security. Our team also
believes the HSF should use these deliverables in more locations than just Namibia as they are a
global organization with more than 70 worldwide locations and the information in our
deliverables can be easily modified for different locations allowing for my agricultural
production in other food insecure countries. Finally our group recommends the HSF implement
our small scale prototype design in some way when constructing a system in a Namibian school
as it is relatively simple and students would be able to more easily construct it than the large
scale design that will currently be installed.

Future Implications
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parts of the HSF’s Aquaponics Project are currently put
on hold until quarantine is lifted. Once it is safe to do so, the HSF will continue with their plans
to teach and build an aquaponic system in a local Namibian school to allow younger students to
learn more about topics like sustainability, food security, and agriculture. This system will also
teach the kids about aquaponics and how they could build and maintain a system at home.
Although we were not able to work with the HSF as they build the prototype aquaponics
system, we were able to continue our work with them remotely and provide them with tools to
teach individuals about sustainable methods of agriculture. In the future, these materials can
provide tools for anyone to improve their own food security through aquaponics.

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Authorship
Paper
Construction Revisions
Abstract Sophie All
Acknowledgments Sarah All
Executive Summary Nicholas All
Introduction Sarah All
Background All All
Methodology All All
Findings All All
Discussion Sophie All
Formatting Sarah All

Deliverables
Construction Revisions
Fact Sheet #1 Mary, Nicholas All
Fact Sheet #2 Sarah, Sophie Sarah, Sophie
Fact Sheet #3 All Sarah, Sophie
Fact Sheet Video Mary, Sarah Mary
Prototype Design Nicholas Nicholas, Sophie
Manual Infographic Sophie Sophie
Manual Video Sarah Sarah
Blog Mary All

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 Table of Contents

Abstract.......................................................................................................................................... iii

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................iv

Executive Summary......................................................................................................................... v

Introduction .................................................................................................................................. v

Sponsors ....................................................................................................................................... v

Objectives .................................................................................................................................... v

Methods ......................................................................................................................................vi

Data Collection and Analysis ..................................................................................................vi

Deliverable Development........................................................................................................vi

Findings ......................................................................................................................................vi

Themes ....................................................................................................................................vi

Deliverables............................................................................................................................vii

Discussion ..................................................................................................................................vii

Challenges ..............................................................................................................................vii

Recommendations ................................................................................................................ viii

Future Implications .............................................................................................................. viii

Authorship ......................................................................................................................................ix

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ x

Table of Figures ........................................................................................................................... xiii

List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ xiv

Chapter 1: Introduction.................................................................................................................... 1

Chapter 2: Background .................................................................................................................... 2

2.1 Apartheid History .................................................................................................................. 2

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 2.2 Economic Structure................................................................................................................ 3

2.3 Climate Change...................................................................................................................... 5

2.4 Namibia’s Agricultural Methods ........................................................................................... 5

2.5 Relocation and Urban Agriculture ......................................................................................... 6

2.6 Relationships .......................................................................................................................... 7

2.7 Aquaponics and Its Relation to Food Security ...................................................................... 8

2.8 Various Methods for Aquaponic Systems ............................................................................. 9

2.9 Benefits of Aquaponics ........................................................................................................ 11

2.10 Online Educational Resources ........................................................................................... 11

Chapter 3: Methodology ................................................................................................................ 12

3.1 Team Dynamic ..................................................................................................................... 12

3.2 Iterative Design .................................................................................................................... 13

3.3 Data Collection .................................................................................................................... 14

3.4 Data Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 15

3.5 Deliverables ......................................................................................................................... 15

3.5.1 Blog ............................................................................................................................... 15

3.5.2 Fact Sheets and Video ................................................................................................... 16

3.5.3 Prototype Design ........................................................................................................... 16

3.5.4 Manual Infographic and Video ..................................................................................... 17

Chapter 4: Findings ....................................................................................................................... 18

4.1 Themes ................................................................................................................................. 18

4.1.1 Purpose .......................................................................................................................... 18

4.1.2 Economics ..................................................................................................................... 21

4.1.3 Yield .............................................................................................................................. 22

4.1.4 Design ........................................................................................................................... 24

4.2 Deliverables ......................................................................................................................... 25

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 4.2.1 Fact Sheets .................................................................................................................... 25

4.2.2 Video on Fact Sheets ..................................................................................................... 27

4.2.3 Aquaponic System Prototype ........................................................................................ 28

4.2.4 Manual Infographic ....................................................................................................... 29

4.2.5 Manual Video ................................................................................................................ 30

4.2.6 “Aquaponic Chronicles” Blog....................................................................................... 31

Chapter 5: Discussion .................................................................................................................... 33

5.1 Challenges ............................................................................................................................ 33

5.2 Future Recommendations .................................................................................................... 33

5.3 Future Implications .............................................................................................................. 34

Chapter 6: Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 35

References ..................................................................................................................................... 37

Appendices .................................................................................................................................... 40

Appendix A: Interview Guide.................................................................................................... 40

Appendix B: Fact Sheet #1 ........................................................................................................ 41

Appendix C: Fact Sheet #2 ........................................................................................................ 45

Appendix D: Fact Sheet #3 ........................................................................................................ 49

Appendix E: Manual Infographic .............................................................................................. 53

Appendix F: Links ..................................................................................................................... 54

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Table of Figures
Figure 1: Aquaponics system cycle ................................................................................................. 9
Figure 2: Nutrient Film Technique System ................................................................................... 10
Figure 3: Media-based System ...................................................................................................... 10
Figure 4: Deep Water Culture System........................................................................................... 10
Figure 5: Our Trello Dashboard .................................................................................................... 13
Figure 6: Iterative Design Process ................................................................................................. 14
Figure 7: Timeline for the blog ..................................................................................................... 15
Figure 8: Timeline for the fact sheets and video ........................................................................... 16
Figure 9: Timeline for prototype and manuals .............................................................................. 17
Figure 10: First page of all three fact sheets .................................................................................. 26
Figure 11: Feedback on first draft of fact sheet #2 ........................................................................ 26
Figure 12: Feedback on first draft of fact sheet #3 ........................................................................ 27
Figure 13: Video stills from first draft of the fact sheet video ...................................................... 27
Figure 14: Video stills from final draft of the fact sheet video ..................................................... 28
Figure 15: First design of the aquaponic system prototype ........................................................... 28
Figure 16: Final design of the aquaponic system prototype .......................................................... 29
Figure 17: Images on infographic showing to show construction steps........................................ 29
Figure 18: Updated images on final manual infographic .............................................................. 30
Figure 19: Video stills from final manual video ........................................................................... 30
Figure 20: Homepage of blog ........................................................................................................ 31
Figure 21: Example section of blog post ....................................................................................... 32
Figure 22: Blog section ................................................................................................................. 32

xiii
List of Tables
Table 1: Breakdown of themes ...................................................................................................... 18

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Chapter 1: Introduction
Namibia has been facing its worst drought in several decades, with a Drought State of
Emergency being declared in 2019 (UNICEF, 2019). Namibia's agriculture industry, which
accounts for 31% of the labor force, is greatly impacted by this drought (Central Intelligence
Agency, 2020). In recent years, crop yields have been low due to low amounts of rain. In 2013,
the drought killed 4,000 animals and affected nearly 300,000 people (UNICEF, 2019). As
climate change continues to affect the agriculture industry, Namibia becomes more reliant on
food imports and food security continues to worsen. An estimated 430,000 Namibians are in the
Crisis or Emergency stages of food security (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, 2020). New and innovative agriculture methods are needed to improve these worsening
conditions in Namibia.
The Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) is looking to promote sustainable agriculture in
Namibia to help improve food security. Aquaponics, when used in addition to hydroponics and
traditional agriculture, would greatly improve the food security of many Namibians. This is
because aquaponics provides leafy greens and fish in a sustainable and water efficient system.
Due to the ongoing drought in Namibia and the arid climate, water is scarce in the country. In
2019, the drought caused a low harvest that severely affected subsistence farming. This led to
food insecurity worsening in early 2020 (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, 2020). The effects of the drought show that it is imperative for Namibia to implement
climate-smart agriculture practices. By changing current methods of agriculture to a more water
efficient and climate resistant method such as aquaponics, rural Namibians can improve their
food security.
Several efforts in Namibia have addressed issues caused by climate change on food
security and agriculture. Namibia’s Climate Change Policy strives to protect the agriculture
industry by achieving sustainable agriculture production. The policy does this by promoting
highly adaptive breeds of livestock and crop cultivars, conservation agriculture and ecologically
compatible cropping systems, and agricultural production that will best maintain and improve
household income (Ministry of Environment & Tourism, 2011). Climate-smart agriculture, or
agricultural methods that can provide sustainable food security within the effects of climate
change, has been promoted by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
and the HSF (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2020). These efforts are
working towards improved agriculture methods for Namibia while it faces the harsh effects of
climate change.
Although these efforts are working towards a similar goal of improving agriculture
methods in Namibia, none fully address aquaponics. Aquaponics is a sustainable method of
agriculture that is perfect for dry and arid climates such as Namibia. It is more water efficient
than traditional agriculture methods and can provide better crops during the drought. Promoting
aquaponics in Namibia will create a new type of climate-smart agriculture for them to utilize.

1
 The goal of this project was to create educational materials and a prototype system to
promote the use of aquaponics in Namibia. This goal was achieved through four main objectives.
We first created educational materials in the form of fact sheets and videos, developed a
prototype aquaponics system, created a manual infographic and video of the system, and
developed a blog to share aquaponics information. This information was shared on the HSF’s
website, ThinkNamibia.org.na, as part of their aquaponics project initiative. It provides all the
information needed for Namibians to learn about aquaponics and build your own system. These
deliverables will aid in improving Namibia’s food security in the face of climate change.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to travel to Windhoek, Namibia to
complete the project. We have altered parts of the project to complete as much as we can
virtually. The fact sheets, informational video, and infographic have remained the same.
Originally, the prototype aquaponic system was to be built in a rural Namibian school as a
teaching material and to provide the students with food. Due to the lockdown in Namibia, we
instead developed a design in CAD to create the infographic and video manuals. This will allow
the Hanns Seidel to have the materials needed to teach and build aquaponics systems in Namibia
when possible. As well, we added a blog to our project due to the implications of COVID-19.
We saw a great opportunity to share information online during this time. We used this to
interview several aquaponic hobbyists and share what they have done to spread the knowledge
and benefits of aquaponics. Despite these unpredictable changes, we were still able to provide
useful deliverables for the HSF to use when promoting the use of aquaponics in Namibia.

Chapter 2: Background

2.1 Apartheid History

To understand how Namibia’s agriculture system has been shaped, it is important to
understand Namibia’s Apartheid history. As Namibia started to seek independence from South
Africa in the late 1900s, the country faced a series of challenges which impacted the economy,
employment rates, and food security. Namibia became fully independent in 1990 after a long
history of discriminatory and corrupt ruling. The discrimination and corruption left behind by
South African rule has resulted in a lack of jobs and insufficient food for Namibians today.
Before independence, Namibia was a part of South Africa but divided into an “Apartheid State,”
meaning “Separate State” in Afrikaans. This left Namibia in a segregated state that discriminated
against native Africans. This inequality was the basis of the government and was a guiding
principle throughout the country which inevitably led to economic disadvantages. The impacts of
this discrimination can still be seen today, as South Africa left the newly independent country in
a fiscal crisis, dependent on imports, partially developed, and segregated (Freeman, 1991). This
placed Namibia at a disadvantage from the start of their independence. As well, South Africa
remained in control over Walvis Bay at the time of independence. This bay is the most crucial

2
port in Namibia and is relied on for almost all exports and imports. Walvis Bay’s value is evident
in South Africa’s reluctance to leave it. In fact, the terms of Namibia's independence restricted
the country as well as limited their growth. Their movement towards real independence and
development within the first year was minimal (Freeman, 1991). Namibia was finally
independent, however they lacked control over one of the most vital sections of their economy.
Not only have Namibians been very dependent on trade throughout history, but they have
also developed their livelihoods off agriculture. Cattle have been a longstanding essential facet to
their economy. On the surface this may seem like a result of the country’s location and natural
resources, but there is a deeper reason for the agricultural sector. The apartheid policies changed
the way the Namibian people had to sustain themselves to survive, which changed how the
economy needed to function and develop. Looking at the northwest region of Namibia before
1915, the economy consisted of trade with its surrounding lands. The pastoral economy was a
part of regional trade networks. Then with the transition into colonial power, the 1920s brought a
forced dependence on subsistence livestock husbandry. This form of production was their only
means of economic security and limited the people and cattle’s spatial mobility. It isolated
Namibian farmers and resulted in many unforeseen consequences. The cattle population rose
exponentially on the small amount of land with limited resources and many of the cattle became
susceptible to disease and infection. The market that the Namibian people could sell to was also
very limited. Many of the white settlers would not buy cattle from Namibians due to how they
were raised, who they were raised by, and the quality of the cattle. Along with this, the land that
the farmers were on became extremely depleted and by the 1950s it was noticeably overgrazed.
Previously to the apartheid state, the cattle could have been sold to commercial ranches or traded
with neighboring lands. This would have caused the cattle to keep moving around the country,
however, due to the apartheid state they became stagnant in the native Namibians’ allowed
domain. The marginalized Namibian people were further forced into economic
underdevelopment (Bollig, 1998). The lasting impact of these policies can be seen within the
economic structure of Namibia today.

2.2 Economic Structure

Since Namibia’s independence in 1990, the effects of apartheid rule can be seen in every
aspect of Namibian life. Although Namibia has grown tremendously in terms of its economics,
the years of struggle are still evident. It can be seen in the current levels of poverty,
unemployment, and inequality in the country. The economic inequality of Namibia is represented
by the Gini coefficient, which measures the income distribution among a population, or rather
the wealth distribution. In the mid-90s, post-independence, Namibia had a Gini coefficient of 0.7
which was the largest of any country. Then in a government report which was released in 2008,
based on data from 2004, the Gini coefficient shrunk to a value of 0.63. While the number did
slightly decrease, the status of having the largest economic inequality did not (Jauch, 2012). This
shows the continuance of economic inequality, which is also demonstrated by the country’s
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) documentation (Levine, S., & Roberts, B. 2013). Another way to

3
understand the well-being of the Namibian people is by looking at the Human Development
Index, a statistic that is used to measure the well-being of a country’s people by accessing their
choices in life. This reflects how much a country has or is currently developing. In 2011 the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Human Development Report, showed that
Namibia had a Human Development Index of 0.625. On the surface, this is a very good number
for a country to have. However, when economic inequality was factored in, the value decreased
by 43.5%. This decrease shows the continual influence of economic inequality, which is a direct
relation to the colonial power in Namibia (Jauch, 2012). These values show how strong the
inequality in Namibia is and help to understand the current economic structure in Namibia.
Economic inequality is exemplified within the unemployment rates of Namibia. They are
incredibly high. In the 2008 Namibia Labour Force Survey (NFLS), Namibia’s output per
worker, otherwise known as labour productivity, was US $21,998. This value was greater than
any other country. However, this is not reflective of the average Namibian person’s life. Its
people are not all prospering. As the economy of Namibia grows, it can increase its Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) output. However, the large unemployment rate, growing population,
and no new job creation is not leading toward economic success in Namibia. The 2008 NLFS
also showed that the unemployment rate was 51.2%. This was the largest unemployment rate
surveyed out of Botswana, Lesotho, Mali, Namibia, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, and Sub-
Saharan Africa. With agriculture being a large portion of employment in Namibia, it is also
useful to consider how employment has changed specifically within this sector. From 2004 to
2008, agricultural employment has declined 49% and fishing employment 89% (Mwinga, 2012).
So even though the country has gone through economic growth since its date of independence,
employment rates have continued to decrease.
Today, Namibia is considered a lower-middle-income country. It has one of the most
unequal income distributions in Africa, due to the large amount of unemployment, poverty, and
food insecurity. With the evolution of political and social change, the economy has adapted and
evolved. Today, the country’s economy consists of two major sectors: the modern market and
agriculture. The modern market, of imports and exports, contributes to 90% of the country’s
GDP. They export many raw materials and import their consumer goods. While this may make it
seem like agriculture is unimportant, quite the opposite is true. Despite agriculture only
contributing to 5% of the country’s GDP, 70% of the population depends on agriculture for their
livelihood. Within Namibia’s agricultural system there is both commercial farming and
subsistence farming. Commercial farming is what contributes to the country's wealth, whereas
subsistence farming is how many Namibians support themselves, establishing their own food
sources. The Namibian economy is still growing and in its early stages of development. It is
highly trade dependent which causes its sectors to be interdependent. Each sector depends on
each other in order to function properly. This interdependence causes it to be difficult to predict
how the economy will grow and evolve. Investment in one sector could enhance the whole
economic system and cause it to expand at rapid rates (Humavindu & Stage, 2013). The
complexity of the economy continues to affect the lives of Namibians.

4
2.3 Climate Change
Agriculture is a large part of the Namibian way of life, economics, sustainability, and
history. In 2011, it was documented that 24% of the GDP was from its agriculture, fisheries, and
mining. It was also concluded that 61% of Namibians use subsistence agriculture to obtain a
livelihood. Because of the huge dependence on agriculture and fishing, global warming and
climate change are important issues to address. The variability of climate change could threaten
the entire societal structure of Namibia. Signs of climate change can be seen in the historical
trends of increasing daily maximum temperature, the increase in heavy rainfall scattered by dry
periods, and the frequency of droughts in the country. There is a prediction that by 2020 the
rainfall and evaporation will have increased by 30% due to the increase in dry climate
(Siyambango, Kanyimba, & Mufune, 2015). Drought and water availability pose a large issue for
the Namibian agricultural system. It is causing farmers to struggle feeding their cattle due to the
land becoming barren and depleted of grazing plants. It also inhibits crop growth. As of October
2019, Namibia extended their state of emergency by six months and allocated N$570 million to
help drought affected farmers. N$138 million is specifically going towards a livestock support
program. While not all farmers have seen this money, it shows the undeniable affects the drought
has had and will continue to have on the Namibian way of life (Brandon Van Wyk, & Loide
Ambondo, 2019).
It is imperative that the local people of Namibia are aware of the effects of climate
change. It can affect the way they structure their agricultural decisions both on a personal and
national level. In terms of making these decisions for the greater community, it is important to
understand who is involved and what they believe. There is currently a large array of cultural
views and interpretations of climate change in Namibia. The first dominant viewpoint is that the
world is reaching its breaking point and the end is near. The second dominant viewpoint is that
climate change is a direct relation to the way in which the world is operating, and a solution must
be found. Most Namibian people have what is known as indigenous knowledge, which informs
their position on climate change. Indigenous knowledge is the knowledge that they have
developed based on observations of the environment from living on the same land for a long
duration of time, such as several years, an entire lifetime, or even several generations. They
develop this interpretation of climate change based on how they have seen the world evolve. The
rural societies have seen changes in the amount of precipitation, droughts, and increases in
natural events. This indigenous knowledge helps them make decisions in terms of food security,
resource management, flood, and drought actions. Allowing their communities to evolve in the
face of climate change (Siyambango, Kanyimba, & Mufune, 2015). The severity of climate
change continues to take a toll on Namibia agriculturally, socially, and economically.

2.4 Namibia’s Agricultural Methods

It is important to understand the current state of agriculture and food consumption in
Namibia to understand the need for improvement within agricultural systems. Currently, there is
a stark contrast between the agriculture in the north and south of Namibia. The difference is due
5
to the rainfall each region experiences. The rainy north has land more suitable for farming while
the dry south has land more suitable for ranching. Throughout the country, there is also a mix
between commercial and communal farming. Commercial farming is used to provide food for
the market. It is controlled by approximately 4,000 large, white owned farms in central and
southern Namibia. Communal farming prevails in northern Namibia, as well as the former
reserves in central and southern Namibia. In these areas they use traditional, small-scale farming
methods for self-consumption, also known as subsistence farming (Elkan, van der Linden,
Andima, Sherbourne, & Amutenya, 1992).
The agricultural methods directly relate to the diet that is available for the people of
Namibia. Like many poor countries, starchy foods are widely eaten, the most popular being
millet and maize. Due to the abundance of livestock, meat is also widely eaten within Namibia.
To provide for themselves, rural households typically have their own cattle, goats, and sheep.
They also take part in game hunts, which occur everywhere for self-consumption as well as for
commercial sale. Along with starches and meats, the rainier north also produces beans,
pumpkins, spinach, berries, and nuts which provide another source of nutrition. Fruits and
vegetables as a whole are not very popular in Namibia. There is not a large amount of
availability or variety, even though they are commercially produced along the Orange River.
Along the northern rivers of Okavango, Zambezi, and Chobe, and the western coast, fishing is an
important practice that provides protein for both self-consumption and sale (Elkan et al., 1992).
Behind agriculture and mining, fishing is the third largest sector of the economy and is also the
second largest export earner. Species such as sardine, anchovy, herring, tuna, and Cape horse
mackerel are commonly fished (Boyer & Hampton, 2001). Diets within Namibia are diverse to a
certain extent, as there are the limiting factors of the lack of fruits and vegetables and the
dependence on weather.
Families within Namibia feel the impact of climate change through the shortage of fresh,
locally grown foods and lack of diversity in diets. In an interview conducted in 2010, one family
stated, “Even when there is something to eat, which in most cases is mahangu or maize porridge,
your hunger is not satisfied. Every day we eat the same meal, pap, pap, we do not have a choice
of what we want to eat, it is what we can afford (Pendleton, Crush & Nickanor, 2014).” This
shows the lack of nutritional diversity that Namibians face. This interview also addresses the
lack of food due to affordability. Namibia's dry climate and limited water supply poses an issue
when it comes to growing fresh produce. The country often solves this by importing these goods
from other countries. When they are imported it increases the prices causing both rural and urban
families to not be able to afford the food. Namibia needs agricultural improvements to make food
diversity more affordable for the larger population.

2.5 Relocation and Urban Agriculture

Since Namibia gained its independence thirty years ago, Namibia has gone through fast
urbanization. It has increased the freedom of migration and ability to live in Namibia, leading to
food insecurity for the poor urban population (Pendleton, Crush & Nickanor, 2014). The influx

6
of immigrants in the country has been mainly in northern rural communities. This has led to
difficulties in finding food for migrant and local families. Most individuals move to the city to
seek job opportunities, but these opportunities are not there. This creates an environment where
families are faced with the challenge of finding work, as well as limited affordable food, further
increasing food insecurity as access to jobs is a direct determinant of food security (Pendleton,
Crush & Nickanor, 2014). With the challenges to find work and the lack of land and resources to
grow crops, food security is not common within the city. This is not to be confused with access
to food as food availability is not a concern in Windhoek due to the development of
supermarkets (Pendleton, Crush & Nickanor, 2014). Urban people tend to purchase most of their
food in stores, that consists mainly of imports and crops from central and southern commercial
farms. The high price of food caused by the imports makes it difficult for many families in rural
and urban communities to afford it. Like most of the country, there is a lack of local fruits and
vegetables in Windhoek due to the climate most of the produce available is imported from South
Africa. However, people practicing urban and peri-urban agriculture will produce these crops, so
it is important to understand how they may do this despite the challenges. According to a study
on urban and peri-urban agriculture from 2002, most people gardening in Windhoek bring
experience from rural areas to provide food to family members. They tend to base their farming
practices on land preparation, planting, weeding, and harvesting. They typically produce
vegetables only in the winter and have a wide range of crops such as maize, beans, and fruit
trees. Livestock are limited to small animals and poultry due to the lack of space and fishing
remains a seasonal activity. There are many ways in which these practices could be improved
and many producers in Windhoek hope to expand their vegetable production (Dima et al., 2002).

2.6 Relationships
Rural people typically practice subsistence farming, meaning they grow their own food
supply. While these communities face climates not ideal for growing crops, they are able to find
ways to work with their environment to produce food. It is common for rural families to send
food to relatives in urban areas, such as Windhoek, to provide them with food since they do not
have the ability to grow crops (Elkan et al., 1992). A man from Windhoek spoke about his
connection to his rural family and the agricultural relationship they have, saying:

“There are some relatives in the rural north who send us food and especially when
harvests are good we receive a variety of food types apart from mahangu flour. We do
not receive this food on a monthly basis – but when we receive it, it relieves me from
going to the shops every time to buy food (Pendleton, Crush & Nickanor, 2014).”

It is evident that this relationship is essential for urban families. In return for the food,
they send a portion of the money they have made, if they were able to find work. Throughout the
year, many people in rural communities also need to rely on purchased food when the
environment is no longer suitable for farming. For these people in the communal farms and rural

7
reserves, cattle are typically used as a way to store their wealth, so they are only slaughtered and
sold when needed to purchase food in these tough times (Elkan et al., 1992). The relationships
between urban and rural communities help mitigate food insecurity within the country, but
climate change has made farming increasingly difficult to supply enough food for a family.
The Windhoek community is very active when it comes to receiving support from rural
relatives to establish food security. From a study conducted in 2014, 37 % of food insecure
homes had access to crops from rural relatives. This emphasizes the dependency on food
transfers for urban households who are unable to afford food. However, even with these
supplements, the homes are still considered food insecure. When studying food secure
households, or homes that have sufficient amounts of food, it was noted that only 6% were
receiving transfers (Pendleton, Crush & Nickanor, 2014). Although these transfers work to
combat food insecurity, they alone are not enough. One urban citizen states, “It is not always but
maybe once in 2 months [that we have grain] and the quantity depends on how much they have
in their granaries (Pendleton, Crush & Nickanor, 2014).” The relationships between urban and
rural families is not a reliable source of food security for the Namibian people. They depend too
highly on the quantity and quality of food grown from the rural communities. Therefore, as
growing conditions become harsher in rural areas due to floods and droughts, food insecurity in
Namibia is expected to worsen if no changes are made.

2.7 Aquaponics and Its Relation to Food Security

A solution to some of the current issues found in Namibian agriculture may be found in
aquaponics, a modernized way to combine both traditional aquaculture and hydroponics. Sylvia
Bernstein’s (2011) book on the subject defines aquaponics as:

“The cultivation of fish and plants together in a constructed, recirculating ecosystem

utilizing natural bacterial cycles to convert fish waste to plant nutrients. This is an
environmentally friendly, natural food-growing method that harnesses the best attributes
of aquaculture and hydroponics without the need to discard any water or filtrate or add
chemical fertilizers.”

To understand aquaponics and its relation to improving food security, you must first understand
the two major cultivation techniques that were combined to produce it, hydroponics and
aquaculture. Hydroponics is the cultivation of plants without soil, typically achieved through a
nutrient-dense water running through the roots of plants suspended in a growing media such as
perlite, gravel, shale, sand, or sawdust (Stauffer, 2006). The main benefits of hydroponics
include the ability to grow food in non-arable regions, such as Namibia, as well as in many
different climates due to the highly controlled nature of growing food in hydroponic
greenhouses, with everything from nutrient content to light schedule being controlled by the
farmer. Hydroponic systems also have downsides. There are expensive nutrients that must be
mixed with water and the water must be replaced occasionally due to salinity build up.

8
Hydroponics is also quite labor intensive. It is necessary for farmers to test the properties of their
water daily to ensure the correct nutrients are being supplied to the plants. This all leads to
expensive maintenance costs for a hydroponic system. The other component of aquaponics is
aquaculture, which is the cultivation of aquatic animals or plants, especially fish, in natural or
controlled marine or freshwater habitats. A recent development that has made aquaculture more
efficient is known as recirculating aquaculture systems, or RAS (Bernstein, 2011). These RAS
systems are man-made tanks, densely packed with fish that rely on the system's ability to draw
carbon dioxide and waste from the water while also aerating it, to create an optimal environment
for fish survival (Ebeling & Timmons, 2012). This method of fish cultivation has significant
drawbacks when used with traditional cultivation methods, as these high-packing densities of
fish require a constant source of power. If the filtration system were to shut down, many fish
would die within hours from oxygen loss. When both hydroponics and aquaculture work in
conjunction, they can mitigate each other’s Figure 1: Aquaponics system cycle
weaknesses. You can see how these systems work in (Source: Helvey, 2009)
conjunction in Figure 1. The fish waste that was an
unnecessary byproduct in aquaculture becomes a
valuable replacement for chemical nutrients in
aquaponics. Aquaponics also takes notes from
nature, making each system its own small
ecosystem, complete with animals, plants, and
microbial organisms that will naturally balance the
system in the way a hydroponic farmer would need
to manually do each day. This greatly minimizes the
amount of work required to keep the system viable.
All these positives make aquaponics a much more
viable option than the cultivation techniques that
make it up, especially for an arid and relatively non-
arable country, such as Namibia.

2.8 Various Methods for Aquaponic Systems

There are several different methods of setting up an aquaponics system, each dependent
on the needs of the user. Primarily, there are three different types of aquaponics system designs:
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), Media Bed, and Deep Water Culture (DWC) (Goering, 2019).
NFT, shown in Figure 2, is prevalent in commercial aquaponics production due to the space
efficiency of this method where plants are grown on vertical “shelves.” One drawback of this
method is that it is mostly limited to growing leafy greens due to the root structure of larger
crops clogging the irrigation or being too heavy for the shelving. This method also makes the
system more prone to temperature swings because more of the roots are exposed to the air.

9
 Figure 2: Nutrient Film Technique System Figure 3: Media-based System
(Source: The surprising benefits and types of (Source: The surprising benefits and types of
aquaponic systems, 2015) aquaponic systems, 2015)

Media bed aquaponics, shown in Figure 3, is much more accessible for a beginner user,
as they are relatively simple to fabricate, cheap in terms of materials, and productive even at a
small scale. This involves suspending the plants in a relatively densely packed media such as
gravel, shale, or sawdust and pumping the wastewater from the fish tank into the media to have it
then drain back into the tank for recirculation. Since the media in this case supports roots in the
same way soil does in traditional agriculture, larger plants such as fruits, vegetables, and
flowering plants can be effectively cultivated in this type of system. The lack of efficiency in
terms of space, however, means this method does not scale well for commercial production.
DWC, shown in Figure 4, relies on suspending Figure 4: Deep Water Culture System
plants on floating rafts in such a way that their roots will (Source: The surprising benefits and types of
be suspended in nutrient-dense and oxygenated water. aquaponic systems, 2015)

Deep Water Culture is commonly found in commercial

aquaponics, as the high volume of nutrient dense water
the plants are suspended in makes the system more
resilient to temperature change. The rafts used also
allows for a very wide variety of plants, as the root zone
can be as large as the tank the plants are suspended in.
The lack of media, however, adds a higher upfront cost
because without natural filtration via the media beds,
costly filtration pumps must be installed for the system
to operate. Each method has its pros and cons, making
them viable for different types of production.
Most systems have drawbacks related to temperature fluctuations. In an open-air system,
these temperature changes can lower or destroy crop yield. However, this issue can be
completely disregarded by growing in a greenhouse. A greenhouse is a controlled indoor
environment optimized for growing. Many are outfitted with temperature regulation systems and
backup lighting to get the highest possible yield per season. While a greenhouse does help for

10
optimizing production, the additional cost for building and maintaining the greenhouse may
outweigh benefits, unless the system intends to be designed for commercial production. Each of
these systems has their benefits and drawbacks, and each user will need to determine which
system will fit their needs best.

2.9 Benefits of Aquaponics

Some benefits an aquaponics system has over traditional cultivation methods of crops and
fish include water efficiency and environmental sustainability. Daily water loss in an aquaponic
system ranges from .5-5% of the total volume of water in the tank from evaporation, fish
splashing during feeding, and excess sludge removal (Maucieri et al., 2017). This is a great
improvement over traditional agriculture in fields where all water used is lost into the
groundwater after watering. This makes aquaponics inherently more viable than traditional
farming in arid regions and areas stricken by drought, such as Namibia. This also contributes to
sustainability of the system as globally water use from agriculture accounts for nearly 70% of
global freshwater use. Increasing the water efficiency involved with farming makes the process
more sustainable for countries that face the risk of drought. Aquaponics also does not use
petroleum products in the same manner as traditional farming methods. Using current methods
for agriculture, the price of petroleum is directly tied into the price of food as tractors, fertilizers,
and pesticides are all fabricated from petroleum products or rely on them to function (Bernstein,
2011). This direct tie between oil and food prices can lead to food prices increasing along with
the ever-rising cost of oil, making food less available for poorer citizens or nations. Aquaponics
is not perfect in this regard either, with the heating of tanks and powering of pumps also
requiring energy that is typically generated by combustion of fossil fuels to operate. However,
many gardeners have transitioned their systems to renewable energy via geothermal, solar, or
wind power (Bernstein, 2011). Also, since there is no tilling of fields or weeds, there is no need
to buy tractors or herbicides that rely on or are derived from petroleum. The fertilizer comes
directly from the fish waste, so no petroleum products are used in enriching the plants with
nutrients. Aquaponics uses much fewer fossil fuels in the cultivation of crops than traditional
agriculture, making it more sustainable for a world slowly shifting focus to renewable sources.

2.10 Online Educational Resources

Improvements in technology have made online educational resources become more
popular and accessible. Online educational resources can come in many forms, such as remote
calls, websites, blogs, and social media. There are several benefits to sharing educational
information online. One benefit is the ability to access people across the globe. This allows us to
share information on the benefits of aquaponics to a wider audience. One example is, whether
you live in the US or Australia, the internet allows for everyone to have access to the same
information. Online applications also allow information to be shared at no cost. There is no need

11
to spend money on physical supplies, such as paper for pamphlets, booklets, or manuals. Online
educational resources have truly changed the way in which the world learns.
When creating online educational materials, there are important aspects to consider. First,
it is important to determine what the goal of the material is. Once this is established, the design
can then be made around the goal, tailoring it towards its intended audience. This will allow for
the material to be as effective as possible. Another critical piece is the information within the
educational material. It is important to provide rich information that is supported with reliable
sources. The material must also be well designed and intuitive to the audience. This can be in
terms of color choices, material choices and the way in which other media is incorporated. If
these key components are taken into consideration when making online educational material, it
will allow for the information to be accessible to the greater audience (Reed, 2020).

Chapter 3: Methodology
The goal of our project was to address the food insecurity of Namibia with the use of
aquaponics. We aimed to produce educational information to teach the public about aquaponics
and how they can build their own systems. We worked to enable the average person to have
better food security when faced with the effects of climate change in Namibia. As well, we
wanted to extend this information to people across the world. To achieve these goals, we
completed the following four objectives:

1. Provide educational information about aquaponics through fact sheets and videos.
2. Create a viable aquaponics prototype design for Namibia to improve food security.
3. Create a construction manual infographic and video based on the aquaponic prototype
design.
4. Create a blog that shares information online about aquaponics and our project.

This chapter will explain the specific steps and methods we will take to achieve the above
objectives. To efficiently complete these objectives, our team chose to implement the agile
design and iterative design processes while working on our deliverables. These processes and
how our team implemented them are described in the following section. Then, the methodology
for data collection, data analysis, and each deliverable is described.

3.1 Team Dynamic

We established clear expectations for how our team would work during the project. For
this, we chose to implement aspects of the agile process for our team dynamic. The agile process
originated in software development and emphasizes the need to be flexible with the key aspects
of planning, revisions, and communication.

12
 The agile process involves a daily “standup” meeting. In this meeting, each team member
discussed what he or she had done since the previous meeting, what they were currently working
on, and what they would have done by the next meeting. This helped us communicate our
accomplishments to each other and held each person accountable to their expected
contributions. We also used this time to share any problems or roadblocks that we faced, which
allowed us to discuss solutions.
To stay organized, we established a dashboard of our daily tasks. We used Trello, which
is a site that allowed us to visualize what needed to be done, what was being worked on, and
what had been done, shown in Figure 5. The deliverables were broken down into smaller tasks
that were assigned to a team member each day. The tasks were represented on “cards” that would
be moved depending on their status. During each “standup,” we set our goals and tasks for the
day. Typically, in the agile process, the tasks are rated with poker numbering. We chose to
instead discuss the daily tasks and break them up as we saw fit, without the rating.
Figure 5: Our Trello Dashboard

3.2 Iterative Design

To create our deliverables, we used an iterative design process. The iterative design
process is a cycle of steps that starts with creating the first iteration, or draft, of the deliverable.
Then, the draft is evaluated and revised until there is a final product. The benefit of this process
is that we were able to go through it several times until the finalized design is established.
Receiving feedback on our work was imperative in the development of an effective final design.
The iterative design process we used is depicted in Figure 6. It comprised five different
stages. In stage one, we established the need for the deliverable and collected pertinent
13
 Figure 6: Iterative Design Process information. In other words, this stage revolved
around establishing the goal that we were
addressing with this aspect of the project and
then collecting the necessary background
information. In stage two, we brainstormed
design ideas. When brainstorming, the goal
was to collect every idea that we could think of
in preparation of stage three. In stage three,
after weighing all the options, we concluded
what the best design solution was. It was
important that we chose a design that
considered the need of the objective. We then
produced the first draft of the deliverable. In stage four, we received feedback on the design of
the draft from our sponsors. We received feedback on the composition, logistics, information,
user friendliness, and feasibility. In stage five, we revised our design based on the feedback.
Stages four and five of the process were completed several times for each deliverable until data
saturation was reached. Data saturation is when there is no new information or feedback gathered
after stage four. We reached this endpoint in the design process when our sponsors told us that
their needs were met, and they were satisfied with the design. When this was accomplished, we
determined the final design of the deliverable.

3.3 Data Collection

Qualitative data was needed to create the deliverables of the project. This qualitative data
was collected through online resources and interviews. The online resources used were journal
articles, newspaper articles, blogs, educational websites, and government websites. Our sponsors
outlined specific topics and guiding questions for each deliverable that guided our research. We
then used online search tools to find the information needed. Before choosing to use a source, we
first had to determine whether it was reliable or not. Typically, newspaper articles, peer-reviewed
journal articles, books, and .org websites are the most reliable. We then had to determine if the
information was pertinent to our deliverables. To do this, we would collect more information
than necessary and organize it in a document. Then when we would go to create the deliverable,
we would review the information in the document and determine what was most important.
We also conducted interviews to collect qualitative data from experts and hobbyists in the
field of aquaponics. We held the interviews over Zoom or through email. We first obtained the
consent of the interviewee through a consent form, in order to use the information they provided
within our project. We then asked questions about their understanding of aquaponics, their
credentials, their systems, their teaching advice, and why this topic is a passion that they have
pursued. The guide for the interview questions can be found in Appendix A. From this
information we gathered facts that aided us in the development of our educational material,
design development, blog content and manual content. These interviews expanded our

14
knowledge of aquaponics and impacted how we could make our design accessible to the largest
number of people.

3.4 Data Analysis

After collecting information through online resources and interviews, we analyzed the
data our team gathered through thematic coding. Thematic coding is the process of identifying
different research sources that are linked through a common theme to index the research into
categories which establish a framework of themes around the central topic, in this case
aquaponics. Our team first reviewed the documents collected as well as the interview transcripts
to determine any overarching themes throughout all our research. After we finished reviewing
the documents, four major themes arose throughout our research. We then broke up each of these
themes in multiple sub-themes with more detail. These themes were then used to guide the
development of the deliverables that our team produced for the HSF.

3.5 Deliverables
From our objectives, there were four main deliverables created. These were the blog, the
fact sheets and related video, an aquaponics prototype design, and a manual infographic and
related video. The following sections will detail how each deliverable was created, using the
information found in our data collection and analysis.

3.5.1 Blog
We created a blog as a platform to compile our work and make the knowledge we learned
open and accessible to the greatest number of people. The timeline for the creation of the blog
can be seen in Figure 7. The content for blog posts was developed from the interviews, research
that we conducted from literature, and the deliverables of our project. The blog was continuously
updated with new information and posts throughout the term as we conducted more interviews
and finished each deliverable. We wrote blog posts to share information about aquaponic
systems, educational material to guide and teach people about aquaponics, and its benefits as an
efficient and compact way of farming. We promoted the blog by sharing the website through our
own private social media accounts and a Facebook page dedicated to the blog. We used this to
update the public every time a new post was made. This gave us a wide range of readers and
allowed them to also share it, creating even more traffic.
Figure 7: Timeline for the blog

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3.5.2 Fact Sheets and Video
We designed three fact sheets and a summary video to educate the Namibian public on
aquaponics. Each fact sheet covered a different subject. The first fact sheet was about
hydroponics, the second aquaponics, and the third how to build/maintain a hydroponic/aquaponic
system. All three fact sheets covered more information regarding the guiding titles and
information of food insecurity, drought, and climate change within Namibia. Because the
English literacy rate in Namibia is low, a video summarizing the fact sheets was created. This
included what hydroponics and aquaponics are, their key differences, and why they are
beneficial. To create the fact sheets and video, we followed the iterative design method described
in Figure 6. We first defined the goal and conducted research on the topics we were suggested to
cover and then brainstorm designs. Next, we created a preliminary design, followed by a review
and redesign phase. Lastly, we decided upon a finalized design for each material we created. The
timeline for this can be found in Figure 8. We split up the factsheets and video into two
categories. Because the video was based on the fact sheets, it could not be started until the fact
sheets were designed. We spent the bulk of the first four weeks conducting research and creating
preliminary designs. The final three weeks were dedicated to redesigning.
The goal of the fact sheets and video was to provide rural communities of Namibia with
information on aquaponics. To start our research, we first created a list of topics we wanted to
focus on for each fact sheet, guided by our sponsors. We then used the information collected
through our data analysis to create these materials. We also reviewed the HSF website,
thinknamibia.org.na, and took notes on the materials published to get ideas for our design. The
next step was to create the preliminary designs of the fact sheets and later the video. We then
gave our first drafts to the HSF for feedback. We asked for feedback regarding how visually
pleasing they were, their ability to understand them, and how informative they were. Based on
the feedback, we redesigned the fact sheets and video. Once data saturation occurred and a
finalized design of fact sheets and video had been reached, we provided the HSF with the
materials for their use of teaching and publishing.

Figure 8: Timeline for the fact sheets and video

3.5.3 Prototype Design

A working prototype was an instrumental part of our final project. The prototype was
intended to be used as an educational tool to teach children in a local school in Namibia about
the concept of aquaponics while providing the children with fresh produce once the crops were

16
ready for harvest. The prototype was to serve as a proof of concept for aquaponic growing in
small rural communities and can be used to show the ease of making a small-scale system for
subsistence use. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to travel to Namibia and will
not be able to personally build the prototype. However, we continued to work with the local
Namibian aquaponic expert, Burton Julius from the Hanns Seidel Foundation, who will construct
the prototype in the school at a later date. To develop the prototype design, we again used the
iterative design process. We started by gathering information about what the design should
include from Burton. We then brainstormed ideas for the design and created the first draft in
SolidWorks. We then received several rounds of feedback from Julius and redesigned the
prototype until we reached a final, complete design. The timeline for this can be found in Figure
9.
Figure 9: Timeline for prototype and manuals

3.5.4 Manual Infographic and Video

The production of a manual is an essential feature to our project, to allow the prototype
design to be built. For a manual, we developed a poster and video. The timeline for constructing
the manual is shown in Figure 9. The manual development could not be created until the
prototype design was finalized. This resulted in a focus on conducting research for manual
designs and the development of the prototype design within our first three weeks. We spent the
final four weeks developing the manual and revising it.
Again, we followed the iterative design process to develop both the manual infographic
and video. In the first stage of the iterative design process we established the need and collected
information. The goal of the manual was to explain how to build our prototype aquaponic system
we developed for Namibia. Information on agriculture and aquaponics was gathered in our data
analysis. For the information on the prototype design, we used the prototype that we designed
and reviewed with Julius. The next step was to brainstorm the way in which we wanted to
construct the manual. We used our research to determine what we want to include and to ensure
that our manual was user friendly and informative. Following the brainstorming stage, our team
then decided which design fit our objective the best. We then constructed our preliminary
version of the manual infographic and video. We then asked our sponsors for feedback on the
usability of the manual, effective portrayal of the information, if it met the needs of the Namibian
people, and if there was anything else they believed needed to be changed. We used this
feedback to revise the manual infographic and video. This feedback process continued until we
reached data saturation and completed the deliverable.

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Chapter 4: Findings
While working with the HSF, we gathered information on Namibia, climate change, food
security, and aquaponics to develop several deliverables. We conducted research through online
sources and interviews with aquaponic farmers. From the information we collected, we produced
three fact sheets, a video explaining the fact sheets, an aquaponic system prototype, a manual
infographic of the system prototype, a video explaining the prototype and a blog titled
“Aquaponic Chronicles.” In this section we will discuss our key findings in two sections, the
themes of information we collected and the deliverables we created.

4.1 Themes
Throughout our project, we gathered information for our deliverables through online
research, interviews, and feedback from our sponsors. Several themes emerged from our analysis
of this data. Table 1 shows the four overarching themes of information we found, Purpose,
Economics, Yield, and Design, and their corresponding subsets lie underneath. This section of
the findings chapter will explain what we learned about each theme and how we found that
information.

Table 2: Breakdown of themes

Purpose Economics Yield Design

Food Security Investment Crops Design Factors
Sustainability Market Fish System Parameters
Commercial/Revenue Production Time
Education

4.1.1 Purpose
The first theme we discovered in our research is purpose. There are many different
reasons one may choose to start their own hydroponic or aquaponic system. We found the most
common reasons to be food security, sustainability, commercial/revenue use, and education.

4.1.1.1 Food Security

Aquaponics provides a sustainable method of cultivating food which can help improve
food security. Food security refers to the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of
affordable and nutritious food. From our original project instructions and our preliminary
research, we learned about the severity of food insecurity within Namibia and the damaging
effects that result from it. Throughout the project, our sponsors recommended we dive even
farther into the issue of food security in Namibia, as this was their reason for using aquaponics.
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We learned that 430,000 Namibians are food insecure and nearly 70% of Namibia’s food is
imported from South Africa (BBC News, 2019; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, 2020). The HSF’s aquaponics project hopes to combat food security through
hydroponics and aquaponics.
In our interview with Manny Barra from California, he showed us his at home system and
spoke about his previous work on aquaponics. While working in the Philippines for the Peace
Corps, Barra built his first aquaponics system. His main purpose for this was to provide food
security for himself and his fellow colleagues who were living on a low wage. At home, Barra
continued his aquaponics system as a method to ensure food security for the future. After
experiencing complications with food security in the past, it was an important topic for him and
led to a personal investment in aquaponics. Our interview with Barra provided a real-world
example of the food security that aquaponic systems can provide to individuals across the globe.
This emphasized the necessity for reliable methods of agriculture and the opportunities
aquaponics can provide in Namibia.

4.1.1.2 Sustainability
Aquaponic and hydroponic systems provide sustainable methods of agriculture by
efficiently using water. From our introductory research we learned about water waste from
traditional methods of agriculture being implemented across the world, including popular
methods in Namibia (Elkan, 1992). While some countries have easy access to water for
agriculture, others struggle to even have access to clean drinking water. In addition to food
security, the HSF wanted to implement aquaponics in Namibia as a sustainable agricultural
method during their drought. After receiving feedback from the HSF, we were guided towards
more specific sources to better understand the significance of climate change in Namibia and
specifically the ongoing drought, which was declared a Drought State of Emergency in 2019
(UNICEF, 2019). We conducted further research regarding the Drought State of Emergency,
Namibia’s Ministry of Forestry, Water and Agriculture, Namibia’s Vision 2030, and the United
Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to better understand the action being taken to address
this issue.
The discussion of sustainability was also a common theme among several of our
interviews. When asking individuals what their reason behind starting their system was, most
included a comment regarding the environment. Some were looking for an efficient way to grow
food at home while others were more aware of chemicals and pesticides and were looking to find
a way to reduce chemical usage. In our interview with Paul Mason, he mentioned that he chose
to build an aquaponic system rather than a hydroponic system to reduce the amount of added
chemicals in his system. Overall, their responses provided us with a variety of sustainable
examples of aquaponic systems that influenced our deliverables.

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4.1.1.3 Commercial/Revenue
When researching economic advantages to building a hydroponic or aquaponic system,
our initial research was targeted towards understanding how much the system would save a
consumer. We assumed the major economic advantage would be saving money on produce and
fish. We also considered individuals interested in creating commercial systems where they sell
most of the crops and fish produced. When speaking to our sponsors, they taught us about
various entrepreneurial opportunities for individuals with hydroponic or aquaponic systems,
specifically in Namibia. The local aquaponic expert, Burton Julius, explained to us the various
applications of these systems and the monetary incentive that could be marketed to individuals in
Namibia. Many people within the country may not be interested in growing leafy greens and
herbs for their own consumption, however Julius informed us that Namibians should also
consider investing in hydroponics or aquaponics to sell these crops at market.
Our interview with Paul Mason also provided our team with further insight to the
economic investment that aquaponic systems are. Mason discussed his system with us and
explained his future goal of creating a commercial system to sell produce and fish. He was
currently working on a smaller scale system in his backyard that would serve as an example for
his future plans. Our interview with him allowed us to understand the mindset of profiting from
an aquaponic system beyond consuming the food produced.

4.1.1.4 Education
Education is another purpose for the HSF’s aquaponics project. The purpose of our work
was to provide informational materials to teach Namibians about the benefits of aquaponics and
how they can build their own system. As well, the HSF still plans to implement an aquaponics
system in a local school to further teach about aquaponics. Through feedback from our sponsors,
we further learned the importance of making creative deliverables with Namibia specific
information to encourage learning.
When conducting our interviews, we spoke with Jim Rugarber who works as a high
school teacher. His class allowed students to learn about aquaponics in a hands-on environment
where they were grouped into teams and challenged to build and maintain an aquaponic system
over the course of the school year. Jim’s advice on teaching and engaging his students in
aquaponic learning was insightful for our project. He provided examples of how he allowed them
to be creative in their methods of building and encouraged them to work together to solve
problems. The information he provided allowed us to better understand the challenges of
teaching such a complex topic and helped us create our deliverables. We made sure to include
alternative materials and ideas when explaining how to build a system. We also used general
terms to encourage readers to find various materials and not feel restricted or limited when
building. We emphasized that aquaponic systems are built through trial and error and that there
are various ways to be successful.

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4.1.2 Economics
The second overarching theme that we developed throughout our project was based on
the economics of hydroponic and aquaponic systems. We concluded that along with having a
purpose for building a system it is essential for the system to be economically beneficial. This
led us to collect information through research, interviews, and conversations with our sponsors,
as to how hydroponic and aquaponic systems can be a beneficial investment.

4.1.2.1 Investment
We found that the main economic factors one must consider for a good investment are
initial investment costs, market competitiveness, environmental impact, water quality, system
complexity and maintenance costs (Danner et al., 2019). When starting a new system, the costs
add up quickly and it is necessary to have a return on investment in order to make it a good
financial decision. It has been shown that when an aquaponic system goes to market it is
common to have a net loss in fish production and a net gain in crop production (Engle,
2017). This means that the fish production does not typically provide a return on investment,
whereas the crop production is likely to result in a profit. This draws the conclusion that after
initial investment, the average system commonly results in a system that will yield a profit. This
was supported when we spoke with Paul Mason. He is starting an aquaponic system as a new
economic venture and, with the current market, he saw it as a very profitable direction to bring
his career into.
When looking specifically at hydroponics, we found a large economic factor to be, water
consumption. Hydroponics greatly reduces water consumption compared to traditional
agricultural techniques and allows plants to grow more effectively due to less pests, weeds, and
poor water quality (5 reasons hydroponic growing is more profitable than soil growing, 2017).
When analyzing which hydroponic system would be the best investment commercially, we
concluded that it would be a nutrient film technique system. These systems have the best water
conservation, are easier to maintain, and have a lower rate of maintenance issues (Danner et al.,
2019). The types of crops grown in the system can also help it to be a good economic investment
as well. When talking with Julius and through collecting data for our project, we found that using
hydroponic systems to grow fodder for livestock in Namibia is a great economic investment. It
allows for continual fresh green fodder for their livestock throughout all seasons, enabling food
security for the animals. It also allows for the farmer to be minimally affected by changes in
market price when purchasing fodder, which can often be an economic challenge (Brown, 2019).
A typical hydroponic system can have its crops harvested as soon as six weeks after planting
which is a great cycling time (Storey, 2017). It can result in quick turnover for the farmer
allowing for them to produce more crops, and therefore a greater return on investment.
Aquaponic systems also have some key factors as to why they are a good economic
investment. The typical aquaponic system can have its crops harvested up to twelve months after
the initial planting (Storey, 2017). While this is not a fast crop turn over, an aquaponic system
does have many more factors than a hydroponic system and you will also get the additional crop

21
of fish. Another reason aquaponics is a great investment compared to traditional agricultural
methods is that it is 95% more water efficient due to the water reuse cycle of the system. It also
allows for an organic ecosystem where the farmer can control the chemicals and nutrients that
each piece of the system receives. In addition, it is low maintenance, space efficient and a very
sustainable option. Along with all these benefits leading to a good investment decision, there are
also some drawbacks that we came across. With the use of a pump and the potential need to heat
the system, there are often electricity costs. There are also initial set-up costs to build the system
and it is typical to have unexpected issues that may cause additional investment into the system.
This was highlighted in our interview with Jim Rugarber when he discussed how something as
small as buying new fittings due to the system leaking, can quickly add up to a few hundred
dollars. Despite these unexpected costs, the benefits of aquaponics make it a good economic
investment.

4.1.2.2 Market
It was also important for us to look at the market to conclude if aquaponics and
hydroponics were a good economic investment. To do this, we looked at the Compound Annual
Growth Rate (CAGR) for both industries. This statistic shows the projected constant rate of
return that a farmer could expect in the given time frame. In simple terms, based upon the
market, this shows the percentage of profit that a farmer can expect, based upon the initial
investment that they put into the agricultural system. The forecast of the following data is for the
prediction of years 2020-2025. It was found that hydroponics would have a CAGR 6.8% and
aquaponics would have a CAGR 12.5% (Hydroponics market - growth, trends and forecasts,
n.d.; Aquaponics market - growth, trends, and forecast, n.d.). This supported our conclusion that
these are good agricultural systems to invest in. Not only are they both profitable in the short
term, but in the long term, the markets are expanding, and they will continue to be a well-
informed investment in future years.

4.1.3 Yield
Compared to traditional agriculture, hydroponics and aquaponics have a higher crop
yield. Although not all plants and fish are suitable for these systems, there are still a wide variety
that can be used. We determined this through our research into how hydroponics and aquaponics
work, feedback from our sponsors, and interviews.

4.1.3.1 Crops
Many crops can be used in a hydroponic or aquaponic system. The main determinants for the
types of plants in a system are the climate and the size of the system. Through our online
research and interviews, it was reiterated that certain plants can only be grown in specific
climates or seasons. For example, Brent Meins had extra grow beds set up to grow melons during
the warm summer months and in the winter he uses a greenhouse to grow herbs and vegetables.

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In Sydney, Australia, Paul Mason can only grow lettuce in the cooler winter months and instead
grows capsicum and zucchini in the hot summer months. Through online research about systems,
we learned that the size of the system also determines what plants can grow because small
systems have less nutrients for the plants. For small systems, the best plants to grow are leafy
greens and herbs. In larger systems, there are enough nutrients to grow many fruits, vegetables,
and beans (Wood, 2019).
We found that for Namibia, a hydroponics system can be used for growing livestock
fodder and an aquaponics system can be used for leafy greens, vegetables, and herbs that can be
consumed or sold at local markets. This information was gathered in our communication and
feedback with Burton Julius. He has firsthand knowledge from living in Namibia and believes
this set up would be easily accepted by Namibians and provide the most benefit.

4.1.3.2 Fish
The main determinants for what fish are suitable for an aquaponic system are the climate
and what one will consume or sell. Through our online research and interviews, we saw how
important it was that the fish tank be kept at a warm enough temperature for the fish to remain
active. Therefore, it is important to choose a fish that fits your climate or incorporate heating
systems to keep the fish actively producing waste. We learned from Julius, that eating fish is not
very common in Namibia. It was determined that tilapia or koi would be the best fish for our
prototype system because those would be the only kind that Namibians would eat and have
easily accessible. However, these are not the only fish commonly used in aquaponics. In our
interviews, we spoke with people using bluegill, catfish, silver perch, koi, and tilapia. Hearing
that tilapia and koi have worked well in people’s systems across the world solidified that those
two fish would be the most viable options for an aquaponics system in Namibia.

4.1.3.3 Production Time

When starting a new system, hydroponics and aquaponics will take varying times to
reach full production capacity. A new hydroponics system will only take about six weeks to
reach full harvesting capacity because the nutrients are coming straight from the water and are
readily available to the plants. However, for a new aquaponics system, you must first cycle the
water with ammonia for six weeks before adding fish or plants to the system. This allows the
bacteria colonies that will turn the fish waste into nutrients for the plants to grow. From there, it
can still take up to a year to reach full harvesting capacity as the fish, plants, and bacteria
colonies grow and adjust. Once the systems are at full capacity, crops are harvested
approximately every three to four weeks (Storey, 2017). This information was determined
through online research and from speaking to Julius, after its importance was noted in the fact
sheets feedback.

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4.1.4 Design
Before constructing a hydroponics or aquaponics system, one must first settle on the
design that best fits their individual needs. There are a variety of factors that must be considered
when designing a system from the location it will be built to the type of system that will best suit
the needs of the user. Through our group’s research, we have determined some of the more
important factors and parameters that should be considered when designing a hydroponics or
aquaponics system.

4.1.4.1 Design Factors

There are several factors to consider when designing a hydroponic or aquaponic system.
The first step is to decide what the purpose of the system is. In our interviews with various
aquaponics farmers, we got to learn more about why each individual initially built their system.
The reasons ranged from becoming a commercial business to increasing food security for
oneself. All farmers must consider their purpose to assist in determining size, crops produced,
and the type of system to base the design on. Once the purpose of the system is decided upon, a
farmer can then begin to consider the details which will help optimize the system for their needs.
One such detail an aquaponic farmer needs to consider before designing a system is the
climate it will be built in. In several of our interviews, such as with Paul Mason, we found
climate to be a major consideration when designing a system. Mason told our group that, since
his system was built in his backyard in southern Australia, he needed to use a breed of fish that
was comfortable in a wide range of temperatures to achieve maximum production. He also said
that some plants such as lettuce were not always suitable for his system due to the 40°C
summers. This information was especially helpful when considering building a system in
Namibia, since we had to consider what kind of crops could grow effectively outdoors in the arid
climate. Julius also told us to consider this when constructing our prototype design and manual
by informing us the plants would get sun-damaged without shade and the fish that we chose
based on the climate, tilapia, would underproduce waste at night when the water temperature
drops.

4.1.4.2 System Parameters

After analyzing the design factors, the farmer can find the type of system and materials
best suited for their needs. Through our research, we found three prevalent design types that a
grower can use in a small scale hydroponic and aquaponic system: Nutrient Film Technique
(NFT), Deep Water Culture (DWC), and Media bed, shown in Figures 2-4 (The surprising
benefits and types of aquaponic systems, 2015). In our interviews, we saw one or more of these
methods being implemented in the systems. We followed this guideline in designing our
prototype and decided, based on conditions that Julius gave our group, to use a Media bed
system. We came to this conclusion because it is a relatively simple and inexpensive design to
produce and most of the components could be easily found in Namibia.

24
 Once the type of system is determined, the necessary materials can be chosen. For the
frame, the material must support the weight of the grow bed at max capacity and not deteriorate
in the climate the system is built in. Many systems use wood or metal to build the support
structure. For the grow bed and fish tank, these will ideally be made of plastic as it will not
degrade over time. To do this, some growers, like interviewee Manny Barra, implemented what
is known as the chop and flip method. This method involves cutting an IBC plastic tote in half
and using one half as a grow bed and the other as a fish tank. These totes typically have pipe
fittings pre-installed, allowing for easier plumbing setup. Based on our research, inexpensive
PVC tubing is easily accessible most places and is the most commonly found piping in systems.
It is commonly used as both a drainage system as a standpipe or bell siphon and used to transport
water from the pump to the grow bed.
All aquaponics systems also need a pump to move water from the fish tank to the grow
bed. We learned that the flow rate, fish tank volume, filter volume, and plant growing area will
all affect the design of the system. In media bed systems, the type of media for the grow bed
must be considered. Through research, we found that the most common media varieties used are
expanded clay pellets, lava rock, and any gravel or small rock-based media (Bernstein, 2011).
One final consideration when choosing materials, we learned from Julius and our interviewees is
whether to have more than one fish tank. Because the adult fish will eat the younger fish if in the
same tank, one should consider separating them to avoid having to buy new fingerlings each
harvest. This problem can be mitigated by separating the adults and the juveniles either by a fine
mesh in a single tank or by using two separate tanks that are connected.

4.2 Deliverables
The purpose of this project was to develop several deliverables for the Hanns Seidel
Foundation’s aquaponics project. These deliverables were guided by the themes discussed in the
first part of this chapter. The deliverables created were:

1. Fact Sheets
2. Video on Fact Sheets
3. Aquaponic System Prototype
4. Manual Infographic
5. Manual Video
6. “Aquaponic Chronicles” Blog

These deliverables can be found on HSF’s website, ThinkNamibia.org.na, and will aid in
their initiative to bring aquaponics to Namibia.

4.2.1 Fact Sheets

To provide educational materials on aquaponics for HSF, three fact sheets were
developed. The topics covered were: Hydroponics, Aquaponics, and Building and Maintaining
25
 Hydroponic and Aquaponic Systems. Each fact sheet was created in the A4 size standard and
was four pages long. They all followed the same structure, with the introduction on the first
page, followed by supporting material and then the conclusion, glossary, and references on the
last page. Visually, they contained the same style header, footer, text, and images to provide
unity across the fact sheets and show that they are part of one initiative, which can be seen in
Figure 10.
Figure 10: First page of all three fact sheets

The information in the fact sheets covered the themes

Figure 11: Feedback on first draft of previously discussed that were determined through online
fact sheet #2
research, feedback from our sponsors, and several interviews.
Fact sheet #1 covers information on hydroponics. It details the
three different hydroponic techniques, the pros and cons, and
yield determinants. Fact sheet #2 covers information on
aquaponics. It details how aquaponics works, the pros and cons,
and what types of crops and fish you can use in the system. Fact
sheet #3 covers information on how to build and maintain
aquaponic and hydroponic systems. It details the materials
needed, important logistics, economics, yields, major
differences between the systems, and future opportunities. All
three fact sheets cover important information for Namibia, such
as food insecurity, drought, climate change, policies, and the
agriculture industry.
Throughout the project, each fact sheet went through
several rounds of feedback. Fact sheets #1 and #2 were
completed first and sent to our sponsors at HSF for feedback.
Figure 11 shows some of the feedback we received on our first

26
draft. The feedback mainly revolved around the structure and layout of the fact sheets. It was
also recommended that we tailor the information more directly towards the Namibian context.
Julius provided us with a list of topics for us to cover, such as
Figure 12: Feedback on first
the current situation in Namibia in terms of food security,
draft of fact sheet #3
drought, economics, and current efforts in Namibia to improve
their situation.
For the second draft of fact sheets #1 and #2 and the
first draft of fact sheet #3, we tried to address all the
recommendations given. Again, the feedback included
structural and visual changes, but the quantity was much less
than the first draft. Most of the comments were to follow the
same format across all three fact sheets as seen in Figure 12, or
to adjust colors for better reading. As well, there was less
feedback on the content of the fact sheets. The focus of this
feedback was to be consistent with the metric system, the use of
% versus percent, and the use of sector versus industry. There
were also small changes made to clarify information.
After reviewing all the feedback, another draft of the
fact sheets was created and sent for feedback. Our sponsors had
no new feedback and it was determined that these would be the
final fact sheets, which can be found in Appendix B, C, and D.

4.2.2 Video on Fact Sheets

To further enhance the HSF’s ability to share information on aquaponics, we created a
video that covered all the information accumulated in the three fact sheets. The aim of this was to
be able to reach an audience that may not be able to read the fact sheets or other materials. The
Figure 13: Video stills from first draft of the fact sheet video video contains an animation
with sound, to walk the
audience through the
content. To keep the video
short, we included the most
important information from
the fact sheets. It covers the
current situation in Namibia,
how hydroponics and
aquaponics can be a
solution, pros and cons for
each, key differences, and
why you should implement
both. To understand what the
27
animation looked like, video stills can be found in Figure 13. Before recording the final audio, a
script was written and sent along with the animated video for feedback.
After receiving feedback, the video and script were updated. It was recommended to
make the video more animated and attractive and that a first and last slide with the project logo,
contact info, and authors be added. As well, for some of the slides, it was recommended to cut
down on the amount of information shown at once. Regarding the content, however, there were
not many changes needed. We made edits to the video and corresponding script before recording
and attaching the Figure 14: Video stills from final draft of the fact sheet video
script to the video.
Stills from the
updated video can be
seen in Figure 14.
After sending the
updated draft to our
sponsors along with
the complete audio,
there was no new
feedback. The link to
the finalized fact sheet
video can be found in
Appendix F.

4.2.3 Aquaponic System Prototype

We developed a prototype of an aquaponics system Figure 15: First design of the
that would fit the needs of Namibia. We determined the aquaponic system prototype
aspects of the system by considering the suggestions from
Burton Julius, our research, and our interviews. The first
draft of the design can be seen in Figure 15. It included
two 200L plastic drums for the fish tanks. One tank holds
the adult fish and the second tank is split in half to supply a
breeding and juvenile section. A stand for the grow bed is
built using a material of choice, however, we recommend
PVC pipes. This is because in Namibia metal will quickly
rust and wood will be eaten by termites. PVC pipes are a
simple and cheap material that can withstand these
conditions. The grow bed is then stacked over the drums
with this stand. The grow bed was designed to be 1 m by 2
m to allow easy access from all sides. PVC pipes are again
used to connect the fish tanks to the water pump, grow bed, and siphon to create the full cycle of
the system. Additionally, a 30-40% direct sunlight protection shade netting is recommended to
28
protect the system from pests such as insects, birds, and Figure 16: Final design of the
small mammals. A greenhouse and a donkey heating aquaponic system prototype
system is also recommended to be added to the system.
This allows the system to be kept at a suitable temperature
in the colder months.
This design was sent to Julius, who has an
extensive background in aquaponics and lives in Namibia,
for feedback. The only suggestion was to replace the 200L
drums with round plastic molds, like one of his previous
designs. This was because the 200L drums would not be
easily accessible in Namibia. Our finalized design can be
seen in Figure 16 and Appendix F.

4.2.4 Manual Infographic

An infographic was developed to serve as a construction manual for the aquaponic
system prototype. We started the manual with information on why an aquaponics system would
be beneficial. A list of materials that can be easily obtained and used for the system is given. The
steps for building the system are described with Figure 17: Images on infographic
corresponding images of the CAD drawing, shown in showing to show construction steps
Figure 17. Lastly, there is a post construction section that
details the next steps and suggests viewing our fact sheets
to find more information.
After receiving feedback from our sponsors,
several changes were made to the manual. First, the
materials list, images, and steps for building had to be
updated based on the updated version of the prototype
design. The size of the infographic was also adjusted, to
fit the A2 size. It was also recommended to shorten the
amount of text on the infographic, allowing font size to be
increased and more spacing between sections. To do this,
we removed any information that was unnecessary to the
understanding of the prototype. Lastly, the photo at the
top was switched to something that will be more
recognizable. You can see in Figure 18, we added two
new photos. These photos provide a better image of
aquaponic systems and can be more recognizable to the
average Namibian. The final draft of the infographic can
be found in Appendix E.

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 Figure 18: Updated images on final manual infographic

4.2.5 Manual Video

A manual video was created as another way to show how to construct the aquaponic
system prototype. This visual representation of its construction provides a better understanding
on how to build the system. The video began by detailing the parts of the system and the
materials required. Then, we used the CAD design to create a video showing all the pieces
coming together. The steps were then written out as the pieces were put together in the video.
Again, the video was narrated with audio for better understanding.
The first draft was this video was sent to our sponsors for feedback. The only comments
were to adjust the colors so there was a better contrast. The video was updated and again sent for
feedback. There was no new feedback on the video, and this became our finalized draft. Video
stills of the manual video can be seen in Figure 19. The link to the final video can be found in
Appendix F.
Figure 19: Video stills from final manual video

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4.2.6 “Aquaponic Chronicles” Blog
We created a blog called “Aquaponic Chronicles” to share information about aquaponics
with people from all over the world. This was not part of our original project deliverables, but we
saw an opportunity to share information due to so many people learning online during the
pandemic. The homepage of the blog, shown in Figure 20, introduces the purpose of the site,
what aquaponics is, and our most recent posts. The top of the homepage has links to the different
pages, “Home,” “About Team,” “Blog,” “FAQ,” and “Contact Us” along with a link to our
Facebook page for marketing the blog.

Figure 20: Homepage of blog

The “About Team” page introduces who we are and our purpose for the blog. It explains
the Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) and who the Hanns Seidel foundation is. As well, there
are links to learn more about the IQP requirement at WPI and our sponsors the HSF.

31
 The “Blog” page contains all the blog Figure 21: Example section of blog post
posts we have written. You can see in
Figure 22, that the posts can be filtered by
“All Posts,” “My Top 5,” “Background
Information,” “Aquaponics,” “Interviews,”
and “Hanns Seidel Deliverables.” There is
also a search bar to easily find posts. The
blog posts written contained information on
what aquaponics is, why it is beneficial,
what our project is, and overviews of the
interviews we conducted. An example blog
post is shown in Figure 21, where we
interviewed Brent Meins and wrote about
his aquaponics system. The next page on the
blog is the “FAQ.” These are answers to
frequently asked questions about aquaponics
to provide clarification for our viewers. And
the last page, “Contact Us,” takes the user to
a form to send us a message. The link to the
blog can be found in Appendix F.
Figure 22: Blog section

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Chapter 5: Discussion
Throughout our project, we have learned a tremendous amount about aquaponics and
how it can solve issues Namibia is currently facing. However, this did not come without several
problems we had to overcome. While facing these challenges and developing our project, we
have been able to come up with recommendations for how the HSF can further the Aquaponics
Project. This section will address the problems we faced, describe our recommendations to the
HSF, and explain the future implications of our work.

5.1 Challenges
Throughout our project work, our team faced many problems. One major difficulty was the
travel restriction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in us not being able to travel to
Namibia. While this was a big challenge, we moved forward with our project and continued to
work with the Hanns Seidel Foundation remotely from the United States. This then led to us
facing communication issues from working at home with a six-hour time difference between us
and our sponsors. However, our team was able to work around these challenges and adapted our
project. One adaptation was to create a blog with online teaching resources. We were able to
implement more online tools and resources, such as interviews with aquaponic experts and
hobbyists through video calls and emails.
Another difficulty we faced due to COVID-19 was that we could no longer build an
aquaponics prototype system in a rural Namibian school. This also impacted our ability to make
a design manual based on the prototype system we were to build. To overcome this, Julius, who
lives in Windhoek, plans to move forward with building the prototype in the school once it
reopens. We adapted this portion of the project to include us designing a prototype that could be
built by any individual. We then produced a video and infographic using computer aided design
visuals to serve as a manual for anyone wishing to build the prototype system.
Despite the distance between us and our sponsors, we were able to remain in constant
contact throughout the project. The use of email and Zoom allowed us to easily contact each
other and stay involved in the project. These tools helped us to find solutions to many of the
problems we faced.

5.2 Future Recommendations

As the HSF continues their project of teaching and building aquaponic systems in
Namibia, we have several recommendations for their future work. When planning to travel to
Namibia and interact with young students, we spoke with a teacher about how to engage students
in lessons. The main takeaway was that the lessons should include games and interactive
elements. Therefore, we recommend to the HSF that students have hands-on experience, so they

33
are more likely to be engaged in what they are learning. This can be done by having the students
help build the aquaponics system and later harvest the crops. Another suggestion for teaching
would be to challenge the students to be creative within their aquaponic systems and learn from
their mistakes. A way to do this with aquaponics would be to include several different
components to their system. For instance, a nutrient film system, media bed system, and a deep
water culture system could all be included in their aquaponic designs. This will help the students
better understand the various methods of building an aquaponic system and give them the ability
to create a unique system.
For the fact sheets, manual, and videos, we recommend that the HSF include these within
their lesson plans while at the school. They have a plethora of information that could be adapted
to the learning level of the students to teach them about food insecurity, climate change, and
aquaponics. We also recommend that these documents are made easily accessible to and be
advertised to members of the community who are interested in learning more about aquaponics
to improve food security.
We also recommend that our deliverables be implemented outside of Namibia to promote
sustainable methods of agriculture in other countries. Seeing as the HSF is a global foundation
with over 70 project cites, the materials we produced can be tailored for different regions across
the globe. The deliverables should be edited to fit the needs of the country and be implemented
within their area to further provide information about aquaponics. This would allow for
sustainable agricultural methods to be implemented in other food insecure regions.
Finally, we recommend that the HSF implement the prototype aquaponics design when
building their intended aquaponic system in the local Namibian school. We designed a very
simple small-scale system that can be easily modified to a larger scale if necessary. We hope that
the HSF can benefit from this design when they begin building the larger system in the school
and are able to use it to advertise home units to individual members of the community.

5.3 Future Implications

In the future, we are excited to see the work that the HSF will achieve in Namibia using the
materials we developed in this project. Due to COVID-19, parts of the HSF’s Aquaponics
Project were put on hold. Once it is safe to do so, the HSF will continue with their plans to teach
and build an aquaponic system in a local Namibian school. This will allow young students to
learn more about sustainability, food security, and agriculture. It will also expose students to
information regarding hydroponic and aquaponic systems and the process of building and
maintaining a system.
The deliverables we have created will help Namibia learn more about aquaponics and
how they can build a system to improve their food security. The fact sheets, videos, and
infographic will all be shared on the ThinkNamibia website to provide easy access for
community members. Our videos especially will provide an easy method of sharing the
information for those who are unable to read or with varying educational levels. The fact sheets

34
will allow Namibians to learn about food security, climate change, and aquaponics. The manual
and construction video will then be a guide for individuals to build their own systems.
Although we were not able to work with the HSF as they build the prototype aquaponics
system, we were able to continue our work with them remotely and provide them with tools to
teach individuals about sustainable methods of agriculture. In the future, these materials have the
ability to provide tools for anyone to improve their own food security.

Chapter 6: Conclusion
At the conclusion of our project, our team was able to deliver three fact sheets, two
videos, a prototype aquaponics design, and one manual infographic to the HSF in Namibia. The
topics of the three fact sheets were: hydroponics, aquaponics, and maintaining and building an
aquaponic and hydroponic system. We then created an instructional video which highlighted the
key information from the fact sheets. The prototype design was created to be a small-scale
system for Namibia. With the design, we produced a manual infographic and video of how to
build the system.
In addition to the HSF deliverables, we created a blog. We used the blog as a platform to
inform the public on the benefits of aquaponic systems. The blog contains educational
information, overviews of interviews we conducted, and the HSF deliverables. The blog will be
highlighted on Hann Seidel’s Think Namibia website to provide resources for education on
aquaponics.
Through the deliverables our team produced, we were able to conclude four common
themes. These themes were purpose, economics, yield, and design. For purpose, we learned
about the many different reasons people choose to use aquaponics, which include food security,
sustainability, revenue, and education. Economics plays another role in aquaponics, where
people must consider their investments and the market to determine if they will profit from the
system. With yield, many factors such as climate and size of the system will determine which
crops and fish should be used. As well, hydroponics and aquaponics have different production
rates which can play a part in deciding which type of agriculture to use. And for the design, the
design factors and system parameters are greatly impacted by climate, purpose, system size, and
materials available. These themes that arose guided our understanding of hydroponics and
aquaponics and impacted how we shared the information in our deliverables.
With the deliverables we developed, HSF will continue to educate the community about
aquaponics and build the prototype in a local school. We have concluded several
recommendations as they move forward. We recommend that the foundation encourages the
students to be creative within the building and maintaining of their system and provide them with
lessons to gain hands on experience and interact with their learning. We also recommend that the
prototype be adapted and scaled based on the needs of the community to further improve food

35
security. Lastly, we recommend that the HSF adapt and implement our deliverables in their other
global sites to further educate communities on sustainable methods of agriculture.
We hope that the work we have created over the past several weeks will benefit the
HSF’s Aquaponics Project. We look forward to hearing the impact our work will have on
communities in Namibia. Although we were unable to travel to Namibia, we are hopeful that our
work will positively impact the people living there and encourage them to build aquaponic
systems.

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Appendices

Appendix A: Interview Guide

1) Can we share the information you provide with the public through our project?
a) Would you like to be named or remain anonymous?
b) Could we include a video of your system on our blog?
2) Can you send us a video of your aquaponics system?
3) Can you tell us about your project?
a) What are some challenges you faced in setting up your system?
b) What components of your system were the most successful?
c) Did you make your system alone or with other people?
d) What is the scale of your project?
e) How long have you had this system?
4) How did you decide on what materials to use in your design?
a) Did your climate impact this?
b) Did your resources impact this?
c) Did you have a budget for this project?
5) What plants/ fish do you have in your system?
a) How often do you eat the products of your system?
b) Do the seasons affect what you grow?
6) What was your reasoning behind making your system?
a) Is it a hobby or a means of agriculture for yourself?
b) Was it to become more environmentally conscious or because of climate change?
7) How did you learn about aquaponics and become interested in the topic?
a) How much experience do you have with aquaponics? (expert, intermediate, beginner?)

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Appendix B: Fact Sheet #1

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Appendix C: Fact Sheet #2

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Appendix D: Fact Sheet #3

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Appendix E: Manual Infographic

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Appendix F: Links
HSF ThinkNamibia
https://www.thinknamibia.org.na/
Blog
https://aquaponicshsf.wixsite.com/aquaponics
Fact sheet video
https://www.powtoon.com/online-presentation/ek9xfG7zPD4/hsf-aquaponics-
project/?mode=movie#/
Manual video
https://www.powtoon.com/c/enhnlqsv3c4/1/m
Aquaponics Prototype Design CAD
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/ccf575d8ab2804673f50ff61/w/286aeb2ca87958cd60d17f1f/
e/e644ff03d8878b2bee6d0e0e

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