BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Tilapia could soon be swimming on Throop Avenue.
Nonprofit Northeast Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation is looking to launch an Urban Aqua Farm this fall, using aquaponics to breed freshwater fish and grow vegetables for the borough’s residents.
“Bed-Stuy, where the farm is located, has got some of the highest rates of diabetes, obesity and food insecurity,” said Lisa Boyd, NEBHDCo’s chief operating officer.
“Part of the goal is not only to source our pantry but also provide a model for producing sustainable, fresh, healthy food in an urban setting and, through workshops and training, to educate the community, provide living-wage jobs and show the possibility of entrepreneurial opportunities.”
The system that would circulate water through a loop of tanks would be housed indoors at a new, mixed-used building on the corner of Putnam and Thoop avenues, Boyd said.
Waste from the fish would be filtered through a pump and used to feed floating plants that grow in the water and help to keep it clean.
During the farm's first seasons, the tilapia will be introduced to the tanks but, moving forward, they'll be born on-site. The plants will be grown from seeds and introduced to the water beds as seedlings.
“We’re starting in Bed-Stuy but we would like to be all over,” said Susan Beatini, project consultant for NEBHDCo.
Harvests from the Urban Aqua Farms would supplement the food provided from the organization’s food pantry, which feeds 19,000 people a year, organizers said.
In addition to fish, the aquaponics system will grow basil, cilantro, mint, collard greens, kale and strawberries.
NEBHDCo will host a series of weekly workshops on cooking, nutrition, fish processing and preparation, as well as offer an indoor aquaponics curriculum for youth once the farm opens.
The organization will host a fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 29 at 378 Throop Ave. for the aqua farm, and is looking to raise $20,000. Wine will be provided and the food served will be aquaponically grown by Cabbage Hill Farm and Oko Farms.
For more information and tickets, visit the NEBHDCo event page here.
