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The optimum facility design that balances the need to
achieve energy efficiencies while insuring high food
productivity and healthy plant/fish synergy.
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An overall outcome to demonstrate clearly the value of
aquaponic growing environments as:
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viable
urban and small farm enterprise alternatives and/or
supplements to open field farming jobs and tax revenue
generators
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a
methodology for revitalizing the local agriculture industry
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as the
source for expanding locally grown fresh food production in
support of food security and equal access to fresh,
nutritious food
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To be model educational facility for job training and
general education for learners of all ages
This project is conceived as a template for
replication to build sustainable agricultural capacity in
support of a vibrant food economy that fulfills the increasing
public demand for “eating locally grown food”. When this ‘proof
of concept’ is fully realized, next steps will require
conducting intensive educational outreach Longmont residents, as
well as to communities throughout Colorado about the potential
of aquaponic food production enterprises to improve regional and
local economies, job opportunities and securing local food
supplies .
The GYOM™ long-term plan includes providing
ongoing support statewide to both communities and individual
farming enterprises by helping to develop and sustain market
linkage via the farming cooperative model for mutual economic
benefit, successful technology transfers and market
opportunities.
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The GYOM™ first project’s impetus
emanates from passion to demonstrate the intrinsic value
and importance of forging public-private
partnerships to solve social, economic and environmental
problems faced by all communities across the country.
The GYOM™ focus is to develop
optimum techniques for developing
sustainable food production facilities, but this effort
cannot be successful without extensive support from
governmental entities working cooperatively with private
enterprises.
The GYOM™ Board of
Directors and executive team acknowledges its
primary partnership with
the City of Longmont provides a very effective and
informative model to illustrate the importance
and intrinsic value of successful public/private
partnerships in support of community sustainability for
people, plant and profit.
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The first project of GYOM™ is to design, build and operate a
community based, “proof of concept” food production facility in
Longmont, Colorado.
The central focus of the growing environment is aquaponics, the
symbiotic cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a
recirculating environment.
The food production facility design will
incorporate renewable energy sources, as well as energy and
water usage efficiencies to lower the high operating costs
associated with growing food indoors.
Aquaponics serves as an integrated and
sustainable food production model by adopting the following
principles: (1) The waste products of one biological system (aquaculture) serve
as nutrients for a second biological system (hydroponics).
(2) Water is re-used efficiently through biological filtration
and a recirculation environment, decreasing overall water usage
and runoff and (3) growing of organic
vegetables and fish provide a complete diet source,
enhance
local crop diversity, improve crop yields and
support specialty crop production.
These principles make the
aquaponic growing technique ideal for consideration as both an
alternative and supplement to expanding the local agriculture
industry of any community and is why the
GYOM™ executive team elected to
incorporate an aquaponic food production facility as an ideal
‘proof of concept’ demonstration.
The goal of the GYOM™ first project
encompasses the following objectives:
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To determine the appropriate selection and configuration of
affordable renewable energy sources to power the aquaponic
food production facility
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