Aquaponics and vertical farming. aquaponics is a sustainable, closed-loop food production system that combines traditional aquaculture (breeding/keeping fish) with hydroponics (growing plants without the use of soil) using an eco-system approach within a symbiotic environment. the by-products from the fish get broken down by beneficial bacteria. A vertical aquaponic system grows vegetables without soil in columns above a fish tank. by growing vertically, you can produce about twice the amount of plants as you can with a hydroponic system of the same area. one five-foot tower can produce more than 200 heads of lettuce per year..
