Advancing Innovative and Sustainable Food Production: urban aquaponics in the Philippines

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people were looking for ways to utilize their time while they were compelled to stay at the four corners of their homes. Some dedicated their time to recreation while others spent it on livelihood. Aquaponics has become one of the emerging trends that not only served as a source of income but also contributed to food production and improvement in the well-being of the people. The project “Urban Aquaponics” under the “Plant, Plant, Plant Program” of the Department of Agriculture (DA) was launched in 2020 by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to address the growing need for sustainable food production during the COVID-19 pandemic. The DA-BFAR conducted a social cost-benefit analysis to assess the costs and benefits of Urban Aquaponics taking into account its social impacts. The social cost-benefit analysis was applied to the smallscale model and large-scale model. In addition, the risks including threats, trade-offs, and opportunity costs were also identified.