Water and Agriculture Team:

Members:Peter DoblerFrancis KrivankaChris RatcliffKevin Kuhn

Montaña de Luz 2010

OverviewFour main projects:

1. Water Filtration2. Compost3. Garden4. Tilapia Pond

Water Filtration• Previously installed by an earlier group,

but was currently disconnected due to a low flow rate out of the system because of the lack of replacement cartridges

• Other options were researched, but the current system was determined to be the best

• MdL kitchen highest priority over director’s house-Vicki

• New version of cartridges

Communication!

• Main problems with previous projects lack of effective communication with MdL stafffocus on this

-Vicki: current staff will sustain projects• Make sure Vicki understands what is going on• Meetings with staff at beginning and end of

week• Placed the instructions for replacing the filters

in the correct order behind the system• Placed the team documentation inEnglish and Spanish on the wall as well,contains appearance, function, cost of filters as well as ordering instructions

Water Testing• Water tested with arsenic kit donated from Hach

• Unfiltered water: 30-40 ppb• Filtered water: about 5 ppb• WHO standard: 10 ppb

• new cartridges work!!• Chlorine also tested with photometer

• Chlorine concentration is still at an adequate level, so no problems there

Future Recommendations

• Make sure the filtration system is being sustained, and that Saul is replacing and installing the filters correctly

• Improve on some of the past water team’s projects-gravity feed system, irrigation, septic system

• Water-related issues with tilapia pond• More effective communication method between

OSU and MdL so that redundant/unnecessary projects don’t happen, OSU group is familiar with what MdL is doing, max benefit for MdL

GardenGoal: Improve Agriculture at MdL

FoodIncome

Problem: WeatherExtreme heatHard rain

Solution: Protect the plantsRoof already in progressShade netting addition

Already in progress Shade netting addition

Future RecommendationsAssessment

How well is the shade roof working?How well is the shade roof holding up?

Put up more shade netting to cover the rest of the garden or more areas if necessary

Compost

Goal: develop a good system for compostingWet vs. dry, greens vs. browns, oxygen

Problem: MdL’s compost area was too full and appeared to be only wet waste

Our solution: Share proper composting techniques with staffUtilize more bins for compostingFill new bins with proper mix of waste

Our Solution

Better SolutionBiodigester

Converts organic waste into biogas and nutrient rich liquid fertilizer, or what could commonly be referred to as compost

Future RecommendationsBiodigester

Talk to Dr. Jay Martin from the Dept. of FABEFigure out what needs to be done in order to

maximize production of both gas and compost Complete installationDevelop clear yet comprehensive notes for

sustainability

Tilapia Culture

Tilapia culture is found throughout the world because it can turn unproductive land into a source of income and nutrition. Can it work for MDL?

Goal: Determine feasibility and provide recommendations on operation and management of tilapia culture at Montaña de Luz

Tilapia pond benefits

• Sustainable – locally available inputs

• Nutrition

• Economic value

• Integration with chickens/garden

Tilapia pond potential issues

• Pond placement/Construction

• Oxygen content/Water quality

• Feeding

• Operating costs

Existing Pond• Active for 6 months

• 7 fish/m2 (about 300 fish)

• 95% of fish sterile

• Design Issues

• Unnecessary depth

• High cost to aerate

• Small Surface Area

• Limited population

Not enough fish – project was not cost effective

Pond Construction

There is space next to the chicken coopClose to the garden

Space for one pond of about 130 m2 (or multiple ponds)1m depthMore smaller harvests or

fewer big harvests?

Must use concreteDrain required – should be

connected to garden

13.6m

8.3m

15.6m

12.6m

For tilapia culture to be successful at MDL, new ponds must be built

Problem - Large initial cost

Water Quality

*Bocek, Alex. An introduction to aquaculture. http://www.ag.auburn.edu/fish/international//publications.htm

A technique to measure algae content in the pond.*

• Tilapias are hardy fish

• Dissolved oxygen is the major concern

• Tilapia can survive at relatively low oxygen levels

• A shallow pond incorporates oxygen through contact with air

• Algae photosynthesize during the day creating O2

• At night, algae respire and use oxygen

• Algae content must be closely monitored and night time aerators must be used

• 10% of pond water should be replaced every week

FeedingCould be the most expensive part of upkeep• Tilapia will eat a wide variety of food

• Additional sources:- Chicken/garden/meal scraps- Algae - algae growth in the pond can be

stimulated by addition of compost or manure

- Possibility for sustainability

• There may be a tradeoff between cost and growth rate

• Concentrate costs 500 Lempira for a 6 pound bag – Can get very expensive

Bocek, Alex. An introduction to aquaculture. http://www.ag.auburn.edu/fish/international//publications.htm

Tilapia eat naturally occurring organisms in the pond which can be stimulated by addition of manure or chemical fertilizers

Cost Analysis

Fish Value Stocking Cost Electricity Cost Feeding Cost Net

24,570 772 850 13,000 + 9,948 L

Looks promising. Note, however, how much it changes if 1 full bag of feed is needed per week instead of ½ bag.

Fish Value Stocking Cost Electricity Cost Feeding Cost Net

24,570 772 850 26,000 - 3,052 L

Cost analysis based on information received from Universidad Zamorano• Fish @ 27 L/lb• Stocking fry: 85 centimos/fish• Electricity: 18 cents/hr (180 Watt pump for 4 hours a day)• Food: 500 L/6lb

Recommendations• Use old pond for test

• If things go well, build 2 or 3 small concrete ponds next to the chicken coop

• Connect ponds to garden to make use of waste water

• Carefully monitor algae growth

• If not enough, add chicken manure

• Experiment with different types of feed to try to minimize costs

• Try using scraps from chicken processing

• Determine change in growth rate, if any

The End