Aquaponics: Scale up, or Scale Down?

The Argument for Small Scale Local Food Production
If you serve a salad using lettuce harvested today from a local source it will taste measurably better that one harvested last week!  Given that the average head of lettuce travels 1,500 miles to market ... ?  Our argument is for a network of small micro farms circling a large city.  New York, Phil, DC, Atlanta, Chicago ... etc etc.

This will provide for security (one down system does not end production) Flexible consumer demand (each unit can produce 2 different products) and freshness (a local site can provide food that is hours not days from harvest)

The argument that large scale production is necessary to amortize plant and equipment is illusory in the

And ... it creates community economic development possibilities as well.  More jobs, more opportunity for ownership and community prosperity.  A national network of Reciriculating Aquaponics Systems (RAS) will provide an attractive opportunity for fresh local food, enhanced nutrition, and local engagement in the production of staple foods.  Scaling down in this case beats the scale up model every time.  Availability (12 months a year) Freshness (taste is the test) and Nutrition ( time erodes nutrient content of food)