Aquaculture 2022

February 28 - March 4, 2022

San Diego, California

TRAINING AQUAPONIC PRODUCERS THROUGH CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE PROGRAMMING AT SANTA FE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Richard Shultz

richard.shultz@sfcc.edu

 



The Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) program at Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) offers a certificate or an Associate of Applied Science Degree (AAS) option to a diverse mix of students, through online and on-campus instruction.  The program specializes in water conservative farming methods like hydroponics and aquaponics.  An Algae Cultivation certificate is embedded within the CEA program for students who want to specialize in that area of aquaculture production.  Associated courses in Distributed Energy, Biofuels, Alternative Fuels,  Water Treatment, Plumbing and HVAC  create a broad selection of related courses students take as electives.  Faculty and Staff in the SFCC-CEA have decades of experience in the field of aquaponics and  manage  state-of-the-art facilities including an off-grid production greenhouse, complete with battery storage and a variety of energy harnessing assets.  New upgrades are being planned for Spring and Summer of 2021.  The hands-on approach to learning has recently spawned three new aquaponic producers around Santa Fe, each with unique goals and each with a unique production model.  These farms and the SFCC-CEA program will be discussed during this presentation.