UniTan Aqufarms announces new Ideascape system and crowdfunding effort

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Oct. 27, 2014 - PRLog -- This month UniTan Aquafarms, a new face in the gardening world, is making a name for themselves with their newly revealed Ideascape aquaponics system. The company is making waves in the home gardening world and the field of sustainable agriculture as a whole with their aesthetically minded and ecologically sound designs for home gardening systems. UniTan has began a Kickstarter campaign to build a commercial-scale, fully aquaponic greenhouse and teaching center in Sacramento designed to teach locals about aquaponics.

Aquaponics is a method of growing vegetables that combines the cultivation of fish and vegetables into one system that benefits both parties. The fish generate waste which is broken down by beneficial bacteria into a form that can be used by the plants creating a symbiotic relationship that mimics nature where fish and plant depend on one another. The cycle continues as all the water in the system is recirculated continually using only 10% the water used in traditional in-soil gardening and resulting in a naturally accelerated growth cycle for both plants and fish.

The Ideascape might look like a dollhouse but beneath the surface the waters are really flowing. The lawn is periodically being flooded and drained with water from the small fish tank dressed up to look like a home surrounded by a picket fence. “The goal is to make science and farming fun for kids!” says UniTan founder Nelson Mmbando. Nelson, a native of Tanzania, came to America to study environmental science which is where he fell in love with aquaponics and saw its potential to feed developing nations where drought is common and proper infrastructure to deliver water is non-existent. UniTan's ultimate goal is to establish greenhouses in both America and Tanzania to promote sustainable farming in the developing world and the developed world alike by selling vegetables in their greenhouse in Sacramento and selling home systems like the Ideascape. “This Ideascape is ideal for a classroom where children can plant their favorite flower or vegetable and watch their efforts grow right in front of them.”

UniTan was founded in 2013 by three friends, Nelson Mmbando, Austin Bono, and Robert King'ori, and is currently operating a 2000 gallon aquaponic greenhouse from their Nelson's home and have been selling organic produce to organically minded restaurants and donating vegetables to local food banks. Not content with filling their own refrigerators, UniTan is now offering home systems which can fit in anyone's home and promise to enhance both the health of their produce and their production of vegetables. “The idea of aquaponics has been around for a while, its time people do something interesting and worthwhile with it,” said Robert King'ori. “All of our systems are fully contained with no exposed pipes and ugly barrels cluttering up your lawn. We wanted our gardens to be something we can show off, not something you shove in the corner because you don't like the way it looks. The Ideascape combines everything we love about aquaponics in the best possible package to share it with as many people as possible.”

UniTan's Kickstarter will end on November 16^th and is raising funds for the construction of a commercial greenhouse and learning center in Sacramento that will show local farmers, students, and anyone interested in farming how aquaponics works, the myriad of benefits it carries, and how they themselves can begin sustainably farming.