Aquaponics Smallholding Plan

About our project:

This new Aquaponics Smallholding based in rural Cheshire is a community agriculture start-up project.
Our plan is to provide for the wider community:-

• access to fresh ethically produced local foods;

• agricultural smallholding related work experience;
• practical training courses of various types;
• possibly a few part time jobs;
• option for unused excess produce going to the local food bank.
  

Urbanag are using Agile methodology to manage the rapid deliverables as iteration stages on this project. So after the initial client discussions in February 2018, we started designing in March, and by April we already had the concept design and an agreement with the land owner at Garden Poultry to create this new facility on their smallholding where she currently raises various breeds of poultry, pigs, and cattle. 

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Project Status

Since the Easter weekend we’ve been active on the site clearing the space in the old wooden rearing sheds with a view to converting part of it into an “agricultural classroom”.
We’ve taken down most of the wood and block-work partitions leaving us a 23ft x 19ft space and cleared the many odds and ends stuff that’s  been stored and accumulated in there over the years. 

Much of this stuff would be serviceable and reusable if it were cleaned up, so that will require us to sort and select what is to be kept and relocate it into other storage on the farm.      

Now the space is clear we’ve done the clean-up to make the area “sanitary” to work in – so lots of Jays Fluid, scrubbing, and a pressure washer on the wooden walls and concrete floor were needed.

And now its being painted to brighten it up and make it look like a classroom workshop area.

Project DRAFT Plan at 24/04/18

1. Priority is the rearing shed to classroom conversion work :-

• remove stored dirty items from the teaching area – 1 day 3 people or more as team effort. [DONE]
• clean down and pressure wash etc – 1 day team [DONE]
• building of a partition wall with an access door, across the end of the classroom area to separate off the remaining livestock stalls  – 1 or 2 days 3 people or more plus (semi-skilled). [DONE]
• fitting insulation and wooden cladding to the inside  – 1 or 2 days team plus (semi-skilled). [DONE]
• repairing 6 opening windows (currently screwed shut) – 1 or 2 day 2 people (semi-skilled). [STARTED]
• repairing the 2 sliding doors at each end of the shed – 2 day 2 people (semi-skilled). [STARTED]
• clear down outside and make a safe pathway to the door for access  – 1 day team. [STARTED]
• install a new consumer unit and wiring for lights and power  – 1 day 2 people (skilled).
• build kitchen area with worktop and sink  – 1 day 2 people (semi-skilled).
• water supply pipe work and plumbing – 1 day 2 people (semi-skilled). [STARTED]
• groundwork and drains for an outside toilet – 1 or 2 days team plus (semi-skilled). [STARTED]
• woodwork and fit out of toilet  – 2 day 2 people (semi-skilled).
• painting the classroom internal walls etc. - 2 days team [STARTED]
• prepare camping and BBQ area – 1 or 2 day 2 people.
• obtain seating and tables for classroom – 1 or 2 day 2 people.

Due to it being a community type project we have little or no budget.  So for all of this work we are going to have to be very creative in the obtaining, reusing, and reclamation of materials (wood, bricks, panelling, paint, insulation, electrics, plumbing, etc) for the conversion.
As you can imagine planning to a tight schedule is very difficult when we are not sure about the availability of materials so this is where Agile helps,
BUT a fixed deadline is for the teaching area to be ready and usable for our course starting on Friday 11th May   Intro to AQUAPONICS Weekend

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2. Setup of greenhouse and outdoors growing areas:-

• tidy up of area around the greenhouse – 1 or 2 days team.  [STARTED]
  
• remove stored heavy items from the concrete pad – 1 day 4 people or more with tractor and trailer.
  
• clean down concrete pad – 1 day 2 people.
  
• marking out for the polytunnel construction – 1 day 2 people (semi-skilled).
  
• fill greenhouse raised beds ready for planting – 1 day 2 people. [STARTED]
  
• set-up potting bench in greenhouse – 1 day 2 people (semi-skilled).
  
• clear outdoor growing area – 2 or 3 days team.  [STARTED]
  
• marking out the outdoor growing beds ready for planting – 1 day 2 people.
  
• trim and tidy hawthorn hedging back – 1 or 2 days team.
  
• plant tomatoes, salad and other veg in the greenhouse – 1 day 2 people.
  
• setup water collection from greenhouse roof – 2 days 2 people (semi-skilled).
  
• plant outdoor crops (potatoes, cabbage, squash, soft-fruit bushes, fruit trees, etc)
  

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3. Setup of the Aquaponics system:-

• set up the 30ft polytunnel metal frame – 2 or 3 days team plus (semi-skilled).
• put on and fix the polytunnel cover  – 1 day 5 people or more plus (semi-skilled).
• build grow bed water troughs 4ft x 25ft (poss two or three)  – 3 or 4 days team plus (semi-skilled).
• bring fish tanks and equip over from Liverpool site – 1 day 2 people with large van or trailer.
• install fish tanks and equipment (filters pumps pipe work etc)  – 2 or 3 days team plus (semi-skilled).
• build cover for external tanks  – 2 or 3 days team effort (semi-skilled).
• install electric and water supplies  – 1 or 2 days 2 people (skilled).

We usually can offer our weekend volunteers mugs of hot tea or coffee and some really good home produced organic food.

Goose egg, bacon, and sausage all zero food miles as its from here on the farm.

Home produced lemon curd and fresh bread.

Ongoing Activity

There are more that enough tasks on this project to keep several people busy for the rest of the year, and then there will be the on-going operational activity to keep the Aquaponics Smallholding running.

4. On-going operational activity:-

• Aquaponics water testing (semi-skilled).
  
• Aquaculture daily tasks fish feeding etc
  
• Greenhouse crops planting
  
• Greenhouse crops harvesting
  
• Outdoor crops growing general tasks
  
• Fruit trees planting, maintenance, pruning, harvesting.
  
• Poultry keeping chickens, geese, ducks.
  
• Livestock handling calves and pigs. (semi-skilled).
  
• General smallholding maintenance of fences and buildings .(semi-skilled).
  
• Making chicken coops etc. (semi-skilled).
  
• Business sales, marketing, accounts, course booking tasks etc (semi-skilled).
  

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