Bendigo-based researcher, Stuart Chignell had tried almost everything to win funding for his project in Australia but nothing worked out. The idea was dead in the water for nearly two years until he received a call from India.
“I have come very close to getting the capital that I needed for getting the first commercial system going here but didn’t quite manage to get it," Mr Chignell said.
"So, when I was approached by some gentleman from Haryana I said yes sure, let us check it out, let’s give it a go."
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The researcher flew to India to search for sites to conduct his research. He has developed a system to save water.
He explains, “I work on integrated different forms of Agriculture and what I have been focusing on the last 13 years or so in integrating agriculture or fish farming and hydroponics. It’s not my idea and very simple. You feed the fish. The fish essentially feeds the plant. The plant cleans the water and water gets through to the fish. Moreover, because you can continually recycle the water, it’s incredibly water efficient.”
Chignell discovered it during a drought in Australia.
“I was on my mum’s farm where we had some pretty good water, but if we just used it to irrigate the crop we would have been in the same boat as everyone else and not have anything for the next season," he said.
"So I was looking for a better way to use the water. I started looking at aquaculture... Then I came across the idea of aquaponics as it is commonly called. I could not understand why it wasn’t used commercially. I identified several challenges that prevented it from getting out of the lab and getting into the hands of the farmers.”
There had been some research, but the systems were designed for research.
“They were not designed for farming. They were very good for studying the idea and the method. However, they were not very good for making it cost-effective to grow in that way.”
Mr Chignell could not manage the funding in Australia.
“Australia has a pretty well-established reputation for not funding our innovation here. Most Australian developers of innovative solutions have to go overseas to get funding. It is a very well-trodden path unfortunately for Australian scientists and engineers. A lot of my colleagues in different fields have struggled to find funding here, but then they have gone overseas and got excellent results and support in places like Israel, America, and Europe.”
stuart chignell
Mr Chignell wanted to develop the system in Australia before bringing it to the world.
“It’s always been in my mind to have an international development to my research and my work. Around the world, there is rarely any food producing areas that do not have a shortage of water. My original thought was to focus on Australia and then go to places like India and Africa.”
And then Mr Chignell was approached by someone from India. After years of planning and setbacks, he had a chance to bring his dream to life.
“It is not that unusual for the developing world especially the talented and ambitious developing world of India, China and some parts of the Middle East, especially when it comes to agriculture," he said.
"They know that they do not have enough water to grow their food using traditional methods. So they are putting a lot of research and development money to produce food with less water."
