Aquaponic Garden Takes Root at JCSU

Philip Otienoburu, visiting professor of biology at Johnson C. Smith University, joins his students as they introduce tilapia into the university's first aquaponic garden. This sustainable system of farming entails growing crops and cultivating fish in a closed loop environment. The system in place at JCSU will serve as a prototype, whose technology will be transferred to Mahanaim village in Haiti this summer, working in partnership with Joseph's Exchange, a Charlotte-based non profit.

The garden is part of the Duke Endowment's Sustainability Initiative at Johnson C. Smith University and sponsored by sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.

Founded in 1867, Johnson C. Smith University is an independent, close-knit urban university located in Charlotte, N.C. It has a growing national reputation for integrating the liberal arts with business, the sciences and technology in ways that empower tomorrow's diverse entrepreneurial citizens and leaders. Offering 23 fields of study to more than 1,600 students from a variety of ethnic, socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds, the university's excellent academic programs focus on servant leadership, civic engagement and global responsibility. For more information about JCSU, visit www.jcsu.edu or follow the university on social media sites Facebook (www.facebook/smithites) and Twitter (@JCSUniversity).