IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/circec/v4y2024i1d10.1007_s43615-023-00291-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Translating Environmental Potential to Economic Reality: Assessment of Commercial Aquaponics through Sustainability Transitions Theory

Author

Listed:
  • Erin Kelly Horn

    (University of Washington
    University of Washington)

  • Alyssa Joyce

    (Gothenburg University)

  • Rubel Biswas Chowdhury

    (Deakin University)

  • Silvio Caputo

    (Kent School of Architecture and Planning, Marlowe Building)

  • Brent Jacobs

    (Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney)

  • Mari Winkler

    (University of Washington)

  • Gundula Proksch

    (University of Washington
    University of Washington)

Abstract

Despite popular interest and recent industry growth, commercial-scale aquaponics still faces economic and regulatory barriers primarily resulting from political and economic systems which insufficiently address pressing environmental challenges. The sustainability potential of aquaponic food production can help address and overcome such challenges while contributing to the broader development of circular economy and sustainable development of food systems. In response to the current counterproductive gap between potential applications and industry development, the interdisciplinary team of authors identifies pathways to translate the environmental potential of commercial aquaponics into economic success through a sustainability transition theory lens. To evaluate the industry’s current state-of-the-art, drivers, barriers, and future potential, interview data from 25 North American producers collected in 2021, literature, and policy are analyzed through a Technological Innovation System (TIS) assessment within a Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) approach. This supports the consideration of pathways for industry development of aquaponics as an aspect of circular economy within a dynamic sustainable development context. These pathways for action include (1.) advancing clear standards and policies for aquaponics as part of a circular economy, increasing funding and incentives, and reducing support and subsidies for competing unsustainable food production; (2.) developing and promoting cost-effective technologies; and (3.) bolstering consumer preferences for sustainable and healthy food sources.

Suggested Citation

  • Erin Kelly Horn & Alyssa Joyce & Rubel Biswas Chowdhury & Silvio Caputo & Brent Jacobs & Mari Winkler & Gundula Proksch, 2024. "Translating Environmental Potential to Economic Reality: Assessment of Commercial Aquaponics through Sustainability Transitions Theory," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 4(1), pages 523-554, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:circec:v:4:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s43615-023-00291-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s43615-023-00291-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s43615-023-00291-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s43615-023-00291-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Edsand, Hans-Erik, 2017. "Identifying barriers to wind energy diffusion in Colombia: A function analysis of the technological innovation system and the wider context," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 1-15.
    2. Hans-Peter Weikard, 2016. "Phosphorus recycling and food security in the long run: a conceptual modelling approach," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(2), pages 405-414, April.
    3. Garnett, Tara, 2011. "Where are the best opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the food system (including the food chain)?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(S1), pages 23-32.
    4. Cerozi, B.S. & Fitzsimmons, K., 2017. "Phosphorus dynamics modeling and mass balance in an aquaponics system," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 94-100.
    5. Jacobs, Brent & Cordell, Dana & Chin, Jason & Rowe, Helen, 2017. "Towards phosphorus sustainability in North America: A model for transformational change," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 151-159.
    6. Muhammad Asadullah & Hafiz M. Safdar & Rana Ammar Aslam & Rana Imran Shaukat, 2020. "Sustainability And Development Of Aquaponics System: A Review," Earth Sciences Pakistan (ESP), Zibeline International Publishing, vol. 4(2), pages 78-80:4, November.
    7. Klerkx, Laurens & Begemann, Stephanie, 2020. "Supporting food systems transformation: The what, why, who, where and how of mission-oriented agricultural innovation systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    8. Markard, Jochen & Truffer, Bernhard, 2008. "Technological innovation systems and the multi-level perspective: Towards an integrated framework," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 596-615, May.
    9. Adriana Reyes-Lúa & Julian Straus & Vidar T. Skjervold & Goran Durakovic & Tom Ståle Nordtvedt, 2021. "A Novel Concept for Sustainable Food Production Utilizing Low Temperature Industrial Surplus Heat," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-23, August.
    10. Geels, Frank W., 2004. "From sectoral systems of innovation to socio-technical systems: Insights about dynamics and change from sociology and institutional theory," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(6-7), pages 897-920, September.
    11. Garnett, Tara, 2011. "Where are the best opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the food system (including the food chain)?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(Supplemen), pages 23-32, January.
    12. Jhuma Sadhukhan & Tom I. J. Dugmore & Avtar Matharu & Elias Martinez-Hernandez & Jorge Aburto & Pattanathu K. S. M. Rahman & Jim Lynch, 2020. "Perspectives on “Game Changer” Global Challenges for Sustainable 21st Century: Plant-Based Diet, Unavoidable Food Waste Biorefining, and Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-17, March.
    13. Goddek, Simon & Körner, Oliver, 2019. "A fully integrated simulation model of multi-loop aquaponics: A case study for system sizing in different environments," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 143-154.
    14. Markard, Jochen & Raven, Rob & Truffer, Bernhard, 2012. "Sustainability transitions: An emerging field of research and its prospects," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 955-967.
    15. Bjorn Asheim & Helen Lawton Smith & Christine Oughton, 2011. "Regional Innovation Systems: Theory, Empirics and Policy," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(7), pages 875-891.
    16. Giuseppe Pulighe & Flavio Lupia, 2020. "Food First: COVID-19 Outbreak and Cities Lockdown a Booster for a Wider Vision on Urban Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-4, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nikas, A. & Koasidis, K. & Köberle, A.C. & Kourtesi, G. & Doukas, H., 2022. "A comparative study of biodiesel in Brazil and Argentina: An integrated systems of innovation perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    2. Jiang, Syuan-Yi, 2022. "Transition and innovation ecosystem – investigating technologies, focal actors, and institution in eHealth innovations," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    3. Markard, Jochen & Hoffmann, Volker H., 2016. "Analysis of complementarities: Framework and examples from the energy transition," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 63-75.
    4. Nesari, Mohammad & Naghizadeh, Mohammad & Ghazinoori, Soroush & Manteghi, Manoochehr, 2022. "The evolution of socio-technical transition studies: A scientometric analysis," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    5. Kejia Yang & Johan Schot & Bernhard Truffer, 2020. "Shaping the Directionality of Sustainability Transitions: The Diverging Development Patterns of Solar PV in Two Chinese Provinces," SPRU Working Paper Series 2020-14, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    6. Heiberg, Jonas & Truffer, Bernhard & Binz, Christian, 2022. "Assessing transitions through socio-technical configuration analysis – a methodological framework and a case study in the water sector," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(1).
    7. Hamid El Bilali, 2019. "The Multi-Level Perspective in Research on Sustainability Transitions in Agriculture and Food Systems: A Systematic Review," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-24, April.
    8. Zhao, Zhen-Yu & Chang, Rui-Dong & Chen, Yu-Long, 2016. "What hinder the further development of wind power in China?—A socio-technical barrier study," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 465-476.
    9. Randelli, Filippo, 2015. "The Role Of Consumers In The Transition Towards A Sustainable Food Supply. The Case Of Gruppi Di Acquisto Solidale (Solidarity Purchasing Groups) In Italy," International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics (IJFAEC), Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Department of Economics and Finance, vol. 3(4), pages 1-12, October.
    10. Sorrell, Steve, 2018. "Explaining sociotechnical transitions: A critical realist perspective," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(7), pages 1267-1282.
    11. Ignė Stalmokaitė & Johanna Yliskylä-Peuralahti, 2019. "Sustainability Transitions in Baltic Sea Shipping: Exploring the Responses of Firms to Regulatory Changes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-23, March.
    12. Contesse, Maria & Duncan, Jessica & Legun, Katharine & Klerkx, Laurens, 2021. "Unravelling non-human agency in sustainability transitions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    13. Duygan, Mert & Stauffacher, Michael & Meylan, Grégoire, 2021. "What constitutes agency? Determinants of actors’ influence on formal institutions in Swiss waste management," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    14. Veldhuizen, Caroline, 2021. "Conceptualising the foundations of sustainability focused innovation policy: From constructivism to holism," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    15. Fuenfschilling, Lea & Binz, Christian, 2017. "Global socio-technical regimes," Papers in Innovation Studies 2017/1, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    16. Huguenin, Ariane & Jeannerat, Hugues, 2017. "Creating change through pilot and demonstration projects: Towards a valuation policy approach," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 624-635.
    17. Fuenfschilling, Lea & Truffer, Bernhard, 2016. "The interplay of institutions, actors and technologies in socio-technical systems — An analysis of transformations in the Australian urban water sector," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 298-312.
    18. Coenen, Lars & Benneworth, Paul & Truffer, Bernhard, 2012. "Toward a spatial perspective on sustainability transitions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 968-979.
    19. Sebastian Fastenrath & Boris Braun, 2018. "Lost in Transition? Directions for an Economic Geography of Urban Sustainability Transitions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-17, July.
    20. Konstantinos Koasidis & Alexandros Nikas & Hera Neofytou & Anastasios Karamaneas & Ajay Gambhir & Jakob Wachsmuth & Haris Doukas, 2020. "The UK and German Low-Carbon Industry Transitions from a Sectoral Innovation and System Failures Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-34, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:circec:v:4:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s43615-023-00291-0. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.