“The productivity of aquaculture can be insufficient due to water quality. This was based on my observation in the past three years of experience as a shrimp farmer before Venambak eventually developed aeration technology solutions”, said Achmad Jerry, CEO & Founder of Venambak.
There are two things considered as the main factors affecting the decrease of water quality of the shrimp farm: waste and weather changes. Waste found in the pond often comes from uneaten food and faeces of the shrimp or fish which are potentially contributing to the increase of ammoniac waste. Consequently, the unpredictable weather will factor the ammoniac gas and its toxicity due to the changes of alkalinity and temperature swift. In the end, shrimp or fish become susceptible to stress due to fluctuating changes and potentially increase the mortality rate. This condition is getting worse due to the impact of climate change, making it more difficult for farmers to increase their shrimp cultivation. Generally, the traditional shrimp farmers only get a survival rate in the range of 10-20%.
Aquaculture in Indonesia is predominantly run traditionally. One of the common challenges faced by the traditional farmers is they often experience critical dissolved oxygen in their ponds at midnight (around 2 am to 6 am). Modern equipment such as the aerator (dissolved oxygen-increasing equipment) can become the solution, but it’s still rarely used. Moreover, the aerator requires electricity to be operated but unfortunately not all farmers have access to the electricity network yet. Even if electricity is available, the aerator is expensive, and it may increase the operational costs of cultivation through electricity consumption.
The condition has then become a challenge for our engineering team to develop a technology that enables shrimp farmers to tackle the problem. Led by our CTO Gelardi Siswantara, we invented Venambak to help farmers adapt the climate smartly, affordably, with lesser risk in cultivation as well as suppress the environmental impact from the aquaculture activity.
At the initial stage, Venambak has developed aeration technology based on the venturi working principle by mixing air and water to produce better dissolved oxygen in the cultivation pond. The dissolved oxygen is circulated from the bottom of the pond, so it helps the shrimp or fish and the bacteria to break down the potential cultivation waste that is formed. We name this aeration technology as amoreVENJET or VENJET aerator (ammonia reducing venturi-jet). This VENJET aerator can be combined and integrated with a surface aerator (Kincirve) and a feeder (Feederve). It is effective in reducing the likelihood of ammonia formation (cultivation waste). Currently, VENJET has been distributed throughout 46 cities & regions in Indonesia.
In the next stage, Venambak will develop VENJET with some advanced feature such as automation (capability to move automatically) by using solar panel energy. This will expand the distribution range of dissolved oxygen and reduce the cost for electricity consumption.
Furthermore, the application of VENJET aerator will be combined with a water filtration system in and out of the cultivation pond, by introducing an inlet and outlet sedimentation ponds combined with mangrove in front of the inlet as a natural filtration. The latter stage will be a way of optimising water quality which is not easy in the field amidst the irregularity of the pond layout. It also requires the farmers to provide a small portion of the pond they own to be used as a sedimentation pond and mangrove area. Rearranging the layout in the pond by irrigating the water entering through the mangrove area and entering the sedimentation ponds will help improve the quality of water before entering the cultivation pond through the filtration process. It will also bring the shrimp or fish farmer being the ‘carbon’ farming besides their cultivation ponds in the future.
The aim of this technology is to help farmers in adapting to weather irregularities due to the impact of a changing climate and cultivating in their areas sustainably through water filtration management. Eventually, they can increase harvest levels while reducing the environmental impact on waters and coastal ecosystems due to cultivation activities.
“Through the strategic network and collaboration within Archipelagic and Island States Forum, Venambak will continue to have broader initiatives which have strong impact for more farmers, not only those in Indonesia, but also to those in other countries especially that have coastal areas.”, said our People Advisor, K. Akbaria (*).
Written by VENAMBAK team
Edited by AIS Forum
