Former Mayor Andrew Young hopes to grow aquaponics industry in metro Atlanta (2024)

For years, Young has studied the science of combining fish cultivation and water-based planting, which creates a symbiotic relationship between fish and plants.

The process involves nutrient-rich wastewater, pumped from fish tanks into a series of filters where “good” bacteria break down waste into natural fertilizer. The plants “eat” this fertilizer, flushing clean, oxygenated water back into the fish tank.

As a result, in a space equivalent to a small factory, fish and vegetables are churned out by the ton.

Several years ago, Young visited a massive aquaponics operation in South Korea. Recently, at his namesake YMCA facility, he helped create a small aquaponics farm for students and local residents.

“Someone asked me if I had a bucket list,” Young said. “It got me thinking that I had done enough work on earth and I needed to figure out how to get to heaven. I latched onto feeding the hungry as a way to really serve the Lord.”

This week, the Andrew J. Young Foundation, along with Forever Young Aquaponics, will break ground on its first aquaponics facility just south of Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Jonesboro.

The project will bring 18 full-time jobs and 25 internships to Clayton County, with average wages of around $65,000 a year, said Erica Rocker, Clayton’s economic development officer.

It could also have a significant impact on a community that has pockets of food deserts, areas where access to grocery stores and quality affordable food is low.

“This aquaponics farm is going to address health and wellness, as well as jobs,” Rocker said. “It will also address economic development.”

Young said he hopes the facility and similar thinking around food will help address what he predicts could be a global food shortage. Benjamin Beck, a research leader at the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, agrees.

“According to the United Nations, there will be more than 9 billion people living on our planet by 2050. We need to be smarter about how we grow food,” Beck said. “Minimizing the space used to grow food, and/or growing more than one crop at the same time, could help relieve pressure on land production of crops while still providing a locally grown source of food.”

Jeff Turner, the outgoing chairman of the Clayton County Commission, said he is stoked that Young chose the south metro Atlanta community for the project.

“I’m very excited about the aquaponics facility being here in Clayton County,” he said. “There is a great need for fresh vegetables and fruits. And this is an excellent way to grow those types of foods and not have a major impact on the environment.”

The facility will provide sustainable, organic and locally grown leafy greens like kale, spinach, bok choy, and lettuce to nine major local cities throughout the Southeast, including metro Atlanta.

The facility will also include the Andrew J. Young Food Science & Innovation Center, which will provide a “living laboratory” for universities, local producers and distributors.

“We have been incubating this idea for years now and asking how do we feed the hungry,” said Gaurav Kumar, president of the Young Foundation.

“As the world population grows and the pressure on freshwater consumption goes up, we wanted to see how we could grow more food on less land, using less water, less energy and employing people. We landed on aquaponics because the aquaponic system mimicked Mother Nature more closely,” Kumar said.

The Young Foundation and Forever Young will partner with Waterfarmers Aquaponics to build and run the 73,600-square-foot facility, which will open in 2025.

Arvind Venkat, CEO of Waterfarmers and a partner with Forever Young Aquaponics, has built similar facilities all over the world. He has active projects and partnerships in 10 countries across four continents, and partners with leading universities around the world.

Forever Young Aquaponics Atlanta will be their first ground-up commercial farm in the United States and will serve as a key test site to gauge the viability of expanding into multiple domestic markets.

Rawson Haverty, a partner with Forever Young, said when fully operational, the facility should be able to produce between 1,500 and 2,000 pounds of produce a day.

“Our goal is to demonstrate the most efficient and productive way to grow aquaponics, and commercialize best practices,” Haverty said. “Commercial scale aquaponics is still in an early stage in the United States and we are excited about making a positive difference growing safe, fresh food in the most sustainable way.”