Global Aquaponics Network for Research And Development

RupertofOZ

Well for some time I’ve followed the development of Aquaponics here in Australia and watched with delight as people like Joel, Faye, and many other devotees have quietly gone about spreading the word and furthering the development of backyard aquaponics and bringing food production back home.

Commercially, businesses and individuals like Wilson Lennard, Geoff Orpin of Barramundi Blue, the principals of Tailormade, and Geoff Wilson, to name just a few, have gone about the business and personal pursuit of aquaponics with sometimes great, sometimes mixed success, but often without recognition

Geoff Wilson, who has been involved in the industry for many, many years for instance, has tried for many years to get the Aquaponic Network of Australia off the ground, but appears to have had little success.

Wilson Lennard despite being an academic pioneer of aquaponics seems to have had mixed success in commercialising the concept.

Joel Malcolm, and more recently Faye Arcaro have both achieved significant media exposure and recognition. As have many other individual members of the Backyard Aquaponics community through individual displays, meetings and grants proposals like that put forward successfully by the teachers and students of the Peace Lutheran College.

While all the individual successes and spreading of awareness about aquaponics has been heart warming, it would perhaps seem time to see the emergence of a dedicated body devoted to aquaponics and the pursuit of it’s development.

So it was great enthusiasm that I can upon an organization and website seemingly devoted to just that cause.

Global Aquaponics Network for Research And Development (GANRAD)

http://www.ganrad.org/index.shtml

The organization has listed contact details as follows ….

Phone : (07) 3123 4048

Fax : (07) 3266 3647

Post : PO Box 276, Nundah Qld 4012

No contact name or address location was available on the website.

It would appear from reference on the website, that the organisation is at least partially sponsored in some regard by the “Aquaponics Shop” which would appear to share some involvement, a common postal box and perhaps premises. Perhaps additional information might be available by contacting that organisation.

While the ideals espoused by this fledgling organisation are indeed worthy and lofty, sadly I get the impression from the website that it appears to be a self appointed, self-promoting and self-interested organisation with an almost “secretive” charter.

This impression might be mis-represented by the sheer “newness” of the organisation and web-site, but I would have thought that such an organisation would have been born out of much discussion between the principals of the aquaponics movement both here in Australia and even worldwide and would be openly advertising its personnel, board members, accreditation panel and criteria and the credentials of the founding members.

Sadly nowhere on the website is there displayed any information regarding the founders of this organisation, their credentials, expertise or references from anybody in the field of aquaponics.

Nor is there any defined or displayed “accreditation” criteria for the proposed professional accreditations.

Nor any criteria displayed indicating necessary requirements by the un-named “board” in order for anyone to be nominated.

Which by the way must be initially done by a least two members of the “unknown” and un-named board, in order to gain entry regardless of the various level of membership proposed.

One could perhaps have expected, given the sheer size of the membership of this forum, the work done by the founder of this site and many other members, the number of personal contacts and networking that has grown through this site and others, that there would have been at least some official announcement of this fledgling organization to the members of this and other forums and an invitation extended for members to sign up.

Or indeed that some wider publicity of the proposed formation of the organization within the aquaponics community at large would have occurred. No such announcement would appear to be anywhere on the public record.

Nobody, either within this forum or the wider aquaponics community, it would seem has in fact had any prior knowledge of this organisation at all.

So I call upon those nameless, faceless founders of this worthy ideal to reveal themselves publicly and to put forward their aims and objectives for public debate and scrutiny and to extend to all the aquaponics community an “open” and transparent invitation to join and grow the organisation.

Secondly, please list the founding members, board members and their credentials so that the aquaponics public at large may have confidence that those occupying the role of overseeing this body and defining accreditation standards are themselves both knowledgeable and worthy of their position and role.

Thirdly please list and seek comment on the criteria requirement for various levels of membership.

Fourthly, please list and invite comment regrading the criteria requirement for the various levels of accreditation.

janethesselberth

How interesting. An official Aquaponics organization with a network of knowledgeable people. The idea sounds great, but I also wonder why we haven't heard of them. I regularly Google for AP-stuff, and hadn't stumbled across even a mention of them before this. OK, where are the lurking GANRAD members? :peeksunderrock: nope. :peeksundershrubbery: nope. :lol:

I assure everyone that I am not a GANRAD member in disguise, and haven't even received a nomination or invitation. :boohoo:

I guess since they're so new, they wouldn't have much set up yet, but I'd like to see samples of the stuff you get if you pay $100 :shock:

for membership. And then $50 more each year? Or because I'm not a professional, would it be $40/$20? Although, I probably don't have much use for the bennies they offer--probably all in Australia, for one. And the shipping on an AP setup complete with scoria is gonna hurt. Which retailers are offering discounts, I wonder. More than the Aquaponics Shop, I hope?

Many mysteries you have stumbled across, Rupe. Perhaps someone can solve them.

Daniel

interesting, yeah i would really want to know who is behind it too!

They don't make quoting easy, but it does say they are working with the queensland Tafe to develop an ap course.....

Jaymie

the website is very shiny, but as you say Rupert, it doesn't seem to say much. It would be very interesting to find out those details.

steve

I wonder if anyone at the QLD TAFE can help out.

Very important looking crests.

RupertofOZ

Well they're certainly a registered Public Company - Limited by Guarantee, and have been since May2007....

http://www.search.asic.gov.au/cgi-bin/g ... &srchsrc=1

As such copies of the registration and the 18 page constitution are available for those that might wish to pay for them.

Interestingly, if you look at the ASIC information, it would appear that a three page document "Notification By Officeholder of Resignation or Retirement" was lodged on the 17th of October this year.....

Looks like one of the founding members and officeholders may have quit.

Under the rules of a "non-profit" company ....

http://www.asic.gov.au/asic/asic.nsf/by ... enDocument

The company must ....

Quote:

Have a registered office address and principal place of business located in Australia;

Quote:

Have its registered office open and accessible to the public;

Quote:

Hold an Annual General Meeting once every calendar year within 5 months of the end of its financial year;

Figure they should have had or be due to have their Annual AGM about now

information (if lodged) should be available to the public for anyone willing to pay the fee(s)

DownRiverDan

So Cool -- an organisation that wants to fund my research and lobbying efforts:

Quote:

Assistance
GANRAD will assist any individual or entity, where possible, if it meets the objectives of the organization. This includes the formation of Local Clubs, the promotion of aquaponics, research into aquaponics and the lobbying of governments. If you believe you have a project or requirement that is within the GANRAD objections and we can assist then please contact us.

Sent in my request hopefully they will have plenty of monies from admissions to fill my deep empty pockets.

timmy

I wonder if it's another one man band?

monya

If the organisation is legit, it needs support and promotion in order to achieve its objectives. There would be no funding and assistance if there weere no members, and no members if there are no benefits, perceived or otherwise. So hopefully it gets off the ground, the people who are the board should join up here if they aren't already and let us know what the benefits of joining are.

SensitiveNewAquaGardener

Don't know about you guys, but I get real unsettled when an unknown entity comes along and claims authoritarian rights in what to me is a grass roots movement for the betterment of mankind. I think it's alright to make money by providing services and products, but this group appear to be setting themselves up as the controlling body...i

RupertofOZ

Agreed SNAG.... and in an almost "masonic" secret society "by invitation only, and absolute right of rejection sort of way.....

Would seem almost contrary to the stated intentions I would have thought.

But like Monya says..... if it's a legitimate attempt to setup a body for the advancement of AP...

Then let us all know and we can all help legitimise it.

Perhaps some of our members could also apply for funding, particularly those involved in school or aid agencies.

SensitiveNewAquaGardener

Quote "To be the primary global knowledge repository and resources for Aquaponics."Unquote

Lofty goals indeed. I don't object to having just such a 'global repository', but doesn't that already exist in the form of this forum and others? I have had much experience over the years in professional bodies (eg. Nursing) and know that when someone (or more worryingly, a legal entity such as this) make a claim on knowledge and seek to regulate (or dare I say control) it's availability, then it also generally implies money in the form of 'professional' memberships, 'practice' rights and control of trade and commercial investment. And that seems to be encapsulated right here in this charter.

Quote "To develop general and "best practice" guidelines in Aquaponics.
To provide knowledge and guidelines that will assist existing commercial entities to embrace and expand into Aquaponics.
To actively promote Aquaponics to Governments and Industry globally."Unquote

The term 'best practice' usually incorporates a regulatory mechanism to 'ensure' best practice, such mechanisms usually meaning some method of control such as trade regulation, certification etc.

Perhaps Snag is just his usual paranoid self. I know I haven't been around this forum long. But if such a group was genuine regarding their motives, then they would be well known already, have consulted widely with peers and this move would be a much anticipated and welcomed advancement.

peashoots

Quote"
Research

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ph.D.
GANRAD in conjunction with The Aquaponics Shop (as sponsors) and the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) in Queensland
'Unquote

anyone can get information from Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) in Queensland?

Dave Donley

Creepy. They're already overpromising by calling it global when they could have just called it QANRAD then changed the name when they successfully regulated Australia then the Pacific then the S Hemisphere _then_ the globe...

I guess that would be too difficult to change all the graphics and logos.

EllKayBee

Interesting - just googled "Aquaponics Shop" and the lovely GANRAD logo is on the bottom...no further comment

Backyard Aquaponics
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