I&#x27;m Jason Green, CEO at Edenworks. And aquaponics evangelist. Here&#x27;s why we think aquaponics is the best solution to global protein (and vegetable) production.<p>Tilapia are protein producing machines. They convert 1.1-1.3 lbs of feed to 1 lbs of protein in 9 months (some factors like temperature, feed rate at different stages of life, and other things affect this ratio). But here&#x27;s the real kicker--by providing the nitrogen that crops need, the crops can then turn CO2 into into calories via  photosynthesis. Super high quality produce becomes the extremely valuable byproduct, effectively, of aquacultured seafood.<p>From a global net energy perspective, this is huge. Where do you think that nitrate fertilizer for soybeans is coming from? The Haber-Bosch process is crazy energy expensive. Growing soybeans for protein also has huge environmental costs--see deforestation in Brazil for details. 80% of cultivable land on earth is already in use, but food production needs to increase by 70% by 2050. Protein production will need to double due to the rising global middle class. And that middle class wants fish.<p>On top of all that, there&#x27;s the fact that people don&#x27;t want to eat just soybeans for protein. There&#x27;s now more seafood consumed globally than beef cattle. By 2030, 62% of all seafood will be aquacultured, and there are some suggestions that most of the wild seafood species we know will be either extinct or heavily depleted.