A community of Indigenous people in Peru is powering a fish farm with solar energy to help feed locals, according to Inter Press Service.

The facility is located at the Yachaykuna farm in the Amazon town of San Lorenzo. The region's Indigenous residents have struggled with high levels of poverty, food insecurity, and poor health outcomes — all made worse by spills from an oil pipeline.

As the outlet explained, a unique partnership between aquatic life and the sun is intended to boost the economy and help people keep healthy food on their tables.

This method of growing fish in a controlled environment to eat — also known as aquaculture — creates a stable source of food while reducing overfishing in natural waterways.

Yet such projects need electricity, which the farm does not have. Previous attempts to establish the fish farm had failed for this very reason.

However, several groups of change-makers in the region, including the Citizens' Movement Against Climate Change and the Regional Coordinator of Indigenous Peoples of San Lorenzo, found one simple way to make it work.

The farm is now equipped with six solar panels and battery storage, providing 900 kilowatts of electricity. That's enough to power oxygenation units, pond equipment, lights, a freezer, and other appliances at the farm, Inter Press Service reported.

Installing the panels gave the farm a fresh chance to help nearby residents. Thanks to its new low-cost and reliable solar energy, it was up and running and matured its first batch of 3,000 juvenile fish in just six months.

The bounty was sampled and enjoyed at a lunch for community members. Local stores and restaurants also purchased the fish, which is how the project will stay in business, according to Inter Press Service.

The Yachaykuna fish farm's success demonstrates how much safer and easier things can be when industries adopt alternatives to labor-intensive and polluting energy sources, such as oil and gas.

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Future plans are underway at the farm to construct a separate solar-powered breeding center, as well as to train nearby communities so they can oversee similar initiatives.

Elaina Shajian, president of the regional collective, spoke about the project's significance to people in San Lorenzo during an interview with Inter Press Service.

"It's not just talk," she said. "They can see real solutions to ensure our food security today and in the future."

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