By Emily Chung, CBC News Astronauts visiting Mars in the future may be able to look forward to a fresh salad when they arrive, thanks to Canadian research.

Lettuce, radishes and beets have been planted in a remote Arctic greenhouse, where researchers are learning how to grow crops without human contact in an environment that can't normally support edible plants.

Alain Berinstain, the Canadian Space Agency scientist in charge of the project, said no other greenhouse is designed to operate autonomously like the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse on Devon Island in Nunavut.

"Every greenhouse needs … electrical power, it needs heat and it needs people, to some extent," said Berinstain, director of science and academic development at the space agency. "The way we provide the people is through a remote link."

On the flip side, humans will need greenhouse-grown plants to provide food and clean the air and water if they begin to spend a lot of time on another planet or the moon, Berinstain said.

The greenhouse is at the Mars Institute's Haughton-Mars Project research station, which is staffed for just a few weeks each summer. The surrounding environment is a polar desert where temperatures can dip below freezing even in July and there is little annual precipitation.

"There's very little vegetation, [it's] very rocky," Berinstain said. "It's beautifully desolate."

The harsh conditions and rocky, Mars-like landscape make it a popular spot to test robots, space suits and other technology designed for use on other planets.

"Wherever we end up operating greenhouses on other planets, it will be an extreme environment," Berinstain said. "So it's about learning to work with a greenhouse that way."

The project was established in 2002 after the Canadian Space Agency heard the Mars Institute was interested in having a greenhouse at the research station.

During his 30-year career as a research scientist and administrator, Dr. Rakocy has earned worldwide respect for his research on aquaponics and for developing a commercially viable aquaponic system.

Rebecca Nelson and John Pade, owners of Nelson and Pade, Inc., are known internationally for their experience, knowledge and real-world expertise in aquaponics and controlled environment agriculture. Together, Nelson, Pade and Rakocy will teach this comprehensive, fun and exciting hands-on workshop, sharing their 60+ years combined experience in aquaponics with workshop attendees.

As a team, they will be offering instruction to help new and existing growers increase their knowledge and gain hands-on experience in an energy-efficient, aquaponic greenhouse. The aquaponic systems in the greenhouse are designed to be highly productive, maximizing the use of greenhouse space.

Additional workshop speakers include Rick Decker of AquaMax Feeds and Ron Johnson, WI Aquaculture Extension. Rick will speak about fish feeds, feed formulations and feeding. Ron will talk about fish farming and regulations.

Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (soilless plant culture). In aquaponics, you grow fish and vegetables together in one integrated, soilless system. The fish waste provides nutrients for the plants and the plants provide a natural filter for the water the fish live in.

Aquaponics produces safe, fresh, organic fish and vegetables. When aquaponics is combined with a controlled environment greenhouse, premium quality crops can be grown on a year-round basis, anywhere in the world. Aquaponics can be used to sustainably raise fresh fish and vegetables for a family, to feed a village or to generate a profit in a commercial farming venture.