Integrated Livestock-fish farming in rural India

Fisheries is destined to play an important role in human nutrition but the cost is beyond reach of many people. Utilization of grain and animal protein as feed in aquaculture may not be economical as it might lead to food crisis and attention is being redirected to wider use of all resources and integrated fish farming offers a solution to the problem. To get good fish production inputs as fish feed, manure and fertilizers in the pond are important aspects. However at village level introduction of these inputs is highly objected and as a result only seed as input is applied. The reason for rejection is that villagers believe that these inputs propagate skin diseases, as most ponds are domestic and multipurpose in nature. To overcome the above problems and also to increase fish production, recycling of nutrients is a suitable alternative. To achieve this animal component in the form of ducks was introduced into the ponds under scavenging mode in this environment. The integrated fish cum duck farming improved the economics of the fish ponds via additional income from the integrated components i.e. enhanced fish production, duck eggs and duck meat.