Rice-fish system

Because fish eat insects and snails, the systems may reduce mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, and snail-born parasites such as the trematodes which cause schistosomiasis.

[1] The system originated somewhere in continental Asia such as in India, Thailand, northern Vietnam and southern China.

Wei dynasty records from 220 to 265 AD mention that "a small fish with yellow scales and a red tail, grown in the rice fields of Pi County northeast of Chengdu, Sichuan Province, can be used for making sauce".

[2] Liu Xun wrote the first descriptions of the system, with texts written during 900 AD in the Tang dynasty.

[2] The practice slowly gained popularity among farmers, and by the mid-1900s, over 28 countries on all continents except Antarctica used rice-fish systems.

For example, Malaysia introduced the snakeskin gourami (Trichogaster pectoralis) and Egypt used the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

[1] Rice-fish systems were traditionally low maintenance, growing additional animal protein alongside the staple food, rice.

[3] During the main growing season, supplementary feeds complement the plankton and benthos culture and are used once or twice a day.

For example, in the integrated Rice-Swamp Loach Aquaculture Model, catfish, snakeheads (Channa argus) and paddy eels (Monopterus albus) are considered as unwanted species.

[13] In 1981, the Health Commission of China recognised integrated rice fields as a possible measure to decrease the population of mosquitoes, which carry diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.

[14] Rice-fish systems may decrease the number of snails, known to carry trematodes which in turn cause schistosomiasis.

[11] Paddies with fish have been measured to require 24% less fertilizer input and 68% less pesticide usage than rice grown alone.

[12] For example, the China-Nigeria South-South Cooperation programme integrated over 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of rice-fish fields in Nigeria, which has allowed for the production of rice and tilapia to almost double.

[21] Rice-fish systems offer the potential for benefit in future climates because they have higher reliability and stability than rice monoculture in the face of changing weather patterns.

[21] The diversified agroecosystem is likely to be more resilient to climate change, making better use of resources and supporting a range of ecosystem services.