science forum day 2 - jharendu pant - integrated agriculture aquaculture systems

partnership Ÿ excellence Ÿ growth

Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture Systems – (a short) History and Future

Jharendu Pant


Outline:1. IAA farming systems –

1.1 what does it entail?1.2 historical perspective1.3 lessons learned

1. Small-scale IAA systems – future

2. Some of our endeavors in diverse contexts..


1.1. what does it entail?

– IAA Farming Systems:• Concurrent or sequential linkages

between two or more human activity (farming) systems (one of which is aquaculture)

– In IAA Farming System:An output (byproducts) from one

sub-system (which otherwise would go wasted) becomes an input to another sub-system resulting greater efficiency of output


• Common IAA systems types:

– Rice – Fish culture

– Traditional Chinese integrated carp polyculture systems

– Small-scale IAA systems in tropics (relatively a new practice)

1.1. IAA farming Systems – what does it entail?


• IAA Farming – [believed to be] vital to diversification of rural livelihoods

• [Diversity decreases risks and increases opportunities]

IAA Farming in rapidly changing social, economic and environmental contexts (?)

1.1. IAA farming Systems – what does it entail?


1.2. a historical perspective

– IAA farming evolved in China:• 2nd Centuries B.C.: Integration of aquatic plants and

fish farming

• From 9th Century: Rice-fish culture

• From 14th – 16th Century: development of more complex IAA systems (multiple enterprises integrated systems)


1.2. IAA farming systems: a historical perspective

– Developed empirically by trial-and-error by farmers over centuries

– Family level crop-livestock-fish systems

– Evolved in Yangtse and Pearl river basins:• Populous areas• Favorable resource-base


• (Chinese traditional) IAA systems – introduced to a number of countries in Asia

• Successful replication in Red river Delta of Vietnam (known as VAC systems)

• How about other countries/locations?

1.2. IAA farming systems: a historical perspective


1.3. lessons learned

• IAA farming systems - relatively a new in many countries

• Promoted as a prototype of traditional Chinese IAA systems (often following once-size–fits-all approach)

• However, resource-base and social and economic contexts -- determinants of the success

EXAMPLES:

partnership Ÿ excellence Ÿ growth12

Example 1: Buffalo/fish integrated system in Thailand:

– Positive on-station experimental results BUT

– inefficient technology once it was tested on-farm

(4 t of fresh manure into 200 m2 pond over 7 months, but obtained only 21 kg of fish!).

(AIT, 1994)

3.1 IAA farming systems: lessons learned

partnership Ÿ excellence Ÿ growth13

• Example 2: Small-scale integrated duck/fish system in Thailand:– System functioned well

during the project BUT

– once project was withdrawn most units were abandoned

– because of the constraints in input supply and marketing eggs

(AIT, 1994)

3. IAA farming systems: lessons learned


Example 3: Greater Harvest and Economic Return from Shrimp(GHER)‘ - Bangladesh

• Focus – increasing productivity, viability and quality of shrimp and prawn

• BMP – access to better market, low production risks

• Over 15,000 Golda Gher (Rice –Prawn) farmers

• Over 100% increase in net yields and profitability

• Over USD 50 million sales; Over 14000 new jobs in the sector 14



• Focus: food & nutrition security; augmentation of family income; and women’s empowerment

• Exclusively Women members (majority belonging to Tharu, Darai and Bote — traditional fishing communities)

Example 4: Women in Aquaculture - Nepal

15

Pond area /farm (m2) 314.0Fish production(kg/year/farm)

114.0

Fish Consumption: Household/year (kg) 58.0 Per caput/year (kg) 11.0

Fish Consumption Frequency (times/month)

6.5

Income (US$)/year /cycle 103.0



16

• Asian aquaculture largely dominated by small-scale production systems (mostly IAA systems)

– Role of aquaculture in diversifying livelihoods increasingly visible

– Obviously, small-scale fish production systems will continue to be source of fish supply in the future too (de Silva and Davy, 2010)

2. IAA farming systems - future


2. IAA system: future…

• WorldFish CCER of IAA systems research, 2009 concluded:– Many IAA systems primarily depend on limited

on-farm resources

– Judicious use of external inputs vital to realizing the production potential

[Shifting focus – beyond HH food security]


• IAA systems focus in CRPs:– CRP 1: Integrated Agricultural Systems

for the Poor and Vulnerable

• CRP 1.3: Harnessing the Development potential of Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) for the Poor and Vulnerable

2. IAA system: future…


3. Some of our endeavors in diverse contexts

3.1 Bangladesh: – a number of on-going/recently completed IAA

projects– Relatively developed IAA farming systems

– Issues: • Increasing productivity; quality; viability….• Minimizing risks (environmental, market…..)

19


Salinity Trend in the Southern RegionSalinity Trend in the Southern Region

Monthly Salinity Monitoring (Data Source: Department of

Environment, DOE)

20


3.2. Laos:• Reservoirs and Livelihoods

(Challenge Program - MK1)– Piloting rice – fish

(sequential) farming systems in the area impacted on by hydropower dam (planned):

– Issues:• Rice field fisheries vs Rice –

fish culture?• Inputs and services…

21

5. The IAA systems R in D endeavors in diverse contexts


3.3. Solomon Islands:

Aquaculture likely to become a viable option for livelihoods diversification

– Issues:• Introduction of exotic spp (Nile

tilapia) or relying on indigenous ones?

• Production technology

• Inputs and services…• …

22



3.4. Timor-Leste• Aquaculture for food and nutrition

security

• Development of National Aquaculture Strategy and implementation plans underway

• Issues:• Geographical focus?• Production technology?• Inputs and services…• …

23



Fig: Social System-ecosystem interactions (Rambo, 1983)


25

science forum day 2 - jharendu pant - integrated agriculture aquaculture systems

Business

iaa systems future

fish systems

iaa farming systems

vac systems

common iaa systems types

fish farming

smallscale production

human activity farming