Rice-duck farming

Systems:
– In 2010, Asia produced around 90% of the world’s rice and in 2012 some 80% of all duck meat.
– Asian farmers had a tradition of fattening ducks on rice paddies in different ways.
– Integrated rice-duck farming uses hybrid ducks like Aigamo that avoid eating rice plant leaves.
– Such mutually-beneficial polycultural systems have been described as permacultures.

Analysis:
– Ducks eat weeds, preventing competition with rice and limiting its growth.
– Reduces the need for herbicides, saving money and labor, and reducing environmental harms.
– Duck manure fertilizes paddy fields, reducing the need for artificial fertilizers.
– Soil nutrients and water parameters are higher due to duck manuring, raising production and farm profits.

Advantages:
– Ducks eat weeds, preventing competition with rice.
– Reduces the need for herbicides and artificial fertilizers, saving money and labor.
– Duck manure fertilizes paddy fields, improving soil nutrients and water parameters.
– Raises production and farm profits compared to rice farming without ducks or fish.

Disadvantages:
– Adding ducks requires labor and either a duck herder or additional fencing.
– The field may need careful management, such as flooding to the exact depth for ducks.
– Depending on the system, more labor and management may be needed.
– May require additional infrastructure like fencing and water management.

See also:
– Rice-fish system

References:
– Bezemer, Marjolein (23 October 2022). Mixed farming increases rice yield.
– Furuno, Takao (2001). The power of duck: integrated rice and duck farming.
– Sapcota, D.; Begum, Kashmiri (2022). Integrated duck farming.
– Cagauan, A. G.; Branckaert, R. D.; Van Hove, C. (2000). Integrating fish and azolla into rice-duck farming in Asia.
– Nayak, P. K.; Nayak, A. K.; Panda, B. B.; Lal, B.; Gautam, P.; et al. (2018). Ecological mechanism and diversity in rice based integrated farming system.