Abstract
Integrated rice–fish culture is a competitive alternative to rice monoculture for environmental sustainability and food productivity. Compared to rice monoculture, rearing fish in rice field ecosystems could increase food (rice and fish) production from this coculture. Moreover, the water productivity of rice–fish coculture is considerably higher than that of rice monoculture, because of double cropping. Despite these benefits, rice–fish coculture has not yet been broadly practiced. One of the potential challenges for the wider adoption of rice–fish coculture is water management. There are two forms of water involved in rice–fish cultivation: (1) blue water–surface and groundwater, and (2) green water–soil water from rainfall. The aim of this article is to focus on key factors determining the adoption of rice–fish cultivation through the effective utilization of blue–green water. We suggest that the efficient application of blue and green water in rice–fish coculture could help confronting water scarcity, reducing water footprint, and increasing water productivity.
Highlights
Integrated rice–fish culture has long been traditionally practiced in many Asian countries, including Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam (Fernando 1993; Halwart and Gupta 2004; Hu et al 2016)
Blue water is categorized into freshwater, brackish water, and marine water; this study focuses on blue freshwater in the context of agronomic utilization
Access to water is important for rice–fish coculture due to require extra water for the habitat of fish in rice fields
Summary
Integrated rice–fish culture has long been traditionally practiced in many Asian countries, including Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam (Fernando 1993; Halwart and Gupta 2004; Hu et al 2016). It has been practiced, or at least trialed, in other continents of the world, including Africa, America (mainly South), Australia, and Europe (Halwart and Gupta 2004; Ofori et al 2005; Halwart and van Dam 2006). Various aquatic species are usually grown in rice ecosystems, such as cyprinids, catfish, eels, milkfish, mullets, prawns, and tilapias (Halwart and Gupta 2004; Mishra and Mohanty 2004; Frei and Becker 2005a; Hu et al 2016).
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