Rice-duck farming

Rice-duck farming is an integrated type of farming technology. It is especially suitable for resource poor farmers to produce organic rice in low cost.

The evidence from various countries including Japan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Vietnam has proved the integration of ducks in rice field as a successful and productive farming technology. In case of Nepal, study or research regarding this technology has not been done so far. However, duck raising in small scale is a common practice in particular regions and communities. Likewise, integration of ducks in a fish pond is also occasionally practised.

Rice-duck farming technology has good potential in Terai regions of Nepal, especially among Tharucommunities. The pilot research carried out by Practical Action from April-November 2013 proved this technology to be beneficial in terms of providing social, economic and environmental benefits. In this type of farming technology, ducks are released in the field after 10-20 days of rice transplantation till the time of flowering. The integration of ducks in rice field creates symbiotic relationship between rice and ducks yielding mutual benefits to both entities as follows:

• Ducks eat harmful insects and weeds averting the use of chemical pesticides and manual weeding in the rice field.
• Ducks gets nutritious diet from eating insects and weeds in rice field.
• The droplets of ducks acts as a natural fertilizer to the rice crop preventing the use of chemical fertilizers.
• The continuous movement of ducks in the rice field provides natural stimulation and aeration which increases the availability of nutrients like Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potash to the rice crop.
• Rice-duck technology causes the reduction of emission of methane gas from rice field contributing to reduce the global warming.

Against the traditional rice farming system, integrated rice-duck technology supersedes in terms of minimizing the cost of production, increasing rice productivity, providing environmental benefits and increasing the income of farmers through sale of organic rice and duck meat. Rice-duck farming technology can increase the productivity of rice by 20 per cent and net profit to the farmers by 50 per cent. Duck meat has high content of protein and other nutrition which can significantly contribute to address the problem of food insecurity and malnutrition.

The major objective of the project is to improve food security status of smallholder farmers and reduce the malnutrition among children under five year’s age. The specific objectives of the project are to increase the income of the farmers and make the availability of nutritious diet.