Rice cum fish farming: Trends, opportunities and challenges in Nepal

Abstract

Rice cum fish farming is a new intervention and has a huge scope in the context of Nepal with the high feasibility in Terai region. Since, rice is the dominant cereal crop of Nepal, its production along with fish in the rice fields has been found profitable. The total area coverage is only 0.013% of irrigated rice fields with the production of 15 metric ton. The overall productivity of both rice and fish are increasing due to mutualistic relationship between two crops. Rice cum fish farming is the integrated sustainable farming system resulting in the optimum utilization of resources, enhancement of rice production, food security and increment in the income of the farmers. However, the trend of adoption of this technology is decreasing due to lack of technical knowledge, triggering socio-economic conditions and policy constraints. Implementation of government policies related to research and extension in this technology can result in the wider adoption that plays an important role for the upliftment of living standard of rural farmer of Nepal by reducing the poverty and malnutrition.