The rice-fish farming system developed by the Orissa-based Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), an associate body of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), farmers are making it sure that rice cultivation, besides providing food safety, also guarantees livelihood defense. Under the rice-fish system, developed particularly for the water-logged areas of Orissa, a chief portion of the land is used for paddy cultivation, while a smaller part is developed as a fishpond.

The bund can also be used for recurring vegetables and horticulture plantation. During monsoon months when the water table is high, trendy varieties of fish such as catla and rohu are bred in the paddy field. When water recedes they swim back to the fishpond neighboring the rice field.

“Fishes eat the weeds usually present in a paddy field, thereby indirectly helping in better paddy cultivation,” according to K S Rao, head, crop production division, CRRI. The existence of fish in paddy fields has severely reduced pesticide use. CRRI data shows that a hectare of land under rice-fish system would produce around 15-18 quintals of paddy, 2-3 quintals of fish and 30-35 quintals of fruits and vegetables.

The rice-fish farming system previously exists in Kerala’s Kuttanad region, the rice bowl of the state.