Back to the future with rice-fish agroecosystems

Important research on how integrated rice-fish production can improve food security and climate resilience has been published as a result of strong collaboration by WorldFish, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), under the leadership of the CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH).

The production of fish with rice is an ancient practice across Southeast Asia. In some systems rice and fish are present at the same time. In others, rice is grown during the dry season while fish occupy the land when it is flooded. The fish may be wild or deliberately stocked. Such systems provide the nutritional diversity important for good health and make good use of the land and water.

In recent decades, however, intensive monoculture of Green Revolution rice and fish,…