NORMATIVE FRAMEWORK
TELEFOOD SPECIAL FUND PROJECT FORMAT
"Integration of Aquaculture and Agriculture"
Explanatory note: This TSF template is based on
the "General Guidelines to be funded by TeleFood Special Fund",
where the prerequisites for eligibility and procedural aspects for receiving
TSF support are outlined. Project formulators should ensure that all the
requisites set forth in those Guidelines are met.
Target group
This section should provide information on the intended beneficiaries
of the assistance. TSF projects generally provide inputs to a group of
people who should have previously organized themselves in an association.
For the integration of aquaculture and agriculture this could be a group
of farmers who already own ponds and have organized themselves to share
their knowledge and pool resources in order to improve pond production.
The number of participants should be stated.
Background and justification
This section requires explanation on the problems the target group is
facing, reference to site-specific conditions, and how the project can
help alleviate current constraints by providing certain inputs. It is
important that existing knowledge and resources be pointed out; e.g. whether
indigenous knowledge in relation to aquaculture integrated with agriculture
exists or the number of farmers who already have ponds or rice fields
with adequate water supply for fish production. Also, information needs
to be provided on the extent of farm and pond area, the status of existing
ponds and the need for amelioration, the availability and reliability
of water resources, the current level of pond management knowledge, access
to pond inputs, and the market situation.
The integration of aquaculture and agriculture may include examples such as the rearing of livestock above or near ponds, the farming of fish in rice fields, or the integration of aquaculture with horticulture:
Examples:
1. Integration of Aquaculture with Livestock Rearing. The approach is to manage ponds which are built for water storage and for livestock drinking also for production of fish in a synergetic way, as the recycling of organic wastes from livestock would contribute to enhance the natural productivity of the water in the ponds, thus permitting high fish stocking densities and higher fish production. The selection of fish species for this model privileges those which feed on plankton or detritus. These species are frequently cultured together in order to maximize the utilization of natural food available in the pond. Tilapias and various species of carps have been regularly utilized to transform water productivity into edible fish protein. When in addition to the use of the pond for recycling of manure produced by livestock some agricultural by-products or processing wastes have been used, such as rice bran or cakes of various seeds used for oil extraction, fish production has attained annual levels ranging from three to seven tons of fish per hectare. Several forms of integration exist, going from association of pig or chicken sties on the sides of the ponds or on stilts in the pond, to selected duck strains which not being piscivorous can coexist with fish fry and fingerlings in the ponds.
2. Integration of Aquaculture with Rice Farming. It is estimated that about 20% of the 76 million ha of irrigated rice fields may be considered suitable for fish culture. In addition, high potential for integration exists in rainfed and deepwater rice farming areas. Even a modest adoption of integrated rice-fish culture system could dramatically increase income and food supply, particularly protein food supplies. Culture of fish in conjunction with rice often yields 50-300 kg/ha/crop although higher yields can be obtained. The advantages of this system are that i) fish excreta increase soil fertility and (ii) fish help control insect pests and aquatic weeds. The combined effects of these on average increase rice production by about 15%. Alternatively, fish can be reared in rotation with the rice crop with yields of 300-3000 kg/ha/crop depending on the intensity of management, and on the climatic conditions prevailing in the location of the rice fields.
3. Integration of Aquaculture with Horticulture. Ponds can serve the double purpose of an on-farm irrigation reservoir and fish pond, the water being used predominantly for irrigating horticultural crops in the dry season. This type of integration increases the efficiency of water use, diversifies the farm output and thus increases household resilience, and provides additional income and protein food supply. Fish production will vary depending on inputs and management intensity, ranging from 500 to 5,000 kg/ha/yr.
Objectives
Objectives of the integration of agriculture and aquaculture may vary
depending on the model of integration used but may include increased income,
better nutrition, and increased household resilience through diversification.
Duration of the project: Typically one year.
Outputs
Again, this may vary according to the type of integration. It most often
will include an increase in the production of fish, livestock and crops,
but could also be a decrease in production inputs, e.g. the use of pesticides
in rice-fish farming, or an increase in product quality; e.g. healthier
vegetables due to less water stress.
This section should indicate the major outputs expected from the first production cycle. Typically small ponds of about 100m2 integrated with livestock rearing and also those used in connection with gardens should produce about 25-50 kg/year. Larger ponds of about 5 000 m2 to 1 ha should generate more production due to their lower unit cost. Integration of rice and fish farming usually generates an increase in rice production by about 15% while lowering production costs as no pesticides are used. At the same time, a fish crop of 50-300 kg/ha/year or, in rotational systems, up to 3,000 kg/ha/year can be achieved.
Regarding incremental income, this will range from an extra US$ 15-30/year in the case of the individual small ponds to over US$ 2,000 in the case of ponds of 1 ha used for carp culture. For rice- fish farming, the estimated gross incremental income will be about US$ 40-300/ha/year. An increase in rice productivity of 15% can also be anticipated. These estimates are based on unit price of US$ 1- 1.5/kg for tilapia and US$ 0.5 - 1/kg for carp, depending on size and species. In the case of small ponds, 50% of production is assumed to be used for household consumption. These estimates need to be refined according to local conditions.
It should be kept in mind that the small ponds also permit a better water management for the gardens of the farmers and thus better income and a reduction of risk can be derived because of the continuous availability of water. In addition, part of the production is consumed by the households thus contributing to a higher intake of animal protein.
Inputs
Here inputs need to be listed that are critical to achieve the set objective.
While provision of inputs is free of charge, it is expected that the target
group provides their labour and other inputs, particularly a small amount
of money paid into a community fund on a regular basis.
In the case of integrated aquaculture and agriculture, the standard TSF inputs typically include provision of fish seed and fish feeds and/or organic fertilizers required for the first production period and/or material required for the treatment/preparation of locally available feed resources. Preference will be given to extensive and semi-intensive production practices, utilizing locally available fertilizers and agricultural by-products. The stocking density will depend on the size of the fish seed and the feeding intensity. For example, in rice-fish farming where some rice bran is fed, 2-5 cm fingerlings of carp or tilapia are stocked at average densities of 0.5 fish per square meter, whereas in pond aquaculture fertilized with manure the density may go up to two fingerlings per square meter.
Inputs also include tools, other materials, and supplies. These could be fishing nets, hapas (net enclosures), implements for repair and amelioration of ponds, pipes, material for the construction of simple biodigesters etc.
Activities
List the sequence of activities that are envisaged, timing and duration,
and responsibilities for implementation. Typically this involves a sequence
of identifying the beneficiaries and the local technical support capacity,
finalizing the project document, purchasing of tools and implements, amelioration
of ponds, acquisition of fish seed and feeds, stocking and regular pond
management, and monitoring and reporting as indicated in the Guidelines.
Regular contact should be kept with the designated national officer who
is responsible for providing progress reports every three months and the
final report.
Linkages with other (FAO) projects
TSF projects could be self-contained, but at the same time they should
preferably be linked to SPFS or TCP projects, whenever feasible. It may
be possible in many instances to link up with training activities, e.g.
in the case of rice-fish farming with training on Integrated Pest Management
in Farmers' Field Schools.
Budget
As stipulated in the TSF Guidelines, the overall budget on average should
have a value of US$5,000 and should in no case exceed US$10,000.
The required inputs need to be listed in detail, item by item, together
with cost estimates.