· Rice - penyelang - rice - palawija
· Rice - rice - palawija
· (Rice + fish-duck) - (fish-duck) - (rice + fish - duck) - (fish-duck)

In the last pattern, the ducks are allowed to roam in the ricefield 25-30 days after transplanting the rice. Ducks have potential for controlling golden snail (Panacea sp) infestation on rice. The number is 25 ducks/ha. The ducks have a small refuge pond where they are kept when necessary.

Cropping patterns

The addition of ducks in the last pattern made it the most profitable pattern. The year-round supply of eggs provides monthly income to a farmer. In the absence of ducks, the minapadl-penyelang-minapadlpalawila pattern is the most profitable.

Fish stocking and production data.

SYSTEM	STOCKING SIZE	RATE/HA	PRODUCTION	CULTURE PERIOD
1.Mlnapadl	15 - 25 9	2,500 - 3,000	100 - 200	60
2.Penyelang	15 - 25 9	2,500 - 3,000	70 - 100	30 - 40
3.Palawija	5 - 8 cm	5,000	200 - 300	60
	30- 50
		1,000 - 3,000	300 - 800	60 - 70
	50 - 1 00

Prepared by: CATALINO DELA CRUZ

FARMER-PROVEN INTEGRATED AGRICU LTURE-AQUACULTURE:
A TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION KIT (IIRR-ICLARM)

Rice-fish systems in China

Rice-fish farming, an age-old farmer practice in China, can be traced back more than 1,700 years, although recently it has been largely ignored. Integrated rice-fish farming in China is generally characterized by four basic components: (1) extensive use of land; (2) low input; (3) low yield; and, (4) household consumption of rice-fish production.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the government organized farmers and encouraged them to develop integrated rice-fish farming systems. As a result, hectarage under rice-fish farming reached 700,000 ha in 1959, but sharply declined in the 1960s and 1970s due to the wide use of pesticides, reformation of the cropping systems and me unfavorable national economic policy during the Cultural evolution" period (1966-1976). During this period, acreage of rice-fish farming dropped from 40,000 ha to 320 ha in Guangdong Province and a similar drop from 230,000 ha to 5300 ha was documented in Hunan Province. However, during the recent "refomnation" and Opening" period, the government is again encouraging the adoption of rice-fish farming.

With farmer initiative and assistance from the government, the adoption of rice-fish farming is rapidly expanding. It has traveled from Guandong Province in the South to Hei-Long-Jiang Province in the north and has reached historical proportions with more than 1 million ha in 1986. Sichuan, Hunan, Guizhou and Fujian are the four top provinces in China.

Rice-fish systems are principally found in the hilly areas of the Yangtze river basin and other parts of Southern China, although some rice-fish can be seen in northern provinces. The traditional rice-fish systems presented here are found in both irrigated and rainfed areas. The improved designs are principally found in irrigated conditions. Most rice-fish farmers in China are cooperatives farmers" with small landholdings of 1,500 sq m or less. Nommal fish pond size is usually 1,000 sq m.

Major component technologies of rice-fish systems in China are presented here.

2 Chinese "mu" (1 mu = 0.67 ha) 1 chinese "mu"

Rice-fish farming system (Hubei China)

1. Appropriate Construction of Paddy Field

· Traditional Paddy-Field Without Trench

The traditional paddy field layout has no trench or pond in the field and the water storage capacity is limited. Fish growth is more directly effected by rice crop management and the result is a low and unstable yielding.

· Trench-Pond Integrated Rice-Fish Designs

“Trench-Pit" Design

This is an improved design with a small, shallow pit (1-2 sq m) in the center of the field. Crossing trenches are dug to connect the pit to all side trenches. Increased water storage capacity offers a better refuge for the fish. This design raises rice yield by 10% and 1-2 times as many fish can be raised as compared with the traditional design.

"Trench-Pond" Design

This design is a further improvement with a larger, deeper pond at one end of the field. Crossing trenches are also dug to connect the pond to all sides. This design significantly increases the water-storage capacity and provides a better environment for the fish. It raises and stabilizes the yield of both rice and fish.

· "Ridged-Field" Rice-Azolla-Fish Model

This design was originally developing for swampy areas with objective of improving soil properties and increasing rice yield. Later, it was step-wise integrated with azolla and fish. Rice is planted on the ridge, azolla as a feed for fish as well as a bio-fertilizer and green manure and fish are stocked in the trenches.

Azolla is a small aquatic (usually 1-5 cm large) which can grow on saturated or moist soils. It is capable of doubling its weight in 3-5 days. Azolla fixes atmospheric Nitrogen and can fix 3-7 kg N/Ha daily. It contains 4% Nitrogen on a dry-weight basis and is an excellent source of nitrogen fertilizer.

Production DATA OF RICE-FISH-AZOLLA SYSTEM (IRRIGATED LOWLANDS).

RICE (total for two crops/year)	FISH	AZOLLA(fresh weight)
862 kg/mu	50.21 kg/mu	2,010 kg/mu
12 916 kg/Ha	753 kg/Ha	30.150kg/Ha

2. Basal Fertilizer Application

Physical injury to fish caused by inorganic fertilizers used in rice production can be a constraint to rice-fish systems. Necessary measures should be taken to minimize fish injuries. One such measure is to increase the amount of the basal fertilizer application during the land preparation stage to approximately 80% of the total nitrogen and 100% of the total phosphorous requirement

Basal fertilizer application

3. Transplanting

Reduced rice plant population within the ridged field paddy design caused by the construction of trenches and refuge ponds is one farmer constraint to the practice of rice-fish systems. Farmers can lose as much as 10% of their paddy when constructing trenches and refuge ponds for ricefish systems. In order' to minimize reduced plant population (and potentially reducing crop yield), plant spacing can be intensified by reducing the recommended distances between hills while maintaining the row spacing (20-25 cm). Normal hill spacing of 15-20 cm between plants can be cut in half to 7.5-10 cm, thus doubling the plant population in the side-rows of the trench.

Basal Fertilizer Application

4. Fish Stocking Considerations In Rice-Fish Systems

· Grass carp, common carp, Nile tilapia and crucian carp are four predominant species for polyculture rice-fish farming in China. One such system involves four species: grass carp (Cyen opharyngodon idellus), Tilapia sp., common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and crucian carp (carassius aurotus), with the first two species making up the majority. The recommended mix is a 25-45% composition of both the grass carp and tilapia (a total combined composition of 70%) with a 15% mix of both common and crucian carp (remaining 30%) at stocking rate of 2-3 sq m. This mix of species can give an optimal yield of both rice and fish.

Fish stocking

· When stocking fingerlings in the pond or paddy, a large difference in water temperature between the container used to transport the fish and the paddy can lead to fish loss and a poor survival rate. Therefore, it's recommendable to mix water from the paddy with the water in the container to slowly regulate the temperature differences and allow the fish to adjust to the water temperature of the field.

Large difference in water temperature between the container used to transport the fish and the paddy can lead to fish loss and a poor survival rate.

5. Top dressing Fertilizer Application

Top-dressing fertilizer is applied at the panicle differentiation stage (about 28-30 days to heading). A shallow layer of standing water in the paddy is necessary for fertilizer application, but can increase the possibilities of injuring the fish. However, two alternatives exist which can help to minimize these limitations.

Fishes in trench: Fertilizeren

· Slowly drain the water from the paddy allowing the fingerlings to return to the refuge trench/pond. As the water in the ridges almost dries, the top-dressing (broadcast) can be applied, thus controlling injury to the fish as well as achieving fertilizer efficiency. Two to four days after the fertilizer is applied, the field is again flooded. To irrigate and to open the water layer in field before top-dressing.

Fertilizer application can be done by deep placement by hand or by using machinery. The fertilizer should be applied at a depth of 810 cm. Fertilizer efficiency and reduced risk

Fertilizer application to fish health are also attained. (Note: The paddy should also be drained for using the deep-placement method.)

6. Pest Management

· Weeds

Stocking fry in newly transplanted rice field

Stocking fingerlings in established rice paddy

Many weed varieties found in the rice paddy are good feeds for grass carp. Stocking fry at 2-3 pieces/sq m (2-3 cm long) fingerlings at 2-3 pieces/10 sq m or (-10 cm long) one month after transplanting can help to control weeds, thus, reducing the need for other weed-control techniques. As the fingerlings grow, daily supplemental feeding with green grasses is necessary to avoid damage to the young rice plants by the fish. Grass is usually fed to the fish in the pond to avoid damage to the rice plants; while rice bran and other supplemental feeds can be directly fed to the fish in the paddy area.

Fish in the paddy area.

· Insects and Diseases

Fish eat insects, such as stem borer and leaffolder which move through the water among the rice plants and hoppers which catch them as the float on the water from the riceplant. Fish reduces need for pesticide. Fish also eat the pathogens (such as sheath blight disease) floating in water and on the bottom as well as disease infected leaves, therefore, not only reducing the pathogens but also improving plant's health. Thus, the use of fungicides can also be reduced. If pesticides must be applied, certain precautions should be taken. In traditional fields, the field should be flooded with more water.

Insects and diseases

Pesticide Application

Similar to fertilizer application, damage to fish health can be incurred with the application of pesticides to the rice crop. However, using simple techniques such as slow field drainage, allowing the fish to return to the trench/pond, cautious application of the pesticide, an allowance for a brief waiting period and re-irrigation of the field after application can help to ensure minimal losses due to pesticide poisoning.

In fields with trench/pond designs, the water should be drained into the trench or pond, thus driving the fish into the refuge area before the application of pesticides.

In traditional paddy field design, fish can be driven to one half of the field and pesticide application can be done in the other half of the field. The same procedure can be repeated to the other half of the field on the following day.

Prepared by: GUO YIXIAN

FARMER-PROVEN INTEGRATED AGRICULTURE-AQUACULTURE
A TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION KIT (IIRR-ICLARM)

Rice-fish system in Guimba, Hueva Ecija, Philippines

Guimba, Nueva Ecija, in the Philippines has rainfed and irrigated rice-based agriculture. In rainfed areas, rice is grown during the wet season and remains fallow during the rest of the year. In irrigated condition, rice grown during the wet season is followed by another crop of rice during the dry season. Ricefish culture is practiced by some farmers. In areas with extremely light soils, farmers plant vegetables (e.g., squash, cucumber, mungbean, stringbeans, onions, bitter gourd, etc.) and water melon after wet season rice.

The rice-fish system practiced by farmers in Triala Village, Guimba is concurrent rice-fish with pond refuge. This system is for growout of Nile tilapia. The operation is done as follows:

RICE-FISH FIELD DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

Rice-fish field

1. Site Selection

· Abundant and dependable water supply. Irrigation water, ground water, spring and other water sources are used when they are not contaminated by pesticides.

· Clay soil is best. Clay holds water, prevents seepage and leaching of fertilizers.

· Choose site with good drainage and is free from flooding.

2. Design and Size of Field

· Independent filling and draining of each rice-fish compartment is considered.

· Ease of fish movement into the rice fields during grazing and draining is also considered. Fishes should be able to get quickly into the canals or refuge when water level is very low.

· Size of rice-fish plot considers the natural partitions of the field. Small plots are easy to manage and fish survival is usually high.

Examples of fish REFUGE LA layout for small and large plots

· Dikes are made strong and big enough to contain 30 cm. of water

3. Fish Refuge

Pond refuge is preferred over trench refuge. It holds more water and is less risky. Refuge size is usually 10% of the ricefield area. Bigger refuge or a pond adjacent to the ricefield may also be connected to it through a canal.

To construct the refuge, the pond is excavated at one end, or two ends if the field is large, inside the ricefield or adjacent/alongside but connected to the field so that the fish can have access to the area planted to rice.

4. Inlet and Outlet Gates and Screens

These are made of bamboo and other low-cost materials. Screens prevent the escape of stocked fish or entry of unwanted fish into the field.

RICE AGRONOMY

1. Rice varieties—High-yielding varieties; maturity period of 120-130 days; resistant to insects and diseases.

2. Seedbed preparation and seeding rate—

Size:	400-500m2
Rate:	100-150 kg /ha
Fertilization:	broadcast urea at 25 kg/ha. 10-15 days after sowing.

3. Land preparation - After plowing once and harrowing thrice, the field is levelled evenly so that every part of it will be uniformly irrigated.

4. Rice transplanting methods -

Age of seedlings:	25-30 days
Planting distance:	20-25 cm between rows
	15-20 cm between hills

Straight-row planting (optional), if mechanical weeding is done.

5. Weed control—Fish stocked in ricefields control certain weeds. Weeds are also controlled through:

· thorough land preparation
· flooding the field at an effective water depth for one to two weeks immediately after transplanting.
· manual weeding

6. Water management—Water depth in the field when rice is newly transplanted is 3 - 5 cm. This is then gradually increased up to 20 cm. to provide better living space for both rice and fish as they grow bigger. One week before the rice harvest, water is slowly drained so that fishes have enough time to move into the refuge.

Water management A

Figure

Water management B

Water management C

7. Fertilizer application—The amount of fertilizer applied follows the recommended rate in the area. In Guimba, the rate applied during wet season is 200 kg/ha of ammonium phosphate and 50 kg/ha of urea for the first or basal application. The basal application is done immediately after the final leveling, (which is followed by transplanting). The rate for the second application or topdressing is 50 kg/ha. This is applied 30 days after transplanting. The amount for top dressing may be split into two equal applications Thus a third application is applied 75 days after transplanting.

During dry season, the same amount for basal application is followed. For topdressing, the rate is 100 kg/ha.

As an example, the amount of fertilizer for a 400 sq m of rice-fish during wet season is: 8 kg ammonium phosphate and 2 kg urea for basal application. For topdressing, 2 kg urea is needed.

8. Insect control—The use of insecticide is not recommended. The farmers, however, apply insecticides known to be less toxic to fish.

COLOCASIA PLANTING

Colocasia sp., an aquatic plant, is an excellent food material. It can be grown as an added commodity in a rice-fish farm. Practically, all parts of the plant can be eaten (tubers, stalks and leaves). It can also be utilized as food for the fish and for animals, especially pigs. The cultural requirement is simple and it requires no expensive inputs.

Colocasia planting

HOW TO RAISE COLOCASIA SP.

1. Obtain young tubers as plant materials.
2. Cut old leaves but retain the young leaves and shoot.
3. Cut the tuber into half

Cut the tuber into half

4. Plant the tuber at 50-70 cm intervals along the side of the dike, about 5-10 cm below the water surface.

5. Start harvesting after 4-5 months.

FISH CULTURE

The species cultured are Nile tilapia (Orechromis niloticus) and common carp (Cyprlnus carpio). Large fingerlings, 15-25 9, are recommended as they reach harvestable size within one rice crop. It only small fingerlings (5-109) are available, fish culture is done in two stages:

Stage I: Raising 5-10 9. fingerlings during one rice cropping (harvest size: mostly 50 9.)
Stage II Extending fish culture period after rice harvest for up to 2 months (harvest size: 50 9.)

Fish Stocking density

· Stocking can be done before or during land preparation in the pond refuge; or 7-10 days after transplanting (DAT), if released direct to the field. If stocked in the pond refuge animal manure should be applied into the refuge 4-5 days before fish stocking. About 15 kg may be applied in a 100 sq m pond refuge.

The stocking rate for Stage I, using either monoculture of Nile tilapia or polyculture of Nile tilapia and common carp is 5,000- 7,500 fish/ha. For polyculture, the stocking ratio of Nile tilapia to common carp is 1:1 or 2:2, depending on which species is more important to farmers.

· Ten days after transplanting, fish stocked in the pond refuge may be released to the field by making openings in the dividing dike. Fish will graze on the natural food available in the ricefield.

Supplemental feeding

· Recommended at the middle culture period or rice (45-50 DAT). During this period, production of natural food in the field water declines due to shading of rice leaves.

· Feeds: rice bran, kitchen refuse, ipil-ipil meal, etc. Animal manure may also be applied in the pond refuge.

· Feeding rate: 3-5% of fish biomass

Harvesting

· Harvest fish by draining the water very slowly one week before rice harvest to avoid trapping the fish in the middle of the field.

· Select large fish for consumption or disposal and confine the small fish (50 g.) for stage 11 culture.

· After removing the harvested rice from the field, it is immediately reflooded to about 30 cm deep and the small fishes in the refuge are released to allow them to grow for another 60 days before the dry season crop.

Timetable for rice-fish culture

Day	Activity
0	Prepare and fertilize seedbed.
1	Soak seeds (IR-36, 42, 52, 54, 64 and 74 as examples).
3	Broadcast germinated seeds in seedbed.
7	Prepare ricefield:
	Start of fish culture (STAGE I): Stock fish (Nile tilapia, 5-10 g in size) at 5,000- 7,500/ha. Insure water supply infields.
24	Pull seedlings. Apply basal fertilizer. Use the kinds and rates of fertilizer recommended for the locality based on soil analysis.
25	Transplant seedlings (wet bed method).
51	Second application of fertilizer (top dressing). May split the amount into two applications hence the third application.
75	Third application of fertilizer (top dressing)
100	Drain water and harvest large/marketable fish.
120-125	Harvest rice.
125	Start of fish culture (STAGE Il): Prolong fish culture period after rice harvest for small-sized fish (30-40 9) stocked at 3,000-5,000/ha.
185	Harvest second batch of fish.

Time for rice-fish culture

BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS

1. Fish can contribute to increased rice yield by 1 10-15%, through:

· Controlling certain weeds and eating insects such as stemborer, brownplant hopper

· Fish wastes including uneaten feeds add fertility to the soil.

· Helps in increasing availability of nutrient for increased floodwater productivity and uptake by rice.

· Reduces loss of ammonia through volatilization by preventing floodwater pH rise over 8.5. During fertilizer application increased plankton production tends to raise the value of pH beyond 8.5; the value at which ionized ammonia converts into unionized form that is easily lost.

2. The increased size of dikes in the system offers opportunity to plant other crops such as faro (colocasia sp.), stringbeans, cowpea, wingbeans, eggplant and others.

3. The wide scale adoption of rice-fish is still constrained by continued application of pesticide in ricebased farming. The use of pesticide is not recommended in rice-fish farming. There are ways of controlling rice pests that do not need pesticide, such as:

· Quick submergence (for three hours) of rice plants in water. This makes the insects vulnerable to fish predation. Limitation: suitable while rice plants are shorter than the dike.

· Two persons can drag a stretched rope (50-100m) across the ricefields to knock off the insects into the floodwater, after which they can be eaten by the fish. Limitation: suitable before rice plants reach panicle initiation stage.

However, should a farmer insist on using pesticide, here are ways how to do it:

Considerations in applying pesticides:

(1) Choose and apply properly pesticides that have low toxicity to fish.
(2) Minimize the amount of pesticide getting mixed with water.
(3) Apply at suitable time.

Preventing fish poisoning:

- Drive the fish into the refuge by draining the field before spraying. Keep the fish in the sump until the toxicity in the sprayed field is gone.

- Increase water depth (+ 10 cm.) to dilute the concentration of pesticide in the water.

- Flush water through the ricefield. Open the inlet and outlet of the field and allow irrigation water to flow freely, during spraying. Begin spraying from the outlet end of the field. When one-half of the field is already sprayed, stop for a while and allow the pesticides to flow out of the field. Then, continue spraying towards the inlet end of the field until it is finished.

To do items (2) and (3), examples are: apply powder pesticides in the morning when dew drops are still on the leaves; and to apply liquid pesticides in the afternoon when leaves are dry.

There are a number of less toxic pesticides in the market (Examples are Parapest, Sumithlon, Dipterex). Proper application of a toxic insecticide like Furadan 3G or Curaterr 3G can be made safe to fish if applied through soil incorporation during the final harrowing. Furadan 3G is a systemic insecticide, the efficiency of which in controlling insect pests lasts about 50-55 days. Incidence of pests at this period can be controlled by spraying liquid pesticides. At this time, the rice plants have reached their full vegetative stage and the thick leaves will intercept most of the liquid sprays, thus drastically reducing the concentration of pesticide reaching into the water.

Annual budget for a 1-ha rice-fish farm with pond refuge.

Item		Amount (US$)
I. Returns		Rice-Fish		Rice-Fish + Taro
Rice (2 crops)		1,457		1,457
Fish (2 crops)		386		386
Taro (2 crops)		581
Total Returns		1,843		2,424
II. Costs
Labor		402		515
Materials		375		428
Seeds	50		50
Fingerlings	41		41
Taro tubers	-		53
Fertilizers	140		140
Pesticides	37		37
Fuel and oil	86		86
Feeds	16		16
Others (screens, bundling materials, etc.)	5		5
Total costs		777		943
III. Net Returns		1,066		1,481

The case of rice-fish farmer mang isko,dasmarinas, cavite, the Philippines

HOUSEHOLD PROFILE

Mang Isko is a 66 year-old farmer. Together with his wife, who is 60, they have eight children most of whom are grown up and living away from home. The only son is married and living with his wife and children near the farm of Mang Isko. This son helps Mang Isko in the day-to-day management of the farm. Two daughters are attending high school and still live at home. Two older daughters are living and working abroad in Japan. They send remittances home on a regular basis (P4,000/month) to support the education of their younger sisters.

FARMING SYSTEMS DESCRIPTION

Mang isko's farm transect (lowland farm) dasmarinas. Cavite Philippines

Mang Isko farms 2.3 ha of lowland with access to irrigation water from the National Irrigation Administration distribution system. Two rice crops are grown in 1.44 ha. Half a hectare is devoted to ricefish culture. In some years, gourd are planted on the rice-fish dikes after the second rice harvest. Other vegetables occupy 0.14 ha of the term where bittergourds are planted in the dry season and relayed with stringbeans in the wet season. The remaining 0.2 ha houses 1 pig in a 15 x 12 m shed and the rest of the area are grown to fruit and fodder trees and grasses.

RICE-FISH SUBSYSTEM

The 0.5-ha rice-fish system is composed of eight individual fields with side trenches. Two rice-fish plots have adjacent pond refuges in addition to the trenches. One rice-fish plot has an adjacent pond which is managed as a breeding pond. Mang Isko practices rice-fish culture in both wet and dry seasons and harvests two crops of rice and fish in a single year. However, when he plants gourd on the rice-fish dikes after the second rice-fish crop, he does not have a dry season rice-fish activity. In such occasions, the fields drained and the fish are are for for in the pond refuges.

Maag isko's on-farm material flows Dasmarinas, Cavite Phillppines

Combining fish with rice has doubled Mang Isko's rice yields in some cropping seasons. He attributes the increase in yield to these factors:

· Rice plants uprooted when digging the trenches are used to patch up vacant spaces in the ricefield where transplanted rice have not grown.

· The beneficial effect of fish on rice growth is manifested in the increased tillering of rice plants and the uprooting of young weeds when the fish (carp) stir up the bottom of the field in their search for food.

· The introduction of fish has meant that Mang Isko spends more time in his farm. Thus, he can spot and remedy problems immediately. In his own words, he has become " a better farm manager "

· Fish eat rice pests, thus rice yields are less threatened by pest damage.

RICE-FISH CULTURE PRACTICES

1. Land Preparatlon, C onstruction and Malotenance

· Dike construction is labor demanding. According to Mang Isko, it has been the biggest obstacle to the rice-fish adoption. Large dikes are required to avoid dike collapse and minimize water seepage and overflow. The dikes must be cleaned and weeded regularly to prevent damage by rodents.

· The trenches are dug one month after rice transplanting. The dug-out mud is placed on the dikes for maintenance and is the source of fertile soil for the subsequent cultivation of gourd. Also, at this stage, the dug-out soils are more compact as they have been soaked with water and this makes dike construction easier.

Diko

Trench

White squash in dry season rice-fish field

· Mang Isko uses one of the eight rice-fish fields with the highest elevation, as a test-field for monitoring water quality that comes in from the irrigation canal. This is to ensure that contaminated water due to pesticide applications of neighboring farms do not get into his rice-fish fields. The irrigation water is let through this field first and any adverse effect on the fish is observed. The field is only lightly stocked (50 fish per 800 m).

2. Rice Transplanting and Management

· Rice is transplanted 10-12 days after sowing in seedbed.

· Around one month after transplanting, three rows of rice, occupying about 60 cm, are removed for the purpose of trench construction. The uprooted rice plants are used to replace transplanted rice that have not grown.

· According to Mang Isko, IR 64/74/42 varieties are not suitable for rice-fish as they easily lodge.

· He will try to use an early-maturing rice variety for the dry season to avoid any critical water shortage. At present, he uses a 90-day maturing variety for both seasons.

3. Fish Stocking and Management

· Mang Isko keeps a separate breeding pond. The advantage of having a breeding pond is that fingerling supply is ensured. Moreover, he could stock larger-sized fingerlings which can be harvested as tablesized fish immediately before rice harvest. However, without proper broodstock management, he had an inbred population after three years as reflected by stunted fish growth. After five years he did not keep any brondstock.

· Fingerlings are stocked in the pond refuges immediately after rice transplanting. After one week, the dikes connecting the pond refuge and the rice-fisy plots are broken to let the fish in the rice-fish plots. (Stocking density: 1 tilapia/m and 1 carp/5 m)

· The fingerlings/fish are graded into four classes when transferred from the breeding pond to refuge ponds and rice-fish fields. Class I = < 25 pieces/kg; Class II = 35 pieces/kg, Class III = 40 pieces/kg; and Class IV = > 50 pieces/kg. This is done in order to avoid cannibalism and competition that would otherwise lead to large fish stunting the growth of small ones.

· One week after trench is constructed, the trench is filled with water and fish are stocked.

4. Fertilizing and Feeding

· Rice straws from the previous crop are burnt and the ashes are returned to the fields for liming.

· Pig manure is thrown directly into the ponds or left by the water inlet to let the water carry/wash K into the rice-fish fields.

· Fish feed on fallen rice flowers. Mang Isko believes that this has a purifying effect which counteracts the perceived off-flavor taste of tilapia due to the presence of pig manure in the system.

· Rice bran is given one week after stocking in refuge ponds and trenches until two weeks before fish harvest. This is done twice a week or when required as may be signalled by the inactive behavior of fish or its stunted growth.

· Three weeks after transplanting, 100 kg of urea and 50 kg of complete fertilizer are applied to the ricefields.

5. Pest and Disease Management

· Carps eat hatched golden snail eggs dropping into the water; tilapias feed on insects.

· Mang Isko submerges the rice crop for three hours when insects become a problem. The fish then have access to feed directly on insects on the plants as well as insects trapped on the water surface. This practice is only carried out when the rice is 1-2 months old.

· Mang Isko reports that a neighbour of his uses Gliricidia (kskawate) as an insect repellent. In his first year of rice-fish, he placed Gliricidia branches of approximately 1 m length at 2 m intervals around the edge of the field at the booting stage of the rice, i.e., seven weeks after transplanting. He has now planted Gliricidia trees around the field as a means of biological pest control.

· When constructing the dikes, a layer of plastic is placed inside each dike. Rats find it slippery and difficult to penetrate the dikes with plastic lining.

6. Harvesting

· The fish are harvested by draining the field three days before rice harvest. The water level in the refuge is lowered to a couple of inches and the fish are caught by hand.

· Table-sized fish are sold. Fingerlings are kept for the next crop. Fish sizes that are in-between are returned to the pond refuge for further growout. They are sold or consumed at home as demanded. This is a source of continuous income from fish.

Mang isko's calendar of farm activities Dasmarinas, Cavite, Philippines (A)

Mang isko's calendar of farm activities Dasmarinas, Cavite, Philippines (B)

MANG ISKO'S MONTHLY CASH FLOWS SHOWING CASH EXPENSES (CASH OUTFLOWS) AND INCOME EARNED (CASH INFLOWS) IN ONE-YEAR OPERATION
OF VEGETABLE PRODUCTION, RICE MONOCULTURE AND RICE-FISH CULTURE.

Initial cash costs for vegetable growing were incurred in the first months of operation.

The cash requirements for rice monoculture and rice-fish culture were more spread over the months.

Unscheduled fish harvests in between two total harvests are a source of continuous income or cash inflows that help relieve cash constraints in certain months.

Mang isko's monthly cash flows of all farm operations.

· There were five months in the year where the cash obtained from the sales of rice, fish and vegetables were greater than the cash spent on farm operations.

· The months in between rice and fish harvests were the months that cash deficit was greatest.

· Although there were sales received from vegetables before the rice and fish harvests, there were not enough to cover the large expenditures on inputs particularly inorganic fertilizers.

CONCLUSION

As a whole, farming for Mang Isko was profitable. At the end of the year, he earned P45,233.80. He used this money primarily to sustain his wife and two children. A part of this was spent on upgrading his living condition, that is. he was able to improve his house and was able to purchase a refrigerator and a television.

Prepared by: MARY ANN P. BIMBAO JENS PETER TANG DALSGAARD & FRANKLIN V. FERMIN

FARMER-PROVEN INTEGRATED AGRICULTURE- AQUACULTURE:
A TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION KIT (IIRR-ICLAR M)