Integrated Livestock-Fish Farming
Senior 3 · Agriculture
Integrated Livestock-Fish Farming
Lesson 1 of 4
22 min
Let's begin
On many farms, animal manure is a nuisance: it smells, draws flies, and is washed into streams by the rain. On an integrated farm the same manure is food. A pigsty built on the bank of a fish pond sends its dung into the water, where it feeds tiny plants and animals (plankton) that the fish eat; the rich mud dug from the pond later feeds the vegetables, and the vegetables and crop residues feed the pigs. MINAGRI's National Aquaculture Strategy (2023) expects Rwanda's pond farms to move towards such integrated crop and livestock models, especially in the Eastern Province, where most ponds sit beside the dams built to irrigate rice.
Definition
Integrated livestock-fish farming: raising livestock and fish together on one farm so that the wastes of one (manure, urine, spilled feed) become inputs for the other, and pond water and mud are used for crops.
Plankton: tiny plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton) that drift in water; phytoplankton turns pond water green and is natural food for fish such as tilapia.
Pond fertilisation: adding manure or fertiliser to a pond to increase the growth of plankton.
Polyculture: rearing two or more fish species together, so that they use different foods in the pond.
Figure 17. The nutrient cycle on an integrated livestock-fish farm.
| Type | How it is arranged | Special points |
|---|---|---|
| Pig–fish | pigsty on the pond dike; dung and urine washed into the pond through a channel or pipe | pig manure is rich; add it a little at a time; the number of pigs must match the pond's size |
| Chicken–fish | chicken house on stilts over the pond or on the dike, with a mesh floor; droppings and spilled feed fall into the water | layers or broilers; the litter can also be added to the pond |
| Duck–fish | ducks swim on the pond by day and sleep in a house on the dike | ducks eat snails, insects and weeds, stir the water and add manure directly; keep them away from very young fish |
| Cattle, goat or rabbit–fish | manure carried to the pond or to a compost heap in one corner | ruminant manure is less rich; often used in a compost crib in the pond |
| Fish with crops (rice–fish, fish–vegetables) | fish raised in flooded rice fields; vegetables grown on the dikes, watered from the pond | fish eat insects and weeds in rice; pond mud fertilises vegetables |
| Advantages | Disadvantages and risks |
|---|---|
| Wastes are recycled instead of polluting streams | Too much manure uses up the water's oxygen, and fish suffocate |
| Less money spent on fish feed and fertiliser | Some diseases can pass between animals, fish and people |
| More food and income from the same land and water | Veterinary drugs and chemicals given to animals can reach the fish |
| Several products (meat, eggs, fish, vegetables) spread the risk if one fails | Needs more skill, planning and daily attention |
| Animal houses on dikes save land; pond water irrigates crops in the dry season | Building costs: pond, animal house and channels |
Worked example 1: how many pigs for a pond?
Problem. An extension officer advises about 40 fattening pigs per hectare of pond (illustrative rate). How many pigs should be kept beside a pond of 600 m²?
Solution.
Answer: 2 pigs. Round down, because too much manure would use up the pond's oxygen; any surplus manure can go to the compost heap.
Worked example 2: what does integration add?
Problem. A 400 m² pond without manure gives fish at a rate of 600 kg per hectare per year; fertilised with pig manure, at 1,500 kg per hectare per year (illustrative rates). How much extra fish does the pond give each year?
Solution.
Answer: about 36 kg more fish a year, from manure that would otherwise have been wasted, as well as the pigs themselves.
Warning
Common mistakes and safety. (1) Emptying all the manure into the pond at once: oxygen falls and fish die, usually at dawn. (2) Putting the dung of sick animals, or of animals under treatment, into the pond. (3) Letting children swim in or drink pond water: manure-fed water can carry germs. (4) Ducks with very young fish, which they eat.
Tip
Memory hook: "Animals feed the pond, the pond feeds the fish, the mud feeds the crops, the crops feed the animals."
KVK Dhalai: "Integrated Pig Cum Fish Farming: A sustainable approach for livelihood security". See how the pigsty is placed beside the pond and how the manure reaches the water.
Practice
Key points
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa: the text, the tables, Figure 17 and the worked examples. The stocking and yield rates in the worked examples are illustrative; follow RAB or your fisheries officer's advice.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
