AUTHOR=Li Youdan , Phonexay Mali , Zhang Zili , Li Chenhong , Li Jiayao , Zhang Wenbo 

TITLE=Status of rice-fish farming and rice field fisheries in Northern Laos

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1174172

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2023.1174172

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=Integrated rice-fish farming can play an important role in increasing food production globally. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) is one of the least developed countries in the world, and rice is the most important crop in Laos. The present study conducted field surveys in 2022 in order to get a better understanding of the status of rice-fish production systems in mountainous areas in Northern Laos. We found that rice-fish production systems, including both integrated rice-fish farming and rice field fisheries, are still in resources poor status with low input levels of fertilizer and chemicals. Integrated rice-fish farms generally have higher intensification levels in rice farming than that rice field fisheries farms. Rice-fish farms generate significantly more value output of rice than that rice field fisheries farms. Overall, rice-fish farms use land and labor more efficiently and generate higher land and labor productivity measured in value output than rice field fisheries farms. We suggest that more rice field fisheries farms can be intensified with extra seed and feed input to move to rice-fish farming to produce more aquatic products and more value output with the same rice field areas in Northern Laos.