Assessment of Pond Productivity and Fish Yield in Integrated Rice-Fish Farming Systems in Ebonyi State

Integrated rice-fish farming offers a pathway to simultaneously increase food production and income for smallholder farmers in South East Nigeria, where both rice cultivation and fish farming are culturally embedded practices. This study assesses pond productivity, fish growth, and comparative economic returns of integrated rice-fish systems versus monoculture fish ponds in Afikpo North Local Government Area, Ebonyi State. A total of 18 plots were established, with nine under integrated rice-fish production and nine under monoculture fish culture, using Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings at a stocking density of 5,000 fish per hectare. Standard rice cultivation practices were applied to integrated plots. Water quality, phytoplankton abundance, zooplankton biomass, fish growth parameters, and rice grain yield were monitored monthly over one growing season. Results showed that integrated plots recorded 18% higher fish yield compared to monoculture ponds, attributed to natural food supplementation from insect and organic matter inputs associated with the rice crop. Phytoplankton and zooplankton densities were significantly higher in integrated plots. Rice grain yield in integrated plots was 8% lower than in adjacent monoculture rice paddies, though the combined gross margin of the integrated system exceeded monoculture rice by 34%. The study demonstrates the economic and productive viability of integrated rice-fish farming in Ebonyi State and recommends its inclusion in the state's agricultural diversification programme.

Keywords: integrated rice-fish farming, pond productivity, Oreochromis niloticus, Ebonyi State, food systems