Duck & Rice Integrated Farming - Japan - ARI
by the Asian Rural Institute
page developed by Yu Araya, ARI Volunteer
submitted July 2021
Aigamo Duck & Rice Integrated Farming
Duck-rice integration means growing rice and raising ducks together in the same rice paddy. Ducks can help cultivate the rice and from the ducks you can get meat. It is a traditional method of rice cultivation in Japan and some other Asian countries. Recently it has been attracting people's attention because the technique is free from chemicals and is eco-friendly.
https://gyazo.com/46931b260fc9c242403fe3144df91b0a
The Aigamo is a hybrid of the wild mallard and the common farm duck. Let's grow rice with a cute partner!
The merits of keeping ducks in the rice paddy
Pest control
Ducks eat harmful insects and golden snails for you. These contain plenty of protein so are good feed for the ducks.
Weed control
Ducks eat weed plants and seeds, which compete with rice growth.
When the ducks stir the mud and water, weed germination is reduced.
The muddy water produced by stirring disturbs the photosynthesis of weeds.
Improves the paddy conditions
The paddling of the ducks in the water provides oxygen to microbes and rice roots.
The soil structure is also improved.
Stimulation of rice
Ducks often touch the rice plants and poke the stems to catch insects. This stimulation makes the rice stems stronger.
Fertilization
Duck droppings are a good fertilizer for the rice.
https://gyazo.com/f1b079ba2ae5f237fb37e45bed244ab5
How to manage the ducks
Timetable
Brooding period - usually, day-old ducklings arrive at ARI just before the rice is transplanted. Ten days after transplanting, we release them into the paddy fields. These days are considered the brooding period for the ducklings. During this time, they will be kept in a hut or small pond to get used to their new environment. The rice plants are too small and easy to push down if the ducks are released too early, however the weeds will grow up if you release too late.
Grazing period - the period in which the ducks are kept in the paddy is called the grazing period. The grazing period is two months long. After two months, the ducks grow big enough to eat the rice and push down the stalks. By this time the rice will have grown enough that no more weeding is needed. After the grazing period we remove the ducks from the paddy and ... we can get tasty meat!!
https://gyazo.com/475bd69693baf423deb356a09b0c947a
Duck Management
During the brooding period
A hut for nighttime - at night, we keep the ducklings in a small hut to protect them from wild animals and coldness. We make the floor soft by spreading rice husk all over it. Inside the hut, we prepare a water pipe for drinking, and a shallow container for feed. Since our climate is cold in the spring, we also make a small room with a heater, using a small table heater called a kotatsu.
https://gyazo.com/b386409161398c0ad0bed92b5ff25128
An Aigamo duckling hut at ARI, waiting for the residents to arrive.
A pond for daytime - In the daytime, we keep ducks in a small pond. During the brooding period, they need to be trained to swim, so they won’t drown in the paddy field. We dig a shallow hole, fill it with water, set a net around and above it and then run electric wires at three different heights around the net. We also fill the pond with duckweed and place a feeder next to it.
https://gyazo.com/3f8c28aed10910cd403b8dd96d6a708a
ARI's duckling pond setup
Feeding - We give the ducklings broken rice or fermented feed made of mixture of rice powder and soybean pulp. We also give them duckweed collected from the paddy fields.
https://gyazo.com/ae0cfdc65f8eb64c5777a3c76c672e95
Our ducklings love duckweed!
Soaking - we soak their lower body into the paddy water. They will get used to water and begin to coat their feathers with fat.
Garlic water - we prepare garlic water for the ducklings to drink. All we do is put some chopped garlic into a jar full of water and keep it overnight. It strengthens their immune system.
https://gyazo.com/57693320a60c8e2de3f9b0b74a7a8cfe
The ducklings drink the garlic water
During the grazing period
During the grazing period, ducks are in the paddy all day. We need to prepare the environment for them.
Land in the corner of the rice paddy - This is a place for resting and eating. We just put some stones and pile soil on top. It is also good to prepare a roof for protection from the rain.
https://gyazo.com/408834fe576d0d06bb5faf2795d7f4c2
Net around the paddy field - To protect the ducks from wild animals such as racoon dogs (tanuki), dogs, cats, hawks, and crows, and also to prevent the ducks from escaping, we set up a net with electric wires around the paddy and extend strings over the top. See illustration below:
https://gyazo.com/82549441c5e6ebbb1588f49656cef8b7
We use two types of strings over the top of the paddy, transparent and glittering. Birds of prey will avoid glittering ones and feel uncomfortable when their feather touch the transparent ones.
Net construction
1) Stand poles around the paddy about 1.5 meters apart.
2) Fix the net to the pole using clips. Tie off excess rope to avoid ducks getting caught.https://gyazo.com/0e7a5ddc14b8779923acb9b46a016675
A net with electric wires around an ARI rice paddy.
3) Tie the strings to the pole. https://gyazo.com/896271913ee589d88cf6bee09df1d0a9
How to tie the strings to the poles.
4) Pull the overhead string to the other side of the paddy and tie it to the opposite pole.
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Attaching overhead strings
Feeding - Weeds and insects in the paddy do not provide enough food for the ducks. We give uncooked broken rice that we can't use in the kitchen or wheat every day. The amount of the feed should be adjusted according to the needs of the ducks.
Additional tips
There are some cases where farmers do not set fences around the rice paddy. Some large farms have fences only around duck huts, and some farmers keep the ducks in huts at night instead of using fences. In those cases, it is necessary to keep an eye on the ducks in the daytime and bring the ducks to the hut every evening.
Some farmers combine sowing and growing Azora in the paddies together with the ducks. Azora is a kind of floating plant that can fix nitrogen, serve as a green mulch, and also be a feed for ducks. However, Azora is considered an invasive alien species in Japan, so its use should be carefully considered.
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