[Smart Farmers] When "rice" meets "fishing", exploring the various possibilities of ecological agriculture

When "rice" meets "fishing", exploring the various possibilities of ecological agriculture

The "integrated rice-fish farming" system is a model of inheritance and development, the perfect combination of traditional culture and modern technology. It has demonstrated its special charm in the development of modern ecological fisheries, in poverty alleviation in the western mountainous areas, and in the exchange of Chinese fishery culture with foreign countries.

There are many stories about China's ancient "fish farming in rice fields". Among the distinctive rice field fish farming cultures, the rice field fish farming culture of ethnic minorities is particularly colorful.

The joy of harvest. The picture comes from the information of China Fisheries Society.

In Guizhou, the Dong people are a branch of the ancient Yue people. They once lived in the southeastern coastal areas for a long time. Later, due to wars, they migrated to the border areas of Hunan, Guizhou and Guangxi and settled there. They have long retained the life tradition of "rice and fish soup". According to the "Ancient Songs" about the local ethnic migration, the rice field fish farming in the Dong area has a history of thousands of years. This traditional agricultural production method has made great contributions to alleviating the contradiction between people and land, increasing agricultural product output, increasing farmers' income, and improving farmers' living standards. It has become an important part of the rich and splendid ethnic culture in the Dong area.

At present, we can still see a lot of fish culture in the folk customs of the Dong people. For example, people cannot do without fish during festivals, weddings, funerals, and ancestor worship; during the harvest season, people must use new grains and field fish to worship their ancestors; there are fish patterns on important buildings such as the Dong drum tower, wind and rain bridges, folk houses and tombstones; the shadow of fish can be found on Dong clothing and accessories. In addition, in order to protect fish, the Dong people also build fish nests in rice fields. It is said that the construction of their iconic building, the drum tower, was inspired by the fish nest. The head and body of the dragon in the Dong drum tower are also replaced by fish. It can be said that it is the rice field fish farming that gave birth to their unique fish culture, and the formation of fish culture has promoted the development of traditional rice and fish production.

The same is true for Miao villages. Since ancient times, Miao families have had a long tradition of raising fish in rice fields. In the social life of the Miao people, it is very common to use "fish" and "rice" as sacrificial offerings to ancestors and gods. With rice field agricultural production, raising carp in rice fields has naturally become a local cultural tradition of the Miao people to make full use of nature. In the Miao area, due to the limitation of land resources and the population's demand for food, the production and utilization of biodiversity is an indispensable and important part of the Miao people's agricultural production in mountainous areas. The implementation of rice field fish farming and the "symbiosis of fish and rice" just reflects the characteristics of the Miao people to fully develop and utilize biodiversity.

Fish farming in Guizhou Babao rice fields. Image from Guizhou Fisheries Society

In Yunnan, the Dai people's rice field fish wells also have a long cultural history. The Dai people advocate the idea of ​​"harmony between man and nature" and advocate harmonious coexistence between man and nature, so the Dai people have the practice of raising fish in terraced fields. Wherever there are Dai people, there are rice field fish farming, and the unique natural environment of Yuanyang County provides unique conditions for rice field fish farming.

The traditional rice field fish farming of the Dai people in Yuanyang County begins with the selection of fish fry, which is very unique from other rice field fish farming techniques. They first obtain fire grass from the mountains, tie the fire grass into the shape of a broom, and then place it in the Red River, waiting for the fish in the Red River to lay eggs on the fire grass. Then the fish eggs are placed directly in the rice fields without any processing in between. After the fish eggs hatch, the rice in the rice fields gradually grows vigorously, and the fish in the rice fields can eat the rice that threatens the rice.

pests and other insects.

The picture is from the Chinese Society of Fisheries

During the entire breeding process, the fish grow on their own, which is the so-called "let nature take care of them". The fish raised in the fields can be harvested at the same time as the rice. However, some smaller fish still need to be raised. In order to solve this problem, the hardworking and wise Dai people came up with a good solution - rice field fish wells. Rice field fish wells can store water, giving the fish room to grow during the dry season of the rice fields.

From the traditional "fish farming in rice fields" to the current "integrated rice and fish farming", technology has injected new vitality into it, and its culture has also radiated new light, becoming an important part of agricultural tourism in various places. There are many villages that are considered to be "the most beautiful villages in China", and "fish farming in rice fields" is one of the "attractions" favored by tourists.

The Hani Terraces in Honghe, Yunnan, are the result of the Hani people's continuous innovation and summary of their national culture of adapting to and transforming nature in the process of material production based on the local natural environment. The traditional culture of the Hani people not only pursues the maximization of material benefits, but also pays attention to the harmonious development of man and nature. Fish farming in terraced fields is not only one of the traditional livelihoods of the Hani people, but also a manifestation of adapting to local conditions and rational recycling of resources.

The picture of Hani terraces in Honghe County comes from the information of China Fisheries Society

The "rice-fish co-cultivation" of the Hani terraces in Honghe County is both a traditional industry and the result of modern scientific and technological development. Focusing on the scientific and technological personnel of the entire industrial chain of "rice-fish co-cultivation", aiming at the needs of industrial development and the poverty alleviation goals of registered poor households, further promote and integrate the regional characteristic "rice-fish co-cultivation" comprehensive breeding model. It has created a very spectacular 264,600 mu of terraced aquaculture in Yuanyang County, which has injected new impetus into the protection of the world's important agricultural cultural heritage and the precise poverty alleviation of the poor population. Yuanyang County is full of mountains and all terraces are built on hillsides. In terms of a hillside, the highest level of terraces reaches 3,000, which is rare in terraced landscapes at home and abroad. Under the clouds and mist, it is like a ladder to heaven in Xianju, which is fascinating!

Rice fields and fish wells, fish farming in Yunnan Hani terraces, and the rice-fish symbiosis system in Qingtian County, Zhejiang Province, have been included in the first four global important agricultural heritage protection projects by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In addition, the rice terraces in southern China, including the Longji Terraces in Longsheng, Guangxi, the United Terraces in Youxi, Fujian, the Hakka Terraces in Chongyi, Jiangxi, and the Ziquejie Terraces in Xinhua, Hunan, were officially awarded the title of global important agricultural heritage at the fifth International Forum on Global Important Agricultural Heritage. The Qingtian "Rice-fish Symbiosis System" is another example of development in the inheritance of tradition. On May 16, 2005, Qingtian County, Zhejiang Province was selected as a "World Agricultural Heritage" by the United Nations. At that time, it was not only the only one in China, but also the only one in Asia. Relying on the Qingtian rice-fish symbiosis system, Zhejiang Province combines the protection and inheritance of traditional farming culture with rural tourism to develop a rural complex. There are four agricultural characteristic leisure and sightseeing parks, including the Fangshan Rice-fish Symbiosis Museum and the Xiaozhoushan Terraced Rice-fish Symbiosis Leisure and Sightseeing Park, to promote the development of the fishery tourism industry.

Qingtian "Rice-Fish Symbiosis System", picture from the Chinese Society of Fisheries

The Youxi Lianhe Terraces in Fujian are located in Lianhe Township, Youxi County, covering eight administrative villages and covering an area of ​​more than 10,700 mu. They are known as one of the five most charming terraces in China. Since the Song Dynasty, Lianhe villagers have used wooden plows, hoes and other tools to reclaim terraces and plant rice, creating magical and magnificent terraces in the steep Jinji Mountain. This has become the main way of survival for the villagers for hundreds of years and has formed a unique "bamboo forest-village-terraces-water flow" mountain agricultural system. The terraces have a vertical drop of more than 600 meters and stretch for dozens of miles. The fields are in the mountains, surrounded by mountains, and villages with earthen walls and gray tiles are scattered among them, showing a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.

Helan County, Ningxia - "Rice and Fish Space". This park re-planned and designed the original rice fields, fish ponds and rural landscapes, combining natural ecology with agriculture, fisheries and leisure tourism, bringing tourists the tourism experience of "South of the Yangtze River on the Great Wall, a land of fish and rice". At the same time, the park also promoted employment for surrounding farmers and increased their income.

Rice field farming and rice field paintings in Guizhou provided by the author

At present, various regions have formed unique rice-fish ecological breeding models based on topography and landforms. "Rice-fish culture" and "rice-fish leisure tourism" have injected modern scientific and technological elements into traditional culture, playing an increasingly important role in rural revitalization and offering broader prospects for development.

Author: Liu Yadan (National Chief Science Communication Expert, former Assistant Secretary-General of the Chinese Society of Fisheries, Assistant Secretary-General of the China Rural Professional and Technical Association)

Audit expert: Dai Guoqing (Secretary-General of China Algae Industry Association)

Editor: Wu Yuetong

Proofreader: Jiang Ruiyi (internship)