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re: Integrated agriculture/aquaculture
Tor-Gunnar Vagen asked for information on integrated agriculture/
aquaculture. An excellent (in my unbiased opinion) discussion of
the principles of integrated aquaculture is contained in the article
"Integrated fish farming: An international effort" by Gerald Schroeder,
in American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, Vol. 1, No. 3 (1986).
Here is the abstract:
In much of the developing world, the high cost of purchased feeds
makes meat and milk too expensive to be consumed by the producers'
own families. A fish pond integrated with livestock or crop production
provides an important source of animal protein for home consumption
or sale. The protein involves almost no cash costs, since the needed
nutrients and energy are supplied by crop residues, green manure,
livestock manure and sunlight. Conversion of manure into animal flesh
is possible because the anoxic sediments support a microbial flora
similar to that of the rumen. Although integrated fish farming has
been practiced for thousands of years in China, it has not yet been
successfully adapted to all regions for which it potentially is
applicable. A program in Wuxi, China brings together students and
scientists from all over the world who are working towards that goal.
William Lockeretz
(Editor, American Journal of
Alternative Agriculture)