Journal of
Agricultural Extension and Rural Development

  • Abbreviation: J. Agric. Ext. Rural Dev
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2141-2170
  • DOI: 10.5897/JAERD
  • Start Year: 2009
  • Published Articles: 489

Full Length Research Paper

Integrated rice-fish farming as a business: The case of Golinga irrigation scheme small farmers

Inusah Ibrahim Yarifa Baba
  • Inusah Ibrahim Yarifa Baba
  • CSIR-SARI. P. O. Box 52,Tamale Ghana
  • Google Scholar
Mumuni Abudulai
  • Mumuni Abudulai
  • CSIR-SARI. P. O. Box 52,Tamale Ghana.
  • Google Scholar
Wilson Dogbe
  • Wilson Dogbe
  • CSIR-SARI. P. O. Box 52,Tamale Ghana.
  • Google Scholar
Adam Heskaya
  • Adam Heskaya
  • PFT & CDP, Mile 7, Tamale, Ghana
  • Google Scholar


  •  Accepted: 01 July 2013
  •  Published: 30 September 2013

Abstract

 

he purpose of the Golinga Rice-fish farming   project was to improve the capacities of members of a Farmer Based Organization (FBO) to carry out environmentally friendly, sustainable rural farming business using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques at the Golinga Irrigation Project (GIP) in northern Ghana. The project assisted small scale peasant farmers at GIP to integrate fish farming into their rice cultivation. The FBO members acquired critical IPM skills from the project demonstration farms which they applied to their own rice plots and thus improved rice productivity from mean yields of 3.5  to 4.6 - 5.8 t/ha in the project area. The project evolved a strategy for managing the FBO’s two fish ponds which was based on low-input and self-reliance of the farmers. Mean fish yield from the two ponds was 2300 kg/ha which was generally higher than reported yields (500 to 1000 kg/ha) obtained from similar low- input fish ponds in the country. The arrangement helped to maximize water use efficiency and contributed to a drastic reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides at GIP. The FBO members improved their capacities in integrated farming rice and fish and enhanced their incomes from sales of both commodities.

 

Key words: Rice-fish farming, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Golinga, Oreochromis niloticus (L), Katanga rice, value- chain.