Composite Fish Farming: An Economic Move for Rural Empowerment and Generating Livelihood Security

Abstract

This review aims to examine the potential of composite fish farming as a viable economic strategy for rural empowerment and livelihood security, highlighting its benefits, challenges, and opportunities for sustainable development. Poly-species farming, or composite fish farming, has been considered to be extremely profitable as a result of its low input costs. But, it is no longer the case, though, as the price of fundamental inputs has climbed significantly while the market value of fish has stayed relatively constant. These include rice bran, groundnut oil cake, mustard oil cake, excrement from poultry & cows and land. Several conditions, such as good water quality, fish seed, feed, and health management, are necessary to maximise output and the nation's income from offshore fishing and aquaculture. Exotic major carps (Hypophthalmicthys molitrix, Ctenopharyngodon idella, and Cyprinus carpio) and Indian major carps (IMC; Catla catla, Labeo rohita, and Cirrhinus mrigala) are the two types of fish raised in composite fish farms in pond culture systems. This system fills in the gaps in a pond environment by maximising internal resource utilisation, which raises productivity. This is a useful adaptation of the initial three-species IMC polyculture. The most environmentally sound method of raising fish is the polyculture of compatible species. This process maximises the standing crop and gives rural youth more power, all of which improves food and nutritional security by allowing for the effective use of every simple zone existing in the pond's surroundings.