{"id":2025,"date":"2026-10-07T10:24:43","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T10:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/?p=2025"},"modified":"2026-10-07T10:24:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T10:24:45","slug":"enhancing-farmers-income-through-integrated-fish-duck-horticulture-farming-in-udalguri-district-assam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/index.php\/2026\/10\/07\/enhancing-farmers-income-through-integrated-fish-duck-horticulture-farming-in-udalguri-district-assam\/","title":{"rendered":"Enhancing Farmers&#8217; Income through Integrated Fish-Duck-Horticulture Farming in Udalguri District, Assam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Success Story: Integrated Fish-Duck-Horticulture - KVK Udalguri | Paste into a WordPress \"Custom HTML\" block -->\n<style>\n.fd-wrap{--b9:#0c4a6e;--b7:#0e7490;--b5:#06b6d4;--b1:#ecfeff;--g9:#14532d;--g7:#15803d;--g5:#22c55e;--g1:#ecfdf3;--amb:#d97706;--amb1:#fef3c7;--ink:#1f2937;--mut:#6b7280;--line:#e5e7eb;\n  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4px;font-size:13px;color:var(--mut)}\n.fd-track{background:#f3f4f6;border-radius:6px;height:22px}\n.fd-fill{height:100%;border-radius:6px;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:flex-end;padding-right:8px;color:#fff;font-weight:600;font-size:12.5px;white-space:nowrap;min-width:52px}\n.fd-fill.int{background:linear-gradient(90deg,var(--g5),var(--g7))}\n.fd-fill.trad{background:#9ca3af}\n.fd-hort{display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr;gap:12px;margin:12px 0 0}\n.fd-hort div{text-align:center;border-radius:12px;padding:16px;background:var(--g1);border:1px solid #bbf7d0}\n.fd-hort b{display:block;font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:26px;color:var(--g9)}\n.fd-hort small{color:var(--mut);font-size:13.5px}\n.fd-callout{background:var(--amb1);border-left:4px solid var(--amb);border-radius:8px;padding:14px 18px;margin:12px 0 0}\n.fd-close{background:linear-gradient(135deg,var(--b1),var(--g1));border:1px solid #a5f3fc;border-radius:12px;padding:22px 24px}\n.fd-close p:last-child{margin:0}\n.fd-schemes{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:8px;margin:4px 0 12px;padding:0;list-style:none}\n.fd-schemes li{background:#fff;border:1px solid var(--b7);color:var(--b9);padding:3px 12px;border-radius:16px;font-size:13.5px;font-weight:600;margin:0}\n.fd-foot{text-align:center;font-size:13px;color:var(--mut);margin-top:22px;padding-top:14px;border-top:1px solid var(--line)}\n@media(max-width:760px){\n  .fd-hero{padding:30px 20px 46px}.fd-hero h2{font-size:22px}.fd-hero .fd-sub{font-size:16px}\n  .fd-stats{grid-template-columns:repeat(2,1fr);gap:10px;margin:-28px 10px 28px}\n  .fd-stat b{font-size:20px}\n  .fd-tier,.fd-acts,.fd-hort{grid-template-columns:1fr}\n  .fd-prow{grid-template-columns:72px 1fr}\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"fd-wrap\">\n\n  <div class=\"fd-hero\">\n    <span class=\"fd-tag\">Success Story<\/span>\n    <h2>Enhancing Farmers&#8217; Income through Integrated Fish-Duck-Horticulture Farming<\/h2>\n    <p class=\"fd-sub\">A three-tier farming model demonstrated by KVK Udalguri in four villages<\/p>\n    <div class=\"fd-meta\"><span>Udalguri District, Assam<\/span><span>|<\/span><span>2017 to 2020<\/span><span>|<\/span><span>KVK Udalguri, Lalpool (AAU)<\/span><\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"fd-stats\">\n    <div class=\"fd-stat\"><b>Rs 4.40 lakh<\/b><small>Net Return per ha<\/small><\/div>\n    <div class=\"fd-stat\"><b>2.69<\/b><small>Benefit-Cost Ratio<\/small><\/div>\n    <div class=\"fd-stat\"><b>38.6 q\/ha<\/b><small>Fish Yield<\/small><\/div>\n    <div class=\"fd-stat\"><b>4<\/b><small>Villages Covered<\/small><\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"fd-sec\">\n    <h3>Abstract<\/h3>\n    <div class=\"fd-abs\">\n      <p>Integrated farming systems that combine several farm enterprises have proved transformative for smallholder farmers. In Udalguri district of Assam, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), under Assam Agricultural University, introduced a three-tier model integrating fish, duck and horticulture. The system uses the synergy between aquaculture, duck rearing and dyke horticulture to make the best use of resources, recycle farm waste and generate income from several sources. Demonstrated over three years (2017 to 2020) in four villages, the model clearly outperformed traditional fish monoculture in both productivity and profitability. With a net return of Rs 4.40 lakh per hectare and a benefit-cost ratio of 2.69, it has emerged as a sustainable and replicable model for strengthening rural livelihoods and farm resilience.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"fd-sec\">\n    <h3>Introduction<\/h3>\n    <p>With shrinking landholdings and falling returns from conventional farming, integrated farming systems offer small and marginal farmers a promising alternative. The fish-duck-horticulture system works on the principle of resource recycling and biological synergy.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"fd-tier\">\n      <div><h4>Horticulture on Dykes<\/h4><p>Banana and papaya on pond dykes use nutrient-rich pond silt and organic residues.<\/p><\/div>\n      <div><h4>Ducks above the Pond<\/h4><p>Ducks control insects and aquatic pests, while their droppings and leftover feed fertilise the pond.<\/p><\/div>\n      <div><h4>Fish in the Pond<\/h4><p>Fish benefit from duck manure and feed residue, keeping the pond ecosystem balanced.<\/p><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <p style=\"margin-top:14px\">Traditional fish farming in Udalguri district had suffered from poor use of inputs, low productivity and uncertain markets. To address these problems, KVK Udalguri, Lalpool (AAU) demonstrated the integrated model on farmers&#8217; fields in four villages to assess its income potential and viability under field conditions:<\/p>\n    <ul class=\"fd-vil\"><li>Hirabari<\/li><li>Kacharitol<\/li><li>Jhargaon<\/li><li>Deurigaon<\/li><\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"fd-sec\">\n    <h3>KVK Intervention<\/h3>\n    <p>The model was introduced step by step on selected farmers&#8217; fields over three consecutive years, from 2017 to 2020.<\/p>\n    <ul class=\"fd-acts\">\n      <li><strong>Fish:<\/strong> stunted yearling fingerlings of catla, rohu, mrigal, grass carp, common carp and silver carp stocked at 6,000 per ha in the ratio 2 : 2.5 : 1.5 : 1.5 : 1 : 1.5<\/li>\n      <li><strong>Ducks:<\/strong> Chara Chambelli ducks housed in bamboo sheds built over the pond, so droppings fall straight into the water<\/li>\n      <li><strong>Horticulture:<\/strong> Malbhog banana and papaya grown on the pond dykes<\/li>\n      <li><strong>Training:<\/strong> pond and duck shed management, feed formulation, water quality monitoring, and integrated pest and nutrient management for dyke crops<\/li>\n    <\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"fd-sec\">\n    <h3>Results: Fish<\/h3>\n    <p>Fish yield in the integrated ponds averaged 38.6 q\/ha over three years, about 61 per cent higher than the 23.95 q\/ha under traditional practice. Fish also grew much bigger. Catla stocked at 90 g reached 920 g, compared with 530 g in traditional ponds.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"fd-cmp\">\n      <div class=\"fd-legend\"><span class=\"li\">Integrated system<\/span><span class=\"lt\">Traditional system<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"fd-pair\">\n        <div class=\"fd-plab\">Fish yield (q\/ha)<\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Integrated<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill int\" style=\"width:100.0%\">38.6<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Traditional<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill trad\" style=\"width:62.0%\">23.95<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"fd-pair\">\n        <div class=\"fd-plab\">Catla final weight (g)<\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Integrated<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill int\" style=\"width:100.0%\">920<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Traditional<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill trad\" style=\"width:57.6%\">530<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"fd-pair\">\n        <div class=\"fd-plab\">Rohu final weight (g)<\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Integrated<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill int\" style=\"width:100.0%\">610<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Traditional<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill trad\" style=\"width:73.8%\">450<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"fd-pair\">\n        <div class=\"fd-plab\">Silver carp final weight (g)<\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Integrated<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill int\" style=\"width:100.0%\">1015<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Traditional<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill trad\" style=\"width:57.1%\">580<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"fd-sec\">\n    <h3>Results: Ducks and Horticulture<\/h3>\n    <p>Ducks in the integrated system weighed 1.80 kg at 72 weeks and laid 165 eggs per bird, against 1.45 kg and 58 eggs under traditional rearing. The pond dykes, which would otherwise lie unused, produced 56 q\/ha of papaya and 19 q\/ha of banana.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"fd-cmp\">\n      <div class=\"fd-legend\"><span class=\"li\">Integrated system<\/span><span class=\"lt\">Traditional system<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"fd-pair\">\n        <div class=\"fd-plab\">Eggs per bird<\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Integrated<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill int\" style=\"width:100.0%\">165<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Traditional<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill trad\" style=\"width:35.2%\">58<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"fd-pair\">\n        <div class=\"fd-plab\">Body weight at 72 weeks (kg)<\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Integrated<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill int\" style=\"width:100.0%\">1.80<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Traditional<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill trad\" style=\"width:80.6%\">1.45<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"fd-hort\">\n      <div><b>56 q\/ha<\/b><small>Papaya from pond dykes<\/small><\/div>\n      <div><b>19 q\/ha<\/b><small>Malbhog banana from pond dykes<\/small><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"fd-sec\">\n    <h3>Economic Impact<\/h3>\n    <p>The integrated system needed a higher investment of Rs 2.59 lakh per ha, compared with Rs 0.84 lakh for traditional fish farming, but it paid back many times over. It gave a gross return of Rs 6.99 lakh and a net return of Rs 4.40 lakh per ha, nearly three times the net return of Rs 1.54 lakh from traditional practice. The benefit-cost ratio rose from 1.83 to 2.69.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"fd-cmp\">\n      <div class=\"fd-legend\"><span class=\"li\">Integrated system<\/span><span class=\"lt\">Traditional system<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"fd-pair\">\n        <div class=\"fd-plab\">Total cost (Rs lakh\/ha)<\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Integrated<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill int\" style=\"width:100.0%\">2.59<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Traditional<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill trad\" style=\"width:32.4%\">0.84<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"fd-pair\">\n        <div class=\"fd-plab\">Gross return (Rs lakh\/ha)<\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Integrated<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill int\" style=\"width:100.0%\">6.99<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Traditional<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill trad\" style=\"width:34.2%\">2.39<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"fd-pair\">\n        <div class=\"fd-plab\">Net return (Rs lakh\/ha)<\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Integrated<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill int\" style=\"width:100.0%\">4.40<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Traditional<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill trad\" style=\"width:35.0%\">1.54<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"fd-pair\">\n        <div class=\"fd-plab\">Benefit-cost ratio<\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Integrated<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill int\" style=\"width:100.0%\">2.69<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n        <div class=\"fd-prow\"><span>Traditional<\/span><div class=\"fd-track\"><div class=\"fd-fill trad\" style=\"width:68.0%\">1.83<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"fd-sec\">\n    <h3>Impact on Farmers<\/h3>\n    <p>The benefits were seen in all four villages. Farmers who earlier depended only on traditional fish farming gained a more secure income from several products, including fish, duck meat, eggs and fruit. Recycling farm waste made better use of every input, and production now continues through the year. Families also eat a more varied and nutritious diet.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"fd-callout\"><strong>Spreading by example:<\/strong> encouraged by these results, neighbouring farmers have started adopting the system, seeking guidance from the early adopters and KVK scientists.<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"fd-sec fd-close\">\n    <h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n    <p>The integrated fish-duck-horticulture system has proved to be a sustainable and profitable model for smallholder farmers in Assam. By making each component support the others, it raises productivity, recycles waste, makes the best use of land and water, and builds resilience to climate risks. The experience in Udalguri shows that such integrated approaches can significantly improve rural livelihoods and support the goal of doubling farmers&#8217; income. The model is well suited for replication in similar agro-climatic zones and deserves active promotion through extension, capacity building and convergence with government schemes such as:<\/p>\n    <ul class=\"fd-schemes\"><li>RKVY<\/li><li>PMMSY<\/li><li>ATMA<\/li><\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"fd-foot\">Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Udalguri &nbsp;|&nbsp; Success Story<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"743\" height=\"397\" src=\"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ifs.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ifs.jpg 743w, https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ifs-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 743px) 100vw, 743px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Success Story Enhancing Farmers&#8217; Income through Integrated Fish-Duck-Horticulture Farming A three-tier farming model demonstrated by KVK Udalguri in four villages Udalguri District, Assam|2017 to 2020|KVK Udalguri, Lalpool (AAU) Rs 4.40 lakhNet Return per ha 2.69Benefit-Cost Ratio 38.6 q\/haFish Yield 4Villages Covered Abstract Integrated farming systems that combine several farm enterprises have proved transformative for smallholder&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-success-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2025"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2027,"href":"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025\/revisions\/2027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kvkudalguri.aau.ac.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}