ORIGINAL PAPER Integrated rice-fish farming in Bangladesh: meeting the challenges of food security Nesar Ahmed & Stephen T. Garnett Received: 30 November 2010 / Accepted: 4 January 2011 # Springer Science+Business Media B.V. & International Society for Plant Pathology 2011 Abstract In order to meet the soaring demand for food, there is a need to increase rice and fish production in Bangladesh. In spite of the potential for rice-fish farming, rice monoculture remains the main farming system in Bangladesh. However, rice monoculture cannot provide a sustainable food supply without a cost to long-term environmental sustainability. We provide evidence that integrated rice-fish farming can play an important role in increasing food production as the integrated farming system is better than rice monoculture in terms of resource utilization, diversity, productivity, and both the quality and quantity of the food produced. The Cobb-Douglas produc- tion function model also suggests that higher yields can be achieved by increasing inputs in the integrated farming system. Integrated rice-fish farming also provides various socioeconomic and environmental benefits. Nevertheless, only a small number of farmers are involved in integrated rice-fish farming due to a lack of technical knowledge, and an aversion to the risks associated with flood and drought. We conclude that integrated rice-fish farming can help Bangladesh keep pace with the current demand for food through rice and fish production but requires greater encouragement if it is to realize its full potential. Keywords Rice . Fish . Farmer . Integrated farming . Food security . Bangladesh Introduction Bangladesh is one of the poorest and most densely populated countries in the world, covering an area of 144,000 km 2 with a population of 164 million. The people of Bangladesh are commonly referred to as ‘Macche-Bhate Bangali’ (i.e., the people made of fish and rice). Rice and fish have been an essential part of the life of Bangladeshi people from time immemorial. The staple foods of the people of Bangladesh are rice and fish. Rice is the foremost agricultural crop in Bangladesh with an annual production of over 29 million tons per annum (BRKB 2010), while annual fish production is 2.70 million tons (DoF 2010). The demand for rice and fish is constantly increasing in Bangladesh with nearly three million people being added each year to the population of the country (Chowdhury 2009). Nevertheless, integrated rice- fish farming offers a solution to this problem by contributing to food, income and nutrition. Not only the adequate supply of carbohydrate, but also the supply of animal protein is significant through rice-fish farming. Fish, particularly small fish, are rich in micronutrients and vitamins, and thus human nutrition can be greatly improved through fish consumption (Larsen et al. 2000; Roos et al. 2003). The total area of rice fields in Bangladesh is about 10.14 million ha with an additional 2.83 million ha of inundated seasonal rice fields where water remains for about 4–6 months (BRKB 2010). The carrying capacities of these lands and waters are not fully utilized, but there exists tremendous scope for increasing fish production by integrating aquacul- N. Ahmed School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT 0909, Australia S. T. Garnett Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT 0909, Australia Present Address: N. Ahmed (*) Department of Fisheries Management, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh e-mail: nesar_2000@yahoo.com Food Sec. DOI 10.1007/s12571-011-0113-8