World Aquaculture 41 The novel tilapia–rabbit integrated culture: A means for poverty reduction for rural people Mostafa A.R Hossain,1 M. Sharif Azad,2 M. Nahiduzzaman,3 Debasish Saha,3 M. Abu Sayeed3 and M. Ekram Azim4 Why Tilapia-Rabbit Integration? Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), the “micro livestock” has great potential in providing protein to the vast low-income populatiosn in developing countries (Chakrabarti et al. 1999). Because of a shorter generation interval (Lebas et al. 1986) and high prolificacy, (breeding 5-7 times a year), rabbit farming gives quick returns with low investment, needs little space and results in a high market price compared to other livestock. Many people in Bangladesh prefer rabbit meat as a conventional food item, if available (Reza 1999). Rabbit meat is highly nutritious, easily digestible and an excellent quality food for all people, especially old age and cardiac patients. The meat has comparatively less fat (8 percent), high protein (25 percent) and low cholesterol (50 mg/kg wt), suggesting that it is more suitable for patients (Alabama and Ardeng 1989). The per capita animal protein consumption in Bangladesh is only 17.3 g per day (BBS 1998), contrasting with the standard requirement of 36 g recommended by UNO (Ahmed and Islam 1985). The supply of animal meat lags far behind the requirement for a healthy life. Thus, rabbit can play a major role in supplying protein for a healthy diet, mitigating the impending food security problem. Bangladesh is the most populated country per unit geographical area in the world, having about 140 million people most of whom lack adequate access to food, health care and other basic needs. About 77 percent of the people live in rural areas and suffer from extreme poverty, malnutrition, ill health and illiteracy, which are regarded as barriers to poverty alleviation and development in Bangladesh (HKI 2002). The promotion of integrated farming systems is thus recognized as a developmental strategy that may help alleviate the impending food crisis (Edwards 1986) and improvements of people’s livelihoods. But integrated aquaculture is not promoted as much as fish polyculture alone in Bangladesh (Ali 1990). Integrated fish farming, however, offers the opportunity for taking up diversified farming activities with optimum utilization of available resources for food production, thus increasing the household income of small farmers. Raising rabbits on fish ponds is a comparatively new notion in the course of integrated farming in Bangladesh as a small enterprise for the resource poor farmers. This integration might hold promise and importance in other developing countries where resource poor farmers have to make a serious effort to integrate their various farming activities (Woynarovich 1980, Engle 1987, Gupta 1991) so as to improve their livelihoods by creating self-employment opportunities. Researchers from Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) and a non-government organization (NGO) – Jalal Nagar Development Project (JNDP) introduced rabbit farming in rural households of Mymensingh, Bangladesh in 1998. Subsequently, the Department of Animal Nutrition of BAU has carried out research on rabbit farming, nutrition and health and hygiene. As established with other livestock and poultry, it was thought that integrated rabbit-fish farming would also be technically feasible and suitable for comparatively resource-poor farmers. Therefore, the Department of Fisheries Biology and Genetics, at BAU undertook research to investigate technical and economic viability of integrated tilapia-rabbit farming. Acceptability of rabbit meat as a halal5 food by the Muslim community of Bangladesh was also assessed. The Research Two treatments with three replications were involved. Monoculture of sex reversed tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (individual weight 2.5 g; at 30,000 fingerlings/ ha) and integrated tilapia-rabbit farming at 30,000 fingerling tilapia /ha plus 1000 rabbits/ha (350 g and 410 g individual weight in the laboratory and on-farm). The study was carried out for a period of 152 days in 2004 and 2005, initially at the BAU Field Laboratory of the Faculty of Fisheries and, subsequently, at on-farm ponds at nearby Muktagacha Upazilla, Mymensingh. The average area of the selected ponds was 80 m2 with an average depth of 1.25 m. Ponds were initially treated with lime at the rate of 250 kg/ha followed by organic (cowdung 3,000 kg/ha) and inorganic fertilization (urea and triple superphosphate at 100 kg/ha each). No followup fertilizers were supplied in the control pond. Low cost and locally available materials were used for constructing rabbit sheds on the pond embankment and the
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