Indonesia Duckweed Project

Duckweed is a naturally occurring floating aquatic plant with a worldwide distribution. It is rich in proteins and carbohydrates and low in cellulose, making it easy for monogastric livestock like chickens and pigs to digest. It can substitute for soyabean and other expensive plant proteins and can be grown cheaply and quickly. Due to its speedy growth and ease of harvesting duckweed fits in well with integrated farming systems of cattle, biodigesters and fish. The Indonesia duckweed project, sponsored by HIVOS and Yayasan Rumah Energi, developed the potential of duckweed grown on bioslurry from anaerobic biodigesters to produce feed for fish and livestock which can increase the incomes of small scale rural farmers in Indonesia.