Thinking fish: a prerequisite for multifunctional landscape management

HIGHLIGHTS

• Researchers call for the integration of fisheries into rice systems and irrigation schemes
• Integrated systems increase social and environmental resilience against the impacts of climate change and can preserve food and nutrition security in vulnerable communities
• Shifting from monocrop systems to multifunctional agricultural landscapes improves both biodiversity and system productivity​

Two seminars convened by WorldFish, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) at World Water Week focused on the importance of integrating fisheries in rice-dominated landscapes and reconsidering irrigation schemes in Asia. The two events, “Fish Friendly Irrigation” and “Integrated Rice Fish Systems,” highlighted the value of fisheries for local communities and the reasons why fish should be central to future agricultural landscape management.

Image credit: Majken Schmidt Søgaard