Raising ducks for rice farming has recently been introduced to this area with many sustainable benefits.

The first stage involves the preparation of the land with organic fertilizers and planting the
rice. The farmers buy chicks and ducklings of different ages.
The ducklings start foraging the paddy fields during which time the plants take roots, initially for 2-4 hours a day for about a week. During this period the young ducklings are guarded against predators and straying in to other fields.Thereafter ducklings graze the fields for longer period of time, up to the paddy flowering stage which takes about 45-60 days.
The third step is to withdraw the ducks from the fields to prevent them from damaging the maturing grains; the farmers have the choice of either continuing to rear the ducks for eggs or sell them as meat.
Benefits of rice-duck farming
• Production costs are reduced as no labour is needed for weeding and application of agrochemicals;
• Rice yield improves;
• Production of duck eggs and meat increases thereby increasing the supply of nutrition in the food for the farmers’ families;
• Farmers’ income increases with two crops grown simultaneously on the same plot, per cropping season;
• Due to use of organic matters human and duck health are improved as well as environmental degradation from agro-chemicals is reduced.