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329543

Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies of Integrated Wheat-Fish Farming Practices in Egypt

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Last updated: 01 Jan 2025

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Abstract

Recent fluctuations in global and local wheat prices have sparked a growing interest in reducing the importation of this essential crop. The primary goal of this study was to assess the technical and economic aspects of wheat cultivation in integrated aquaculture-agriculture systems, as well as identifying farmer challenges and proposing strategies to address these challenges. Following the 2023 wheat harvest season, a survey was administered to wheat farmers in Kafr El-Sheikh, El-Sharqia, and El-Buhaira Governorates, with 32 respondents. The wheat production function was developed using the Cobb-Douglas production function after analyzing the data using cost-benefit analysis. The results indicate that farmers prefer cultivating winter wheat to mitigate the risks associated with the cold tolerance of the Nile tilapia and reduce their dependence on irrigation. The average cost per hectare is around USD 49, yielding a total return of USD 1,752, a net profit of USD 1,402, and an impressive return on investment of 401%. Furthermore, the production function analysis highlighted the impact of fertilizers and pest control management on wheat productivity, with seed selection playing a significant role. Labor and location, on the other hand, did not show statistically significant relationships. Despite these promising results, wheat farmers in fish ponds face several challenges hindering the expansion and improvement of this practice. These challenges include the absence of a unified fertilization program, pest-related issues, a lack of agricultural guidance, government-imposed price constraints, difficulties in balancing fish and wheat farming, high groundwater levels, and legal issues related to wheat cultivation in integrated aquaculture-agriculture systems. The study's findings provided a comprehensive set of strategies to address these challenges, aiming to promote the broader adoption of these sustainable practices to maximize returns from land and water with minimal environmental impact and contribute to food security.

DOI

10.21608/ejabf.2023.329543

Keywords

Aquaculture-integrated agriculture systems, Aquaculture systems, Sustainability, Waste-recycling, Resource use efficiency, Food security

Authors

First Name

Mahmoud M.

Last Name

Abdel-Hady et al.

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Volume

27

Article Issue

6

Related Issue

44335

Issue Date

2023-11-01

Receive Date

2023-12-11

Publish Date

2023-11-01

Page Start

621

Page End

633

Print ISSN

1110-6131

Online ISSN

2536-9814

Link

https://ejabf.journals.ekb.eg/article_329543.html

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https://ejabf.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=329543

Order

36

Type

Original Article

Type Code

103

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries

Publication Link

https://ejabf.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies of Integrated Wheat-Fish Farming Practices in Egypt

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Article

Created At

23 Dec 2024