Reforming rice-fish culture technology in the Wuling Mountains of eastern Guizhou Province

In the past, traditional methods of rice-fish culture were used in the Wuling Mountains. Because output was very low, several reforms were undertaken to improve rice-fish culture. Depending on the type of soil, furrows, wide ditches, or pits were dug to culture fish in flat ricefields. In cold, muddy, fertile fields, rice-fish culture can be carried out in furrows and wing ditches. The ridge of the furrow is normally about 26-cm wide and the ditch about 39-cm wide and 26-33 cm deep. In muddy fields, where it is difficult to make ridges, wing ditches were introduced. The wing is 2-m wide and the ditch about 0.8-m wide and 0.5-m deep. This innovation improves soil structure, light, and temperature and increases rice production. Chapter 5 from Rice-Fish Culture in China, ed Kenneth T. MacKay (IDRC) www.idrc.org