Aquatic biodiversity and nutrition - The contribution of rice-based ecosystems

The Lao PDR is a country with a rich aquatic biodiversity in its rivers, lakes and wetlands. Rice-based ecosystems, that is, rice fields and the small water bodies in their immediate neighborhood have been less recognized as a source of aquatic animals for human nutrition and food security; they are usually seen as a source for rice only. The Laotian Government through its Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's (MAF) Living Aquatic Resources Research Center LARReC) and with support from the FAO-Netherlands Partnership Programme (FNPP) initiated a household survey in an attempt to create a suitable methodology to collect data on fish catch and consumption on a larger scale. The findings of the study clearly stress the crucial importance of rice fields as a source of aquatic foods in Lao PDR.
The video explains threats to this important source of nutrients and calls for improved management in order to ensure the productivity of rice-based ecosystems.

• Category

  Nonprofits & Activism