UTILIZATION OF WASTE WETLAND ECOSYSTEM THROUGH INTEGRATION OF FISH-CROP DIVERSIFICATION FOR ENHANCING PRODUCTIVITY AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF RURAL FARM COMMUNITIES IN INDIAN SUB-TROPICS

Wetland has a pivotal role for maintaining its ecosystem and refreshing as Nature’s kidney, recharging groundwater and over all, production of food materials for serving rural mankinds in a sustainable manner. Indian-subcontinent, particularly north-eastern part comprises 25-30% wetlands that intersected with main river system and it’s so many tributaries, predominant in Indian subtropics, mostly in Indo-Bangladesh regions. These are immense valuable, resourceful for fish-crop diversification, which are nutrient-rich underutilized valuable aquatic food crops [besides deep-water rice, others are water chestnut (Trapa bispinosa Roxb.), makhana (Euryale ferox Salisb.), water-lily (Nymphaea spp.), Colocasia etc.), practiced either as sole system or integration of fish-crop diversity, as these have out-yielding ability and remunerative, mostly preferred by rural and urban people and ultimately, sustained economic stability to millions of people in the regions. This paper deals with number of case studies, were undertaken during last 15-16 years for proper utilization of waste wetland ecosystem in different agro-ecozones on a wide sector of downtrodden resource-poor to marginal farming communities. This TOT-cum-improvised low-cost updating agro-techniques were implemented at farmers’ field on the integration of aquatic crops + fish variables for using natural resources as well as for enhancing productivity and economic viability (even >2.5 folds) at its sustainable manner. From the study it may be concluded that this improved practice is imperative to utilize this vast unused or waste wetland ecosystem, particularly north-eastern part of the country with impetuously for food, livelihood, engagement of household labours and ultimately, economic stability of rural people, who are inextricably linked with the system and sustainability as well.