‘Agri-nipa-aquaculture’ technology developed

Here’s a new technology that can prove viable and profitable for people in coastal areas.

Called "Agri-nipa-aquaculture technology," it combines nipa (and palm) and agricultural crops with fish production, a variation of aquasilviculture.

The study was done by S.R. Baconguis of the Los Baños-based Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB) in a one-hectare nipa-dominated wetland in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro.

It aimed to find ways to revive mangroves in degraded and abandoned fishponds, especially in areas where nipa thrives. It called for planting mangrove/nipa in 70-80 percent of the area at the center of the fishpond and in 20-30 percent open, deeper areas where fish congregate during low tide.

Water was allowed to enter during high tide to freshen the water in the fishponds, which also brought in oxygen for the fish. During low tide, the ponds were allowed to drain slowly, leaching the tannins produced by the mangrove species.

"While waiting for the nipa to be harvested for making teaching materials or sap production, the farmer harvested vegetable and other crops and fish from the pond for his food or to augment family income," Baconguis said. – RAF