Author:
Sandeep Aryal , Rishi Ram Kattel
, Bishal Gaire, Bhawana Kumari Subedi

Doi: 10.26480/fabm.01.2025.45.53

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

This study assesses the economic and sustainability impacts of integrated rice-duck farming (IRDF) in Bardiya District, Nepal, against the backdrop of agricultural challenges, such as labor scarcity, herbicide resistance, and high greenhouse gas emissions from conventional rice farming. Utilizing data from 120 farms, this study compares IRDF with traditional rice farming through financial viability, resource use efficiency, and technical efficiency analyses. The IRDF incurs higher initial costs (NRs. 255,633 per hectare) but yields greater returns (NRs. 524,256 per hectare) and a benefit-cost ratio of 2.05, compared to 1.22 for traditional methods. The findings revealed underutilization of labor, seeds, and ducklings by 47.25%, 91.83%, and 25%, respectively, indicating the potential for economic improvement through optimized resource use. Overutilization of feed necessitates a cost reduction of 38%. IRDF also enhances ecological sustainability by reducing chemical inputs, fostering land utilization, and supporting chemical-free rice production. The approach significantly improves socioeconomic conditions, promoting group formation, women’s decision￾making roles, and farm income. However, environmental variability and market dynamics continue to pose threats. This study recommends policy interventions to support IRDF adoption, optimize resource use, and manage external threats to benefit resource-poor farmers.