Integrated rice fish production plays an important role in the development of a diversified economy. Its economic benefits are double those obtained in monoculture under the same conditions. At present, increased crop yields depend on the application of a large amount of fertilizer. These fertilizers have increased energy consumption and production costs and polluted the environment. In the rice azolla fish ecosystem, azolla is a fertilizer and food for the fish.
Fish eat insects and weeds, and their feces fertilize the rice plants.
This reduces the need to apply chemicals because pests and diseases are minimized and soil fertility is improved. In Chang Feng Township in 1985, farmer Chen Bingcan and his family contracted 2.3 ha of farmland. They used the rice fish system and grew rice with azolla in the spring and fish in the summer and autumn. After 3 years, soil fertility had greatly improved. Pest damage was also reduced, and weeds had been reduced by 56 times.