In the lush Ziro Valley, nestled in the Eastern Himalayas, the Apatani people have been growing rice and rearing fish in the same field since the 1960s — a nature-aligned method passed down through generations.
Three varieties of rice are cultivated alongside common carp. The fish eat pests, control weeds, and stir the soil — boosting rice yields by up to 15%.
Farmers even grow nitrogen-fixing plants like azolla and lemna to nourish the water for both crops and fish.
The integrated farming is not just eco-friendly — it’s highly productive. Each hectare yields 3,000–4,000 kg of rice and 300–500 kg of fish in a single season.
The fish also help with tillering — their movement encourages rice shoots to multiply, improving harvests.
Fertiliser? All natural — livestock manure, kitchen waste, decaying plants, and leftover rice husks keep the system thriving.
Irrigation is a marvel in itself. Streams from surrounding forests are channelled through bamboo pipes and hand-dug canals to flow across the fields — efficiently and sustainably.
Fish are released just 10 days after the rice is transplanted. Bamboo fencing and dykes keep them safe and control water levels.
The first fish harvest happens in mid-July. Rice and the final fish yield are harvested between late September and mid-October.
Men and women share responsibilities. While men prepare the fields, women lead during the fish cultivation phase.
With 592 out of 715 hectares of cultivable land on the Apatani Plateau under rice–fish farming today, the sustainable marvel is now being considered for UNESCO World Heritage status.
The Apatanis show us that adapting to nature doesn’t mean controlling it — it means listening, learning, and working with it.