I love innovations that are simple, few are simpler than this one!

 

I recently finished working on a Local Economic Development initiative in the Philippines and I learned about this fascinating practice called “Integrated Rice Duck Farming” IRDF for growing organic rice.

The essence of the process is to harness the symbiotic relationship between rice farmer, rice farm and duck. Essentially the farmer does away with sprays, weeding, pest control labour and material costs by letting a flock of ducks do all the work. The ducks wade through the rice paddies and eat the weeds and pesky snails, then they leave their droppings behind which fertilize the the crop and voila you have integrated rice duck farming and organic rice. Yields can increase by 20% or more. The practice is not without it’s challenges, but they are working on refining some of the issues.

 

The main challenge at the moment is extreme weather conditions, which threaten the survival of the ducks. Global warming may now be contributing to extreme swings in unpredictable weather which can change from extreme hot to torrential downpours in short periods of time. The ducks are challenged to cope with the extreme swings. This is challenging the other part of the business where there are increased margins on the farm. The ducks also produce eggs for sale and when mature are sold to market for their meat. Less ducks, less profit margins.

 

Despite the challenges, the farmers are committed to sticking it out insisting the benefits still outweigh the disadvantages. The farmers say they care for the ducks and are committed to finding ways to adapt to the weather conditions.


When I heard about this story I got really excited. In todays’ milieu of seeking sustainable solutions this scenario has everything going for it. An incredible story of interest - Rice Ducks who knew? Sustainable agricultural practices, increased profit margins, value added production, increased incomes for farmers, possibly addressing some poverty issues and more.

 

If this story got out properly under a well branded, premium label and marketing initiative and sold to places like Whole Foods and President’s Choice I think the product would do extremely well. 

 

Actually, I think if they could package and market this story correctly it could put this part of the Philippines on the map, help sell more rice at a premium price and likely create an agri-tourism opportunity, to grow a much broader economy – including selling the “IP” and training others in IRDF. 

 

That’s where I think there is a powerful business and economic development opportunity. I could see the “Rice Duck” story being a strong part of the marketing on a premium priced brand sold to health and eco-concious consumers. I could see the branding and story raise awareness of sustainable practices that also elevate farmers incomes and out of poverty. I could see regions like this become appellations like wine regions are that could spawn eco-tourism and agri-tourism. I could see the technology and lessons learned turned into intellectual property and resold as skills training. This economic ecosystem could become a business model for local prosperity.

 

However, one of the missing links I am learning about in economic development in the Philippines and something I discovered in Canada is that while farmers in general are really good at farming few are good at marketing. What is missing is the business mind or entrepreneur who could pull the missing pieces together. The key for this to be truly sustainable and successful is that those in the “Rice Duck” value chain get compensated fairly, ideally being financial stakeholders and benefactors in the end product. This could be achieved via a partnership, corporation, co-op or other model.

 

I am hopeful that some of these rural innovations with incredible potential to create prosperity in the Philippines find their way to market and raise the standard of living in the community, while adding to sustainable practices that are good for the planet..

 

This post originally appeared on my blog, Growing Communities by Developing Creative Rural Economies.