ABSTRACT
Rural aquaculture is defined, and recent trends concerning traditional and sustainable development are considered. Aquaculture practices in semi-intensive and multipurpose household ponds are described, and prospects for sustainable development are reviewed. Accounts of intensive operators transitioning to semi-intensive practices in China are reviewed, notably feed dynamics and on-farm ingredient cultivation. Promising examples from farmer practice that could inform sustainable rural aquaculture development are presented. Benefits of culturing indigenous freshwater species in Latin America and South America are reviewed. Strategies for integrated aquaculture–agriculture focusing on Argentina and Vietnam are described and opportunities and threats are noted. Traditional practices integrating aquaculture with rice farming are introduced and innovations (i.e. rice–fish systems in Egypt, ghers [trenched rice fields] in Bangladesh, System of Rice Intensification) are reviewed. Use of constructed wetlands in managing wastewater is assessed. Opportunities for aquaculture development in irrigation and hydroelectric schemes are evaluated. Prospects for culture-based fisheries and cage-based development are considered. Cage culture in the African Great Lakes region is described, and crucial aspects of carrying capacity and disease prevention are highlighted. Implications of trials comparing mixed-sex and mono-sex cage culture of tilapia are reviewed. Coldwater and highland culture systems; threats to production, notably worsening climate change impacts; and prospects for future development are discussed.
