The POWER of DUCK

Integrated Rice and Duck Farming

by TAKAO FURUNO

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New softcover book, 94 pages. First Edition, published 2001

This book is written by a farmer for farmers - a complete guide to integrated duck and rice farming.

10,000 Japanese rice growers have proved that rice production is not chemical dependent. Takao Furuno, a Japanese rice farmer has been producing sustainable, profitable organic rice for more than ten years. Abundantly illustrated, tabled and photographed, this book serves as a text-book for case studies and farmer-evolved natural systems.

Farmers have increased their yield by 20 to 50 percent or more in the first year. One farmer in Laos increased his income three-fold. Without a doubt, their method is a boon to Third World farmers.

You can clearly see the difference between the plants in the Aigamo duck plots and the control plots without Aigamo ducks. In fact, the ducks are so good at weeding that Third World farmers who have adopted Takao's method now have time to sit and chat instead of spending up to 240 hours per hectare in manual weeding every year. Besides, 'pests' and 'weeds' have been miraculously transformed into resources for rearing ducks.

'Organic farming need not be labour-intensive; it is fun!' says Takao Furuno emphatically.

By using human imagination and ingenuity, and by co-operating with nature rather than re-engineering it, the author has cleared yet another path for a safe, diverse and sustainable agricultural future.

From Soil and Health, New Zealand, Vol 59, No 1

Contents include:

• The theory of integrated rice and duck farming
• The practice of integrated rice and duck farming in Japan
• The potential of integrated rice and duck farming throughout Asia
• New developments in integrated rice and duck farming
• Latin names of plants
• Retaining a family farm, food security and farm income

About the author

Takao Furuno has developed and disseminated a sustainable, integrated organic rice and duck farming system. This method significantly increases yields and has been replicated in thousands of locations across Asia. Rather than using chemicals, Furuno introduces ducks into rice paddies to fertilize and strengthen rice seedlings and protect them from pests and weeds. This process boosts farmers' incomes and decreases their workload, while reducing environmental damage and increasing food security. His passion for the preservation and health of the small family farm is backed up by a deep understanding of how modern society works.

Takao Furuno's dream is to see ducks cheerfully swimming around in all the rice paddies of Japan and other Asian countries.

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The Power of Duck: Integrated Rice and Duck Farming by Takao Furuno