Sustainable agriculture helps increase local farmers' income and promotes an integrated system of plants and aquatic products in Changsha county, Hunan province.

In last June, Yang Guangxuan, a farmer from Ansha town of Changsha county, took initiative to cultivate prawns in his paddy fields after being successfully in breeding chicken lobsters.

"In Changsha, the daily supply and demand of prawns stands at 35,000 kilograms, however, before there was no large-scale breeding enterprise in the city. Most of the prawns were purchased and transported from other cities, resulting in relatively high costs," said Yang Guangxuan, who once carried out an investigation of the local seafood market.

Having tasted the sweetness of the integrated mode of agriculture, Yang Guangxuan introduced 5 million prawn seeds from Haikou, South China's Hainan province, into 12 ponds of 200-mu (13.33 hectares) farmlands.

Aquaculture involves miscellaneous work, including periodic detection on the water quality and 24-hour patrol around the ponds, therefore Yang Guangxuan hired several farmers in poverty to help.

"Daily prawn business helps me learn the techniques of aquatic breeding and helps me improve my income," said Yang Dishun, who was in poverty before due to a disease.

Yang Dishun, along with some dozen villagers, worked in the rice and prawn farmland.

"Breeding prawns in the rice fields won't reduce the grain production, but rather contributes to a win-win result of bumper harvests in both rice and prawn yields," introduced Yang Guangxuan.

Yang Guangxuan, a farmer from Ansha town, in Changsha county, shows off a large fresh prawn. [Photo by Luo Zhan/csxrmt.com]

Paddy pests can become fodder for prawns, and in return, feces generated through the prawns can be bio-fertilizer for the rice, making up an ecological cycle for agricultural production.

Yang Guangxuan's bold innovation not only fills the gap in the local market, but also fuels the local economy.

A total of 30,000 kilograms of prawns are expected to come into the market around Sept 15, bringing about 0.9 million yuan ($137,918) to 2.1 million yuan ($321,800) based on current wholesale market price of between 60 and 70 yuan per kilogram.

Yang Guangxuan said that now he will focus on guiding more poverty-stricken villagers to engage in the sustainable agriculture and make the most of the arable lands.

In addition, Yang also launched tourism and leisure activities where Changsha residents can enjoy the pleasure of fishing shrimps and prawns.