History,current state,opportunities and countermeasures of Dong Nationality rice-fish agrosystem —A case study of Congjiang County,Guizhou Province

According to the literatures and field survey, rice-fish agrosystem of Dong Nationality in Southeast Guizhou Province has been in existence for over a thousand years and has played a vital role in the socio-economic development of locality. However, due to the adoption of intensive agricultural systems, especially hybrid rice cultivation, excessive use of chemicals, and advanced techniques and low comparative advantage, this traditional agricultural practice is gradually being replaced by the so-called modern agricultural systems. In this paper, the current state, opportunities and challenges of rice-fish agrosystem in Conjiang County, a typical Dong Nationality region, are analyzed based on historic facts. A number of measures for the development of ricefish agrosystem are proposed with particular emphasis on the development of policies to enhance its sustainability, listing the area as a pilot GIAHS site, drawing timely master plan for the conservation and development of the culture, searching for alternative development approaches and launching related research projects on the agrosystem.