Reuse of fish pond sediments as fertilizer for fodder grass production in Bangladesh: Potential for sustainable intensification and improved nutrition

Abstract

Intensive aquaculture systems (e.g. pangasius farming) make important contributions to food security in developing countries, including Bangladesh, but are associated with a variety of negative environmental impacts, including the discharge of nutrient rich sediments into local ecosystems. The present study consists of laboratory based analysis of the nutrient content of pangasius pond sediments (PPS), a trial of the efficacy of reuse of PPS as fertilizer to produce para grass as a green fodder for dairy cattle, and a comparative assessment of the economic viability of para grass production in rice fields using PPS to support small-scale dairy farming operations, thereby removing a major constraint to the growth of commercial dairy production in Bangladesh.