AQUACULTURE AND SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH INTEGRATED RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

Aquaculture in developing countries can improve the sustainability of small-scale farms provided that it is fully integrated with other ente rprises and household activities so as to allow farm families and comm unities to manage their natural resources effectively. This requires t he consideration of pond management and fish husbandry as means to a v ariety of ends (water storage, soil conservation and fertility, integr ated pest management, etc.), not just production of fish. This paper d iscusses the evolution of this broad Integrated Resources Management ( IRM) approach, principally with reference to the Inland Aquatic Resour ces Systems Program of ICLARM, and gives some examples of relevant act ivities in tropical developing countries, research methods and future challenges.