Researchers and environmental engineers in Senegal have begun an experiment to introduce tilapia and African bonytongue fish into rice paddies in the Senegal River Valley. The project, led by environmental engineer Momy Seck Ndao and Stanford disease ecologist Kayla Kauffmann, aims to determine if this integrated farming method can address food security, poverty, and disease control simultaneously.
The initiative involves 60 rice fields across the region where approximately 1,900 tilapia are being distributed. The fish serve as a natural fertilizer through their waste, which researchers expect will improve rice yields. Additionally, the fish provide a supplemental source of protein and income for local farmers after the rice harvest is complete.
A primary goal of the study is to combat schistosomiasis, a debilitating disease spread by parasitic worms that live in freshwater snails. The introduced fish are expected to prey on these snails, potentially reducing the transmission of the disease to farmers who must work in the standing water of the rice paddies. Success of the program will be measured by the resulting crop yields and the health outcomes of the local farming communities.