Annapurna Duck Project

Annapurna Farm, Auroville’s largest rice farm, has started integrating ducks into its paddy fields. The ducks reduce the labour of paddy weeding, fertilize the field, control pests by eating insects and snails, and stimulate rice plant growth by moving around the plants throughout the day, and so increase the rice yields. As a by-product Annapurna will start supplying Auroville with duck eggs. The first batch of 222 ducks has proven to work effectively. To take care of the entire six acres of paddy 1200 ducks will be required, for which the farm’s infrastructure will need to substantially enhanced.