At the beginning of early 1990s the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU) Commission effectively focused on multifunctionality, while in Hungary this term has only been highlighted in the last few years. As a consequence of the changes in Hungary in the last 15 years pond fish farms have had to explore their potential to find out how they can diversify their activities in order to be able to produce various fish products and to provide services for which there is demand from the market and the society. The application of the multifunctional approach has proved to be a realistic option for many fish farms for their survival and sustainable development. This paper demonstrates some examples of multifunctional fish farms, which clearly shows the business opportunities lying in the diversification of farm activities.
Freshwater fish ponds, besides producing fish, function as valuable aquatic habitats, contribute to the maintenance and enrichment of the quality of the ecosystem, play an important role in water and landscape management, provide services for various recreational activities and contribute to the preservation of the cultural heritage. The multifunctional character of pond fish farming has been recognized for long time; however, recently it has also been realized that the deliberate multidirectional use of fish ponds (production, angling, recreation, education, etc.) offers additional economic benefits. Experience with the operation of multifunctional fish farms in Hungary has clearly shown that the diversification of activities is a promising alternative during the development of sustainable pond fish farming. However, further efforts are required to investigate the specificities and applicability of the various factors and also the optimal ratio between them to utilize the opportunities offered by multifunctional use of freshwater fish ponds. Research on multifunctional pond fish farming has mainly been limited to descriptions of the various functions of fish ponds, for example environmental services. However, the attitude of farm managers towards the possible multifunctional use of their farming system has never been investigated. In this study, the importance of the various existing or potential functions of a pond fish farm and their role in the future development of multifunctional pond fish farms have been investigated through the analysis of the appraisal of experienced farm managers by analytic hierarchy process. The results of the research provide empirical evidence that can be used for the elaboration of policies, development strategies, R&D and the legal frameworks needed for the sustainable development of multifunctional pond fish farming.
This article presents the history of integrated farming in aquaculture through a Hungarian case study. The development of Hungarian integrated aquaculture is aligned with global trends. In the previous millennium, the utilization of the nutrients introduced into the system was the main aspect of the integration. In Hungary, technologies that integrated fish production with growing crops and animal husbandry appeared, including for example: large-scale fish-cum-rice production; fish-cum-duck production; and integrated pig-fish farming which were introduced in the second half of the 20th century. Today, the emphasis is on integrating the use of the kind of feed where the main goal is to minimize nutrient loads in the surrounding natural ecosystems and to maximize the utilization of the unit's water resources. The various modern integrated freshwater aquaculture systems, such as intensive fish production combined with wetland, recirculation aquaculture system and multi-functional aquaculture, have proved their viability. However, the future opportunities for these systems have not always been properly recognized and acknowledged when the future of European aquaculture is discussed.
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