Replication Data for: INTEGRATED RICE-FISH CULTURE TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION, PROFITABILITY AND FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA

In Nigeria, rice is cultivated in nearly all the agroecological zones, but the yield and share of cultivated farmland have been historically very low. Despite Nigeria being the current largest rice-producing and consuming country in Africa, nevertheless, its rice consumption demand still exceeds it local production supply, and the problem of demand-gap of rice production has persisted. It was reported that just 57% of the rice consumed in Nigeria annually is locally produced, leading to a supply deficit of about 43%. The report further shows that while the annual rice production trends in Nigeria increased from 4.7 million MT in 2017 to 4.9 million MT in 2019, the consumption trends increased from 6.7 million MT in 2017 to almost 8 million MT in 2019. Also, it was reported that the country still requires about 2.66 million metric tons of fish annually to satisfy the dietary requirements of its citizens of about 200 million population. Unfortunately, the total aggregate domestic fish supply from all sources (capture and culture fisheries) is less than 0.7 million metric tons per annum despite fish constituting about 41% of the total animal protein intake by the average Nigerian; hence, its great demand in Nigeria is inevitable. Exploring the nexus between food production and consumption through an integrated agriculture-aquaculture program can lead to more production and a sustained farming system. The farming system can potentially support the nutritional needs of vulnerable communities in a sustainable way when properly managed. Explicitly, the system is a form of mutual symbiosis, where both benefit from growing in the same ecosystem. The rice provides the fish with shelter as well as providing shade and, in turn, reduces water temperature, which creates a more suitable environment. Rice plantations decrease the concentrations of ammonia in the water as well as the total of Nitrogen present in the soil, contributing also to improving environmental conditions. Fish also benefit from the herbivorous insects that can be found on the rice by having a supplementary food source. Also, the farmer's income is improved by the integrated rice cultures with an estimated increase of over 23%, and it also benefits the farmer's nutrition requirement and diet by integrating fish protein