Integrated aquaculture boosts productivity, minimizes environmental impact, and bolsters global food security. In southwest Bangladesh, the common practices of integrated rice-prawn farming are economically profitable, viable, and sustainable, offering farmers year-round cash flow compared to conventional aquaculture or agriculture. However, the growing concern is that prawn farming has been criticized to release about 1.0 MT CO2-equivalents/year, corresponding to 18.8 kg CO2e/MT prawn. Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) could provide a potential solution to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in integrated rice-prawn farms in Bangladesh. In a typical IMTA system, prawns are cultivated by allocation of feed, while extractive inorganic, such as aquatic vegetation or seaweeds, use the inorganic waste, and animals, e.g., mussels and oysters, utilize the organic waste materials.
Extractive organisms, and aquatic plants in prawn farms, can sequester blue carbon and reduce GHG emissions, mitigating climate change impacts on the environment. Besides prawns, mollusks, and plants provide sustainable food and feed options, minimize food crises, and enhance nutritional support. Aquatic plants can supplement expensive protein sources to minimize the cost of meat, milk, and other animal products. S tudies investigating the incorporation of indigenous species into prawn farms are necessary, to minimize biosecurity risk, and to protect and maintain native biodiversity and ecological processes. To popularize IMTA practices among prawn farmers, some initiatives like action research with farmers, training facilities, technical assistance , and credit support are required . The research and development organizations should collectively undertake essential steps for action research and development in conjunction with IMTA within the prawn farming region of Bangladesh, aiming to establish sustainability of this export-oriented farming system.