Ziro Valley Apatani Paddy Fish Cooperative Arunachal Pradesh

Ziro valley in the Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh is the homeland of the Apatani tribe and the site of one of the most sophisticated indigenous agro-ecological systems in the world, where Apatani farmers simultaneously cultivate wetland paddy rice and raise common carp fish in the same inundated field systems. The Apatani paddy-fish farming system designated as a globally important agricultural heritage system by FAO maintains hundreds of locally adapted paddy varieties including Emor, Mypiñ, and Myothe across the flat-bottomed valley surrounded by pine forest. The system uses no artificial pesticides, relies on natural fertility from fish waste, and has maintained food security for the Apatani community for over a thousand years. Cooperative Apatani agricultural societies manage water distribution through traditional water diversion systems. Women manage rice cultivation while men manage fish stocking. Ziro Valley hosts the Ziro Music Festival celebrating indigenous northeast cultural expression annually.