Rice Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.5, 267-281 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/rgg 277 machinery cannot be operated in the fields and must wait for the ducks to withdraw. This restricts the planting schedule. At the same time, some machinery and equipment specifically suitable for comprehensive rice farming are not yet perfect, such as automatic duck feeders in the field and self-propelled harvesters with fences, etc., which are still under development. In response to the problems of labor force and mechanization, the following countermeasures are recommended: First, reduce labor costs through policy support and service organizations. A professional agricultural socialization service team can be developed to provide duck management and other services to large grain farmers who are willing to carry out rice-duck co-breeding, so that farmers can "raise rice-ducks without raising ducks." Agricultural cooperatives in some places have explored unified stocking and centralized management of duck flocks, achieving intensive utilization of labor. Secondly, speed up the development and promotion of machinery and equipment related to rice-duck co-breeding. For example, the development of automatic patrol robots or drones in the field can assist in the care of ducks to achieve intelligent management; the improvement of rice transplanters and spraying drones so that they have working modes that do not harm ducks, etc. We can learn from the experience of Xingqing Family Farm and introduce a digital agriculture platform to remotely monitor and regulate the rice field environment and duck activities. Farmer Shen Yuchao plans to build a digital large-screen system that integrates smart irrigation and smart prevention and control. Farmers can check the water level in the field, the location of the ducks and other information in real time on their mobile phones and remotely operate the equipment. These measures will greatly reduce the manual intensity and attract more young people to participate. Finally, in the long run, it is necessary to cultivate a new team of compound farmers who understand both planting and breeding to improve labor productivity and technical level. The government can organize special training and technical competitions to enhance farmers’ confidence and skills in rice-duck co-breeding. Only when the degree of mechanization and intelligence improves and the labor problem is alleviated can rice-duck co-breeding be promoted and applied on a larger scale. 6.2 Consumer perception and value recognition Although rice-duck co-breeding products have high quality and ecological added value, they often face the problem of insufficient market recognition in the early stages of promotion. First, consumers have limited knowledge. Many consumers lack understanding of the concept of "duck rice" and find it difficult to understand why it is more expensive than ordinary rice. Some people think that rice is just rice, and it is difficult to tell the difference between ecologically grown and non-ecologically grown rice, so they are unwilling to pay high prices. This has led to the embarrassing situation of some farmers who adopt the rice-duck model of "good rice cannot be sold at a good price". Second, sales channels are limited. Under the rice-duck co-breeding model, the yield per unit area is often slightly reduced. If the products are not sold at a good price, it is impossible for farmers to increase their income. The current market for ecologically high-quality rice and free-range native ducks is not broad enough, and corresponding production and marketing channels need to be established and improved. For example, some regions promote duck rice through e-commerce live broadcasts, agricultural products exhibitions and other methods, which has increased product visibility, but overall, this type of market promotion is still insufficient. In order to solve the problem of market acceptance, a multi-pronged approach is needed: First, increase the science popularization of rice-duck co-breeding products. Use news media and new media platforms to tell the story of "rice-duck co-production" and promote its eco-friendly, healthy and delicious features, so that consumers can realize that "you get what you pay for" and are willing to support green products. The government and industry associations can take the lead in formulating and certifying product standards for "duck rice" and "paddy duck" to enhance consumer trust. For example, a unified ecological planting and breeding product logo should be issued, and the source of rice-duck co-breeding should be clearly identified on the packaging to improve recognition. Secondly, expand marketing models and create brand effects. Support leading enterprises or cooperatives to register regional public brands, sell products from scattered farmers under a unified brand, and open up the market with scale effects (Somsong et al., 2019). Taking Hunan as an example, the local government
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==