Ducks have varying cultural values across the globe. Often times duck flocks are managed and harvested for meat, and egg production. Ducks were originally domesticated as early as 4,000 years ago in Southeast Asia (FAO, 2010). Commonly, ducks are bred together with rice. They use their feet to dig up weeds, in the process oxygenating the water and strengthening the roots of rice plants.Instead of using chemical pesticides, they are a great alternative for organic fertilizer and competitors for insects, predators, and rice weeds. This method of integration is low-cost and labor-saving, reducing environmental impacts and increasing food security at the local and regional levels.

In the United States, ducks are used similarly for their fertilizing and pest control abilities but for different types of crops. A great example of this takes place with the Cornell Small Farms Program. They grow shiitake mushrooms using agroforestry practices, meaning they grow crops underneath the canopy of an existing forest and integrate livestock. The ducks are responsible for the mushroom's health by eating damaging slugs off the plants. Additionally, duck manure helps regulate healthy soil quality. Duck meat is also seen as a delicacy here, some farmers may harvest part of their flocks for meat, yet this is still not as popular compared to Asian cultures. (Cornell Small Farms, 2014)

Depending on the season and which crops the SAP is growing at a time, pest management is always a top concern. By creating an environment ducks are naturally drawn to, this can prove to maintain the health of many crops. Ducks pest management skills can expand to invasive species as well, as Michigan is recently at threat to spotted lantern flies, which ducks eat. While both fertilization and protecting the potential biodiversity of local farms, ducks are an economic asset to be utilized.