A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. In Geography, arable land (from Latin arare, to Plough) is an agricultural term meaning land that can be used for Rice is a Cereal foodstuff which forms an important part of the diet of many people worldwide and as such it is a staple food for many Aquatic plants &mdash also called hydrophytic plants or hydrophytes &mdash are plants that have adapted to living in or on aquatic environments Rice can also be grown in dry-fields, but from the twentieth century paddy field agriculture became the dominant form of growing rice. Paddy fields are a typical feature of rice-growing countries of east, south and southeast Asia, including Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Rice is a Cereal foodstuff which forms an important part of the diet of many people worldwide and as such it is a staple food for many ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially They are also found in other rice-growing regions such as Piedmont (Italy), the Camargue (France) and the Artibonite Valley (Haiti). Piedmont ( Piemonte; Piedmontese and Occitan: Piemont; French: Piémont) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. The Camargue ( Occitan: Camarga in classical norm or Camargo in Mistralian norm is located south of Arles, France, between the Artibonite redirects here For a river in Haiti see Artibonite River.

Paddy fields can be built adjacent to otherwise natural areas such as rivers or marshes. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there In Geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of Wetland which is subject They can be constructed, often on steep hillsides with much labor and materials. Manual labour (or manual labor) is physical work done with the hands especially in an unskilled job such as fruit and vegetable picking road building or any The fields require large quantities of water for irrigation. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. Irrigation is an artificial application of water to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops Flooding provides water essential to the growth of the crop. Water also provides a favorable environment for the rice strains being grown as well as discouraging the growth of many species of weeds. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. WEED (1390 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Spanish format The water buffalo is the only draft animal adapted for life in wetlands so they are extensively used in paddy fields. A working animal is an animal that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks A wetland is an area of Land consisting of Soil that is Saturated with Moisture, such as a Swamp, Marsh, or Bog

Growing rice has an adverse environmental impact because of the large quantities of methane gas it generates. Methane is a Chemical compound with the molecular formula. It is the simplest Alkane, and the principal component of Natural gas. World methane production due to paddy fields has been estimated to be in the range of 50 to 100 million tonnes per annum. ^[1] This level of greenhouse gas generation is a large component of the global warming threat produced from an expanding human population. Greenhouse gases are gaseous constituents of the atmosphere bothnatural and anthropogenic that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of thermal infrared Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the Overpopulation refers to a condition where an Organism 's numbers exceed the Carrying capacity of its Habitat. However, recent studies have shown that methane can be significantly reduced while also boosting crop yield by draining the paddies allowing the soil to aerate, which interrupts methane production. ^[2]

The word "paddy" is derived from the Malay word padi, rice plant. The Malay language ( ISO 639-1 code MS is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people and people of other ethnic groups who reside in the ^[3]

Contents 1 History 2 Culture 2.1 Indonesia 2.2 Italy 2.3 Japan 2.4 Korea 2.5 Myanmar 2.6 Philippines 2.6.1 Banaue rice terraces 2.7 Vietnam 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links

History

Archaeologists generally accept that wet-field cultivation originated in China. At Caoxieshan, a site of the Neolithic Majiabang culture, archaeologists excavated paddy fields ^[4]. The Majiabang culture (馬家浜文化 was a Neolithic culture that existed at the mouth of the Yangtze River, primarily around the Taihu area and north Some archaeologists claim that Caoxieshan may date to 4000-3000 B. C. ^[5][6], but as of now the oldest excavated rice paddy field dated by absolute scientific dating techniques are from Korea^[7]. There is archaeological evidence that unhusked rice was stored for the military and for burial with the deceased from the Neolithic period to the Han Dynasty in China. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. ^[8]

Korean paddy-field farming is ancient. A pit-house at the Daecheon-ni site yielded carbonized rice grains and radiocarbon dates indicating that rice cultivation in dry-fields may have begun as early as the Middle Jeulmun Pottery Period (c. The Jeulmun Pottery Period is an archaeological era in Korean prehistory that dates to approximately 8000-1500 B 3500-2000 B. C. ) in the Korean Peninsula^[9]. Physical geography See also Geography of North Korea, Geography of South Korea Mountains cover 70 percent of the Korean Peninsula and arable plains are Ancient paddy fields have been carefully unearthed in Korea by institutes such as Kyungnam University Museum (KUM) of Masan. Kyungnam University is a private university located in the southern coastal city of Masan, South Korea. Masan is a city in South Gyeongsang Province South Korea. The city is situated on Masan Bay (마산만 Masan-man) approximately They excavated paddy field features at the Geumcheon-ni Site near Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. Miryang, often spelled Milyang, is a city in Gyeongsangnam-do Province South Korea. Gyeongsangnam-do (South Gyeongsang is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The paddy field feature was found next to a pit-house that is dated to the latter part of the Early Mumun Pottery Period (c. A pit-house or ( dugout is a dwelling dug into the ground which may also be layered with stone The Mumun pottery period is an Archaeological era in Korean prehistory that dates to approximately 1500-300 BC 1100-850 B. C. ). KUM has conducted excavations that have revealed similarly dated paddy field features at Yaeum-dong and Okhyeon in modern-day Greater Ulsan^[10]. Ulsan is a metropolitan city in the south-east of South Korea, facing the East Sea

The earliest Mumun features were usually located in low-lying narrow gullies that were naturally swampy and fed by the local stream system. Some Mumun paddy fields in flat areas were made of a series of squares and rectangles separated by bunds approximately 10 cm in height, while terraced paddy fields consisted of long irregular shapes that followed natural contours of the land at various levels^[11][12].

Mumun Period rice farmers used all of the elements that are present in today's paddy fields such terracing, bunds, canals, and small reservoirs. We can grasp some paddy-field farming techniques of the Middle Mumun (c. 850-550 B. C. ) from the well-preserved wooden tools excavated from archaeological rice fields at the Majeon-ni Site. However, iron tools for paddy-field farming were not introduced until sometime after 200 B. Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 C. The spatial scale of paddy-fields increased with the regular use of iron tools in the Three Kingdoms of Korea Period (c. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. The Three Kingdoms of Korea ( refer to the ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula A. D. 300/400-668).

The first paddy fields in Japan date to the Early Yayoi period^[13]. The is an era in the history of Japan from about 500 BC to 300 AD. The Early Yayoi has been re-dated and thus it appears that wet-field agriculture developed at approximately the same time as in the Korean peninsula.

In the Philippines, the use of rice paddies can be traced to prehistoric times, as evidenced in the names of towns such as Pila, Laguna, whose name can be traced to the straight mounds of dirt that form the boundaries of the rice paddy, or "Pilapil. Pila is a 4th class urban municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. " ^[14]

Wet rice cultivation in Vietnam dates back to the Neolithic Hoa Binh culture and Bac Son culture ^[15]

Culture

Indonesia

Prime Javanese paddy yields roughly 6 metric tons of unmilled rice (2. 5 metric tons of milled rice) per hectare. When irrigation is available, rice farmers typically plant Green Revolution rice varieties allowing three growing seasons per year. The Green Revolution refers to the transformation of Agriculture that began in 1945 at the request of the Mexican government to establish an agricultural research station to Since fertilizer and pesticide are relatively expensive inputs, farmers typically plant seeds in a very small plot. Three weeks following germination, the 6-8inch stalks are picked and replanted at greater separation, in a backbreaking manual procedure.

Rice harvesting in Central Java is often performed not by owners or sharecroppers of paddy, but rather by itinerant middlemen, whose small firms specialize in harvesting, transport, milling, and distribution to markets. Central Java ( Provinsi Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia. Sharecropping is a system of agriculture or agricultural production in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land (e

The fertile volcanic soil of much of the Indonesian archipelago-- and particularly the islands of Java and Bali-- has made rice a central dietary staple. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Java (Jawa is an Island of Indonesia and the site of its Capital city Jakarta. Bali is an Indonesian Island located at, the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to Steep terrain on Bali resulted in intricate cooperation systems, locally called subak, to manage water storage and drainage for rice terraces. Subak is the name of water management (irrigation system for Paddy fields on Bali island ^[16]

Italy

Rice is grown in northern Italy, especially in the valley of the river Po. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Po ( Latin: Padus, Po Ligurian: Bo, Greek: Eridanus) is a river that flows 652 km(405 miles (682 km by considering ^[17] The paddy fields are irrigated by fast-flowing streams descending from the Alps. Risotto, a rice dish flavoured with saffron is a typical dish from the rice-growing area near Milan that has now travelled around the world. Risotto is a rich and creamy traditional Italian rice dish It is one of the most common ways of Cooking rice in Italy. Saffron ( Kurdish/Persian زَعْفَرَان is a Spice derived from the dried Stigma of the Flower of the saffron crocus ( Crocus sativus Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy.

Japan

The acidic soil conditions common in Japan due to volcanic eruptions have made the paddy field the most productive farming method. A rice transplanter is a specialized transplanter fitted to transplant Rice seedlings onto Paddy field. In Computer science, ACID ( Atomicity Consistency Isolation Durability) is a set of properties that guarantee that Database transactions are Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the Paddy fields are represented by the kanji 田 (commonly read as ta) that has had a strong influence on Japanese culture. are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with Hiragana (ひらがな 平仮名 Katakana

In fact, the character 田, which originally meant 'field' in general, is used in Japan exclusively to convey the meaning 'rice paddy field'. is the fourth-largest lake in Japan, located in the middle of Fukushima Prefecture, south of Mount Bandai. One of the oldest samples of writing in Japan is widely credited to the kanji 田 found on pottery at the archaeological site of Matsusaka, Mie that dates to the late 2nd century. sometimes called Matsuzaka, is a city located in central Mie Prefecture, on the island of Honshū, Japan.

Ta (田) is used as a part of many place names as well as in many family names. Japanese place names include names for geographic features present and former administrative divisions transportation facilities such as railroad stations and historic sites Most of these places are somehow related to the paddy field and in many cases, are based on the history of a particular location. For example, where a river runs through a village, the place east of river may be called Higashida (東田), literally "east paddy field. " A place with a newly irrigated paddy field, especially those during or later than Edo period, may be called Nitta or Shinden (both 新田), "new paddy field. The, also referred to as the Tokugawa period (徳川時代 Tokugawa-jidai) is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 " In some places, lakes and marshes were likened to a paddy field and were named with ta, like Hakkōda (八甲田).

Today, many family names have ta as a component, a practice which can be largely attributed to a government edict in the early Meiji Period requiring all Japanese people to have a family name. The, or Meiji era, denotes the 45-year reign of the Meiji Emperor, running in the Gregorian calendar, from 23 October 1868 to 30 July Many chose a name based on or near the place they lived or the job they had, and with nearly three fourths of population being farmers, many made family names using ta. Some common examples are Tanaka (田中) and Nakata (中田), literally meaning "middle of paddy field," Kawada (川田), "paddy field by a river," and Furuta (古田), "old paddy field. "

Korea

Arable land in small alluvial flats of most rural river valleys in South Korea are dedicated to paddy-field farming. Farmers assess paddy fields for any necessary repairs in February. Fields may be rebuilt, and bund breaches are repaired. This work is carried out until mid-March, when warmer spring weather allows the farmer to buy or grow rice seedlings. They are transplanted (usually by hand) from the indoors into freshly flooded paddy fields in May. Farmers tend and weed their paddy fields through the summer until around the time of Chuseok, a traditional holiday held on August 15th of the Lunar Calendar (circa mid-September by Solar Calendar). Chuseok, originally known as Hangawi (한가위 (from archaic Korean for "great middle" is a major Harvest festival and a three-day holiday A lunar calendar is a Calendar that is based on cycles of the Moon phase. The harvest begins in October. Coordinating the harvest can be challenging because many Korean farmers have small paddy fields in a number of locations around their villages, and modern harvesting machines are sometimes shared between extended family members. Farmers usually dry the harvested grains in the sun before bringing them to market.

The Chinese (or Sino-Korean) character for 'field', jeon (Hangeul: 전; Hanja: 田), is found in some place names, especially small farming townships and villages. Sino-Korean or hanja-eo refers to the set of words in the Korean language vocabulary that originated from or were influenced by the Chinese language. Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. More specifically it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated However, the specific Korean term for 'paddy' is derived from Sino-Korean and is literally 'water-field' or sujeon (Hangeul: 수전; Hanja: 水田). Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. More specifically it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated

Myanmar

Rice is grown primarily in three areas - the Ayeyarwaddy Delta, the area along and the delta of the Kaladan River, and the Central plains around Mandalay. The Ayeyarwady River or Irrawaddy River ( is a River that flows from north to south of Burma (Myanmar The Kaladan River is a River of Myanmar, located in the west of the country around the Sittwe area Mandalay is the second largest city and the last royal capital of Burma (Myanmar and is the economic and cultural hub of Upper Burma Up til the later 1960s, Myanmar was the main exporter of rice. Termed the rice basket of South East Asia, much of the rice grown in Myanmar does not rely on fertilizers and pesticides, thus, although "organic" in a sense, it has been unable to cope with population growth and other rice economies which utilized fertilizers.

Rice is now grown in all the three seasons of Myanmar, though primarily in the Monsoon season - from June to October. Rice grown in the delta areas rely heavily on the river water and sedimented minerals from the northern mountains, whilst the rice grown in the central regions require irrigation from the Ayeryarwaddy River.

The fields are tilted when the first rains arrive - traditionally measured at 40 days after Thingyan, the Burmese New Year - around the beginning of June. Thingyan ( is the Burmese New Year Water Festival and usually falls around mid-April (the Burmese month of Tagu) In modern times, tractors are used, but traditionally, buffalos were employed. The rice plants are planted in nurseries and then transplanted, by hand into the prepared fields. The rice are then harvested in late November - "when the rice bends with age". Most of the rice planting and harvesting are done by hand. The rice are then trashed and stored, ready for the mills.

Philippines

Paddy fields are a common sight in the Philippines. Several vast paddy fields exists in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Cagayan, Bulacan, etc. The provinces of the Philippines are the primary administrative divisions of the Philippines. Nueva Ecija is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region Isabela is the second largest province of the Philippines next to Palawan. Cagayan is a province of the Philippines in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. This article is about the province For the municipality see Bulacan Bulacan. Nueva Ecija produces the biggest share of rice for national food security. Nueva Ecija is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region

Banaue rice terraces

Main article: Banaue Rice Terraces

The Banaue Rice Terraces are located in Northern Luzon and were built by the Ifugaos 2,000 years ago. Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important Island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country with Visayas The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP The Banaue Rice Terraces (Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banaue are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines This article refers to the province For other uses see Ifugao (disambiguation. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important Island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country with Visayas This article refers to the province For other uses see Ifugao (disambiguation. Streams and springs found in the mountains were tapped and channeled into irrigation canals that run downhill through the rice terraces. Other notable Philippine paddy fields are the Batad Rice Terraces, the Bangaan Rice Terraces, the Mayoyao Rice Terraces and the Hapao Rice Terraces. ^[18]

Located at Barangay Batad in Banaue, the Batad Rice Terraces are shaped like an amphitheatre, and can be reached by a 12-kilometer ride from Banaue Hotel and a 2-hour hike uphill through mountain trails. An amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is an open-air venue for spectator sports concerts rallies or theatrical performances The Bangaan Rice Terraces portray the typical Ifugao community, where the livelihood activities are within the village and its surroundings. The Bangaan Rice Terraces is accessible in a one-hour ride from Poblacion, Banaue, then a 20-minute trek down to the village. It can be viewed best from the road to Mayoyao. The Mayoyao Rice Terraces is located at Mayoyao, 44 kilometers away from Poblacion, Banaue. The town of Mayoyao lies in the midst of these rice terraces. All dikes are tiered with flat stones. The Hapao Rice Terraces can be reached within 55 kilometers from the capital town of Lagawe. Other Ifugao stone-walled rice terraces are located in the municipality of Hungduan. ^[18]

Vietnam

Rice fields in Vietnam (ruộng, cánh đồng or điền in Vietnamese) are the predominant land use in the valley of the Red River and the Mekong Delta). Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially There are also other rivers named Red River. The Red River, also known as the Hong - Red Song Cai, Song Ca The Mekong Delta (đồng bằng sông Cửu Long “Nine Dragon river delta” is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties In the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam, farmers must dam up (nowadays 3000 km long) against the annual flood, and it is also the necessary condition to form an alliance among Vietnamese ancient tribals to found Vietnamese people's first state. The Red River Delta ( Đồng Bằng Sông Hồng) is the flat plain formed by the Red River and its distributaries joining in the Thai Binh River in northern The Vietnamese people (người Việt or vi ''người Kinh'' are an Ethnic group originating from what is now northern Vietnam and southern China. In the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam, there is an interlacing drainage and irrigation canal system that has become the symbol of this area and impacts on the lifestyle of local people. In Northwestern Vietnam, Thai people built their "valley culture" based on the economic foundation of glutinous rice upland fields. Glutinous rice ( Oryza sativa var glutinosa or Oryza glutinosa; also called sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice

The primary festival related to rice fields is "lễ hạ điền" (Vietnamese)/"lồng tồng" (Tay language) in the first day of every crop wishing for yield more than usual. In the past, this was the official national ceremony that the King would make the first plough and people would worship Than Nong (god of agriculture), thổ địa (god of the soil), thành hoàng làng (god of the village), and thần lúa (god of rice plants).

During the Trần Dynasty, there were three kinds of rice field: ruộng quốc khố (national budget rice field) with 3 levels, ruộng thác điền with 3 levels (the name derives from a story about Lê Phụng Hiểu. The Trần Dynasty ( Vietnamese: Nhà Trần, Hán Việt: Trần Triều, 陳朝 was a Vietnamese dynasty that ruled Vietnam (at that He refused the King's present for his feat of arms but required that how far he would throw his knife, how wide of the rice field he could possess. Since then, it's become the name of rice field for rewarding Vietnamese mandarins: thác đao- abbreviation: thác- throw the knife and điền- rice field), and ruộng ao of the common people.

In Vietnamese literature, the immensity of rice field's imagined that's wide enough for flock of storks can span their wings long: "đồng lúa thẳng cánh cò bay" and the sway lightly in the wind of rice plants compared with sea wave and called "sóng lúa". Storks are large long-legged long-necked wading Birds with long stout bills, belonging to the family Ciconiidae. These describing forms are very popular and conjure tranquil memories about Vietnamese homeland.

See also

• Chinampas (Mexico)
• International Rice Research Institute (Philippines)

Notes

References

• Bale, Martin T. Archaeology of Early Agriculture in Korea: An Update on Recent Developments. Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association 21(5):77-84, 2001.

• Barnes, Gina L. Paddy Soils Now and Then. World Archaeology 22(1):1-17, 1990.

• Crawford, Gary W. and Gyoung-Ah Lee. Agricultural Origins in the Korean Peninsula. Antiquity 77(295):87-95, 2003.

• Kwak, Jong-chul. Urinara-eui Seonsa – Godae Non Bat Yugu [Dry- and Wet-field Agricultural Features of the Korean Prehistoric]. In Hanguk Nonggyeong Munhwa-eui Hyeongseong [The Formation of Agrarian Societies in Korea]: 21-73. Papers of the 25th National Meetings of the Korean Archaeological Society, Busan, 2001. The Korean Archaeological Society is a professional and scholarly association of archaeologists in the Republic of Korea.

External links

• How a paddy-field works

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