As some of my readers may know we have some land in Northeast Thailand close to the border with Laos which is currently being used by the extended family as a rice paddy. As it is the beginning of the planting season I thought I’d explain how it is grown.
In May and early June at the start of the rainy season the tractors come and dig the pits, or paddies, and the rice is planted. These are designed to be lower lying but flat areas as the young crop needs a lot of water. This looks like a perfect season as there has been rain especially a few downpours at night. The fields are neither disastrously underwater nor are they dry. God seems to be providing the water in the natural way of things with no climate change that I can see.
The rice is harvested in November or so in waves and left in the sun to dry as that is going into the dry season. I have read that the fields can technically be planted twice per year on a with a May-November December-May rotation, but that is not done on our land. The dry winter season crop would require outside irrigation and the family seems to do pretty good natural soil regeneration practices. The field is left fallow during the dry winter months though cattle and water buffalo are able to graze on it, which I suspect strengthens the positive feedback loop.
It all seems to work out quite well without a lot of outside inputs or let’s grow oranges in Alaska or soybeans in Africa type of thinking. Trying to fit square pegs in round holes with corporate agriculture and debt cycles, increasing input costs and patented seed stocks has not worked out well for the small farmers.
This cute little piglet was following us, but then he got shy when we took the video of him
One thing they don’t seem to be as sophisticated at is USDA inspections and irrational top down edicts. The people look healthier for it.
But what jobs would we have left if we didn’t do all of that tinkering? The pay isn’t great on organic farming but the peace of mind is good to have:
workin' the land old-style. nice
You have to be resourceful and the land can prove profitable.