Explanation Text : Growing Wet Rice

Growing wet rice takes places in Asia, such as China, Japan and India. Wet rice needs high temperatures in the growing season, at least 20º C for 3 or 4 months, and it also needs a rainfall of about 1800 mm during that season. The rice must be under water about 150 mm deep for the most of the growing period.

As a result it is usually grown near a river in small  levels fields which are surrounded by low earth walls. The farms are usually quite small about one or two hectares in area. Although rice growing requires a lot of work very few rice farmers use machinery. This means that rice growing is labour intensive, that is to say, a lot of people have to work in the rice fields.

At the beginning of the growing season, the farmers have to repair the low earth walls aroung the fields. Then they have to prepare to soil to make it thick and muddy. After this they must sow the seeds in specials beds and then plant the seedling in rows in the soil. It takes about four months for the rice to rpen. A few weeks before harvesting, they have to remove the water from the fields. Finally the farmers harvest the rice, cutting it with a knife.

(Taken from Stepping More for Junior High School.)