Rice Farming in Nepal
76Paddy Field
The series of photos were shot in my farm, some two hundred and fifty miles west of Kathmandu.
Importance of Rice
Corn evolved in Africa, wheat in Central America, likewise rice evolved in South Asia, some say it was in Nepal. Anthropologists and botanists suggest that rice had originally evolved in the Indian sub-continent when the land mass was beginning to move towards the Tibetan plateau.
Rice is much touted food crop in many cultures and country. Emperor, marking its sanctity, plants rice sapling in Japan. Chinese use rice in religious rituals, a tradition carried since ancient times. In Nepal, inclusion of rice in two courses of meal is considered general well being of the people.
In Hindu religion, rice is prerequisite in every kind of ceremony, celebrations and rituals – in birth and death, in marriage and worshipping. Probably, of all species there is no more variation and diversity than in rice plant. It can be cultivated in the mountains or the swarms, can be as bigger as wheat or small like a cumin seed.
Tropical climate, water resources, quality of arable land makes it near to perfect for cultivating almost all kinds of food crops, and specifically rice crop, in Nepal.
Tilling Earth
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Agrarian Economy
Agriculture sector contributes more than 30 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and paddy accounts for more than 20 percent of total Agriculture GDP in Nepal. It covers around 50 percent of total cereal crop production and supplies around 40 percent of total calorie requirement for Nepalis. These figures show the importance of paddy crop to the national economy. That's why national product and annual growth rate is synchronized with agriculture sector, and more precisely the rice crop, which is the major food item.
When rice cultivation begins every monsoon, farmlands become playgrounds. Schools in the villages are closed for one month and children work in the farm making most of their vacation. Extra hands are always in demand, rice farming does not spare even the old people, there is no time to squander.
Despite the fact that paddy production has a sharp rise, Nepal is witnessing acute shortage of rice in every passing year. Thanks to the disparity in production volume and population rise. According to the United Nations Development Program, few decades ago Nepal was self sufficient in food production, but at present there is a severe food crisis. Until 1980, Nepal exported rice but now, it is rice importing country.
Lack of irrigation facility, encroachment of human settlements in arable land, lack of incentives on agriculture inputs, poor supply of chemical fertilizer, absence of subsidy are some problems faced in rice cultivation. More than that agriculture technique in Nepal has not improved in two thousand years. The same kind of wooden plough pulled by oxen and driven by human is used in farming. No surprise, why agrarian economy imports food.
Rice Planting
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Rice Harvest
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Threshing Rice
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Extremely informative...but what uncomfortable conditions. The little girl in the one photo is amazingly beautiful. Thank you for sharing this.
Beautiful and interesting hub with super pictures.I think this hub is surely going to be one of the nominees for Hub of the day. good luck! and thanks for sharing. Voted ^ and awesome.
Beautiful photo journal. Belongs in a magazine. Voted up
What an excellent article! The information is very interesting and knowledgeable and the photos are fantastic. Really, really great hub. Voted up, awesome and interesting. Good luck in the contest! P.S. I agree this is definitely magazine quality!!!
@Frank
@Ardie
@dinkan53
@catspirit
@tillsontitan
I'm blessed with your wonderful comments. Thank you very much for your generosity.
Vinaya, this is a beautiful presentation of a people and agriculture way of life. Your descriptions have brought be a new found knowledge of how rice is produced. So much work for so little harvest must be discouraging. Yet the people continue because they must. This truly belongs in a documentary.
Compelling images. The beauty of the hard working agricultural world has always fascinated me, and your snapshots here are amazing to view. Thank you for sharing. Very important images that have raised my appreciation for one of my favorite foods, rice.
Cheers~
K9
Vinaya you have done such an excellent job of explaining, the production of rice and the conditions and the lack of advancement of the progress. The photographs are enlightening and profound in their beauty.
Thank-you for the lesson in rice farming and its fabulous pictures. Although you are talking about your country specifically, farming is this back-breaking for a lot of framers in a lot of counties.It is no wonder Arizona is having so much difficulty getting Americans to take over jobs that had been done by immigrants.
Vinaya, You and I know this kind of rice cultivation which comes out beautifully in the photos. Rice along with wheat has a special place in the sub-continent. Wheat has a history dating back to Indus Valley Civilization. Your hub is full of information. Photos are like always very good.
With warm wishes,
MAKUSR
I love your images, very nice composition!
@Hypenbird, this is what hubpages is all about, you get to know about my culture and I see your world. Thanks for mentioning the word documentary.
@K9keystrokes, I can't imagine my lunch and dinner without rice. Thanks for your comment.
@mckbirdbks, you honor me with your presence.
@Flora, thanks for sharing information about Arizona. I had not noticed you have a blog. Now I'm following it.
@makusr, agriculture conditions in Nepal and India are some what similar. I had also planned to do a photo story on wheat farming but could not because I could not be in my farm when the farmers were on the trot. Thanks for sharing the information.
@onebite, thanks for your compliments.
Wow Vinaya Ghimire this is so well done. The presentation, the layout, and the writing is really excellent, so I guess next stop for you is what National Geographic? And the photos, beautiful! Did you take all these with your Cell Phone? The people are beautiful too. The landscape. We are very fortunate to have you here at Hub Pages! This is so interesting. Thank you for all your work in putting this together.Regards, snakeslane
Dear snakeslane
Did you say National Geographic...wow!
I wish I could be featured there.
Not all but some of the pictures were taken with cellphone camera. Well, you know, every time I cannot walk with a heavy camera.
Thanks for your nice compliments.
Regards
Maybe you could be Vinaya, check it out sometime. And you are very welcome.
snakeslane, so nice of you! Perhaps one day I could use your real name in acknowledgement, when I'm published in mainstream media. LOL
..thank you for this honor and privilege of seeing these most beautiful photographs and of course your noble and sacred text - and yes Jimi Hendrix, the Doors and Pink Floyd (who I saw live back in '75 playing Dark Side of the Moon) ....man, you've got good taste!
lake erie time 2:34am
Epi, wow this is a nice compliment! Thank you very much.
One of my favorite foods indeed, I love rice, mainly
Basmati and Jasmine. What a beautiful hub and the pictures are magnificent. Thank you for sharing how your people work so hard in the fields to sustain and live off your land. Rice is a staple product for many and very healthy as well.
Hello saddlerider
Fried Basmati rice is also my favorite food. Maybe I could do a recipe as my next hub.LOL
Thanks for your nice comment.
This wonderful. Very educational. I had no idea how rice was farmed.
Cardisa, I'm glad that you found this educational.
Vinaya - How in the world did I miss this hub of yours? Absolutely stunning! I am in love with the pictures that you take...so beautiful, and spiritual in a way. Voted up and beautiful. :) Blessings!
Kitty, you are such a soft spoken person. Thank you very much.
Wow! Great and awesome pictures. Rice farming can really be fun. Cool!
Dear Ubani,
I'm indebted to your generosity. Thank you very much.
Wow Vinaya,
What an amazing hub and your obvious hard work has certainly paid off.
I loved it and am bookmarking into my' Armchair Travelling' slot.
Thank you for sharing and I wish you a great day.
Eiddwen.
AMAZING Hub, Vinaya! Your rice farm is beautiful, and it is great to be given an idea of what the area looks like, since I've never been anywhere NEAR Nepal before. Thank you so much for sharing this slice of your life with us!
Hi Vinaya,
I will think of you next time I am eating rice.
Voted up up and away!
@Eiddwen, "armchair traveling" that's very nice of you.
@Simone, thanks for your compliment.
@Sueswan, that's very sonorous. Thank you.
I just loved this article. Farming is near and dear to my heart because my grandfather was a farmer. We have rice grown in the US, especially organic rice. Very popular in the food coops and Indian grocery stores. I buy it in bulk at food coop. They have so many varities there: white, brown, red, black and Native American wild rice, which is really wonderful.
Radha, thanks for sharing your story. Rice is very important in Hindu culture. Without rice, Hindu worshiping is not complete. In Nepali culture, rice is very important food.
I had no idea they grew rice in Nepal. I'm used to thinking about it as a lowland crap. Voting this Up and Interesting.
Hello alocsin, Nepal is agrarian economy which means we cultivate rice and corn. Thanks for reading my hubs every time I read yours. Thanks for leaving comment.
Another great hub with gorgeous photos. Thank you. You mentioned somewhere in the comments posting recipes. I'd enjoy that very much!
Hello Rosa, thanks for remembering my comment. I thank you from bottom of my heart for appreciating my work.
Cheers
This is yet another fantastic hub creation by you! Wow, you are so talented. Both your writing and photographs are spellbinding. Well done my friend!! I will be sharing this one. Voted up and etc.
Hello SanneL, thanks for touring my part of the world.
Thanks for your encouraging words.
You are wonderful with camera. Good job.
Dear Vinaya you are a brilliant story teller. Your photo stories are amazing
This is an excellent hub! I love the photos! Great work.
Vinaya,
Your cultural essays are extremely well-written and your photographs are excellent.
You are a great ambassador for your country of Nepal.
This is such a wonderful hub, Vinaya! You tell the story or rice farming in your country so well and your pictures are very compelling.
Viaya, I hope some day will submit this to National geographic! You have written a wealth of information that the world should know, with photographs that draw you in to your world! Amazing! Voted up and shared!
Amazing! Awesome pictures. You hubs are wonderful. Voting up and sharing. Keep writing wonderful hubs!
I really enjoyed reading about rice culture in your country. I should research rice some more. It grows green (looks like on stalks), how does it get from green to grains of rice. Is the rice at the very top of the stalk? Beautiful photos. I voted this UP, etc.
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Thank you very much for your wonderful comments.
Regards
I really don't know much about rice, even how it actually grows. Thank You for this wonderful informative hub.
Hello roc6,
You learn from me, I learn for you. This is what we do on hubpages.
Thanks for stopping by.
Regards
You have beautiful scenery surrounding your rice farm in Nepal. Thanks for showing us how that staple product is still tended and harvested in your part of the world.
In West Houston, where my husband and I live, it is very flat and this area used to contain much in the way of rice farming. There are quite a few rice dryers (tower like buildings) still standing although most are now used for other purposes. Much of the land has been taken over by housing and shopping centers.
Further west there is still some rice farming and every Fall season when the geese travel from north to south, it becomes a favorite landing spot for a rest.
Voting this hub up, interesting, useful and beautiful. Sharing with my followers and will also tweet this hub. Thanks!
Beautifully explained about rice farming in Nepal using amazing pictures. Well done. Keep it up the great work! Voted up!
Enjoyed reading your article and viewing your pictures, nice article.
I recommend these wonderful hub authors to the hub community.
http://livingpah2004.hubpages.com/
Thank you very much for your wonderful comments.
Regards
Vinaya , agriculture is still crude in Nepal ? But though it is , i can see so many values people got their..they are so industrious , resourceful and happy. As i looked into the photos my heart is floating..life in farm is so beautiful and this is a true life..life living not with abundance but with contentment and love for each other.
My salute to you for having that tremendous love to your community and family.
Dear Angel,
thank you very much for being generous with my hubs.
Cheers
Frank Atanacio Level 8 Commenter 6 months ago
Very educational if I was the judge you'd win hands down :) Good little Hub my friend :)