Growing Wet Rice

Growing wet rice take place in Asia, such as China, Japan, and India. Wet rice needs high temperatures in the growing season, at least 20°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 most of the growing period.

As a result, it is usually grow near a river in small level 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 around the fields. Then, they have to prepare the soil to make it thick and muddy. After this, they must sow the seeds in special beds and then plant the seedlings in rows in the soil. It takes about four months for the rice to ripen. 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.

Glossary :
Take place : the place where the activity is in process
Growing season : the season in which crops can be grown
Rainfall : the amount of rain that falls
Requires : to need something
Machinery : the wquipment used to do something easily
Repair : fix something broken so it work again
Soil : land
Harvest : end prodeuctof much hard work in the field