small rice paddy v open paddock

**the doctor** · 21-10-2009, 05:13 PM

hi please bare with me im new to this forum although i have sticky beaked for a fair while.
ok i was at the girlfriends farm a couple of times this year [ 56ks from khonkean]
they are growing rice on about 1/3rd of the place the rest is virgin bush with a few mango trees and grass for the local cattle. all the rice is grown in about 18 paddies about the size of an olympic swimming pool with a dirt mound all around seperating each other. i just couldnt understand the waste of land with all these walk ways. why not bulldoze into one or two bigger paddocks and take advantage of more ground space. and clear the unused bush and make into more rice for more income. my question ? what is the advantage of 18 small areas v larger blocks.
a tractor and harvester can work safer, easier, and quicker in open areas and this is what she tells me workes the farm.
regards to you all
mick

**Stinky** · 21-10-2009, 05:36 PM

Did you notice many industrial size tractors while you were there?
Did you get he impression that they had the money to buy a tractor?

**dirtydog** · 21-10-2009, 05:48 PM

If there is a shortage of water they can still run some plots, if it was 1 big plot they would be f[at]X4%%

**Panda** · 21-10-2009, 05:57 PM

One possibility for the multiple small areas separated by bund walls is that there may be a gentle slope on the land. Easier to level several smaller areas than one big area.

**Thetyim** · 21-10-2009, 06:35 PM

Smaller plots are usually at different levels but only a couple of inches .
When water is short you can flood the top plot for a few days and then use the same water to flood the next level down.

**DrAndy** · 21-10-2009, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by the doctor

the rest is virgin bush

pics please

as for why, I think Thetyim hit the nail on the head

if you watch them flood the fields, you will probably see they do it one by one, and the water flows downhill to the next one

**the doctor** · 21-10-2009, 08:33 PM

thanks for your replies
regards M

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