The Amazing Concept of Rice Terrace in Thailand

Thailand Rice

Traditionally, Thailand has been an agricultural economy, and the cultivation of rice using old methods continues even today. In recent times, an increasing number of tourists are showing more interest in exploring the unseen side of this country. With the rise of eco-tourism, travelers have started visiting some remote areas of the region. Thailand's history is characterized by a series of military coups that were largely peaceful. Today, the country has achieved a considerable amount of stability, thanks to its new prime minister. This has been of immense benefit to the growing tourism industry of this region, which attracts plenty of travelers every year coming from different corners of the world. Many of the country's towns and cities are favored by majority of travelers, but there are certain areas that remain rather unexplored. A very interesting aspect of Thailand tourism is the visit to farms that are created by building terraces to shore up the hillsides. People living in the hilly areas of the country pioneered this concept of farming, and thus adapted to their surrounding environment easily. Since the steep-sloping hillsides are the only option in terms of land to grow their crops on, terrace farming developed as an innovative way of cultivating rice in these areas. As a result, one can find many such farms in the remote parts of Thailand, and several tourists have taken this concept to their own countries.

Thailand Rice crops

Rice crops have been cultivated using this method since ancient times, and farmers have created several levels of farms in this process. An area that seems very inhospitable is utilized by people inhabiting the region to grow their crops in this way. A Thailand rice terrace appears more like steps on a steep slope that is extremely beautiful to look at with its rice crops swaying to the tune of winds. Water stops on the level plain, instead of flowing down the hillside. This prevents erosion of lower terraces and higher ones get enough water. In this way, water is put to good use, which would have otherwise been wasted. Vast quantities of rice which comes from Thailand are grown on such kind of terrace farms, a concept which has also been adopted by a few other Southeast Asian countries. Invention of this type of farming was made out of necessity, as people of these areas had no other way to get their food.

Thailand rice farmer carrying rice bundle.

When rice has matured slightly it called as “Baby Rice” byThailand farmers, it is cut and moved to the mud in the flooded fields. Each grain in the bundle is then stuck upright in the mud. Rice requires plenty of water to grow, and terrace farming is the best way to ensure adequate supply of water to the farms. For promoting Rice Farming Thailand Government organizes “Thailand Rice Convention” each year.

Thailand Rice Terrace

In recent times, many tour operators are coming up with innovative ways to attract tourists wanting to visit Thailand. They include tours to the areas where travelers can witness rice terraces and know more about the method by which rice is grown in such a way. People who are a part of these tours would also get the unique opportunity to interact with local farmers. In this way, a rather unusual option has been added to the itinerary that is generally offered to the tourists. Every year, plenty of tour operators or travel companies come up with excellent vacation packages for people who wish to explore Thailand.

Rice Terrace Field

Most of the exciting places to see in this country are included in these packages. On certain occasions, there are discounts or special offers that are provided for travelers, which help them to save big time while booking their tour packages. Booking of international flights, hotels and Thailand tour packages have been made easy today due to the presence of various travel websites. User-friendliness of such sites enables tourists to book their desired Thailand packages instantly without any hassles.