rice terraces
Hillside water staircases
Rice terraces are stepped agricultural platforms carved into hillsides for growing rice.
Each level holds a shallow pool of water, with the steps preventing erosion and allowing irrigation to flow downward.
Found throughout mountainous regions of Asia, they transform steep terrain into productive farmland: The rice terraces of the Philippines are considered a wonder of agricultural engineering.
- terraced fieldsTiered agricultural hillside plots
- irrigationArtificial water supply for agriculture
- water managementControlling aquatic resource distribution
- drainage systemsChannels for water removal
- flood controlPreventing destructive overflow
hydrology · Philippines · harvesting · harvest season · indigenous knowledge · ancient engineering · stone masonry · mountain slopes · retaining walls · ethnic minorities · agroforestry · water conservation · terraced · tropical climates · planting · endemic species · subsistence farming · paddy
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rice terraceswild landscape
Uncultivated natural terrain
wilderness · virgin forest · rangeland · fallow land · strip mining