The terraced fields in the south are high up on the slopes, so how do farmers irrigate them?

Summary: The terraced fields in the south are so high up, how do farmers irrigate them?

Terraced fields are a special crop-growing pattern in southern China, and also a way to make full use of the land for production. The crop grown most often is rice. Terraced fields are generally built halfway up the mountainside, rising tier by tier in an orderly, staggered arrangement, and they look very beautiful in aerial photos. Since crops are being grown, the issue of water supply must certainly be considered, so with the terraced fields being so high up, how does the water get up there? How do the farmers irrigate?

The geographical conditions under which terraced fields come into being.

Terraced fields are most commonly seen in the south, and are almost nowhere to be seen in the north. That is because the south has abundant rainfall and many mountains, and there is not as much land suitable for cultivation as in the plains, so people in the south came up with the idea of developing the mountains and building terraced fields, especially in Guangxi and Yunnan. Moreover, not just any mountain can have terraced fields built on it; it must be convenient for storing water, have lush vegetation, have a good ecological micro-environment on the mountain body, and especially have suitable humidity.

The main methods of irrigating terraced fields.

Natural irrigation, relying on the sky for food. The south has abundant rainfall, especially in summer and autumn, when the rain is plentiful enough to fully meet the needs of rice growth. According to the growth pattern of rice, it needs sufficient water during the early transplanting stage, the tillering stage, the booting stage and other stages to ensure growth, and in the south these stages generally have rainfall to provide that. But there are also times when the rain is relatively scarce and it is difficult to sustain rice growth. At such times farmers generally use rainwater stored earlier for irrigation. When the rain is really too scarce, it affects rice yields, and in earlier times this was something people could not solve, though now technology has advanced and there are modern advanced agricultural irrigation techniques.

Adapting to local conditions and storing water for irrigation. Mountains on which terraced fields can be built generally have relatively lush vegetation, and the natural environment on the mountain forms a small ecosystem of its own, which can be self-sufficient in years with abundant rainfall. Generally, after terraced fields are built, people will, according to the location of the terraced fields and the natural conditions of the mountain body, dig water storage ponds near the terraced fields, and the mountain itself will also have springs. If the pond is dug near a spring, it can not only collect rainwater but also make use of the spring water. Later, when there is less precipitation, the water from the pond and the spring can be used for irrigation.

Digging canals and building reservoirs, diverting water for irrigation. Modern irrigation technology is relatively advanced. If rainfall is not enough to meet irrigation needs, modern irrigation technology can also be used to dig ditches around the terraced fields or directly build reservoirs, using the conditions of the mountain body to channel mountain spring water, stored rainwater or reservoir water into the terraced fields for irrigation. According to experience in the cultivation and management of terraced fields, digging ditches is the most effective irrigation method: mountain connects to mountain, ditch connects to ditch, and the ditches extend in all directions, making irrigation very convenient.

With the development of modern agricultural technology, irrigation of terraced fields has bid farewell to the model of carrying water on the shoulder and on the back, solving the farmers' difficult problem of irrigating terraced fields. Modern terraced field cultivation techniques are already very mature, and the terraced field pattern has also become a beautiful scenic line. Looking down at the terraced fields of the south, the tiers interlace, full of vitality.

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