Growing rice

Year level: Lower primary / middle primary Learning outcomes Students develop an understanding of the time and energy required in rice production without labour saving devices Examine these photos   Rice paddy preparation in Vietnam   Women weed their rice paddy in Sri Lanka Photographer: Will Salter A Cambodian woman is harvesting her paddy rice Farmers detach paddy rice by hitting it on a piece of wood in Cambodia Farmers winnow their paddy rice in the wind in Cambodia A farmer dries his rice in the midday sun in Vietnam. Photographer: Will Salter Describe what is happening in each photo. Use grains of rice and some long seedy grass and try each of these activities. Draw and describe yourself doing one of these tasks. Put the steps in the order they would happen and try to estimate how long they would take. Discuss What steps are missing from this series of photos? How is the work being done? How long would each task take? What factors would influence the amount of time taken for each task? Who is doing the work? Is there a difference between the work that men and women do? What factors would influence the amount of energy (human, technology and environment) needed to grow rice? What might limit the size of the crop? What could a family do if they cannot produce enough to eat? How might the same work be done on an Australian farm?