Agriculture, Food, and Food Security - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 126

the Green Revolution has generated quantum leaps in
crop yields, lowered consumer prices, and made jobs
available to landless unemployed. However, in some areas
labor costs have increased to the point that farmers are
forced to reduce labor inputs and use machinery and
other cultivation methods. For instance, in Thailand,
many farmers have turned to broadcast seeding (using
machines called seeders to scatter seeds over large areas)
to counter the costs of hand-planting seedlings.
In Vietnam, men and women cooperate in rice produc-
tion but women still do most of the work. Men prepare the
paddies, women plant and weed. Both maintain irrigation
and both do harvesting. Women hand-pound the grain be-
fore winnowing and drying it (Figure 5-6). However,

Figure 5-5
Here in southern China, a farmer is preparing to take his
ducks to a live bird market. Before being put into the basket,
the ducks were force-fed rice paddy water via a plastic, liter-
size, Coke bottle. The water will sustain them on their journey
and make them heavier for sale. Photograph courtesy of
B. A. Weightman.

that have not experienced avian flu outbreaks are
feeling rebound shocks in their poultry markets. Un-
til researchers discover the complexities of avian flu
infection and devise means to prevent or at least cure
it, the poultry industry will be negatively affected.

THE COST OF INNOV ATION
Innovations are generally adopted by the most innovative
but not necessarily the biggest landholders. However,
larger operators are likely to have more money and con-
nections and, therefore, easier access to loans, costlier BT
seeds, farming cooperatives, irrigation systems, and so
forth. Female-headed households and social minorities
such as low class/caste or tribal groups seldom have equal
access. Other impediments relate to environmental con-
ditions or loss of cropland to urbanization. Nevertheless,

Figure 5-6
This Vietnamese woman is winnowing rice. By tossing it into the
air , the chaff will blow away and the heavier rice will fall into the
basket below . Winnowing is regarded as women' is work.
Photograph courtesy of B. A. Weightman.