The Purpose
Why Study Inland Rice Fields?
Unfortunately there are few historical accounts about the technology of inland rice field construction. Historical journal entries and treatise that do describe rice growing tend to focus on tidal rice or they are second-hand accounts written well after inland rice production was out of fashion. As a result historians have written about the later tidal rice period. Similarly, archaeologists studying plantations have directed their efforts to the plantation settlements rather than the agricultural areas. Since researchers have so little understanding of the technological development of inland rice fields, it is difficult for them to explain why they are important and why some inland rice fields should be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The goals of this study were to establish a set of standard terms for describing inland fields and provide information that can help researchers assess and manage these important resources.
A view of a rice field causeway.