Floating Farms

Sustainable farming ... long before our English word was invented. This was mind blowing.

Silt from the mountains run into the streams during the rainy season (autumn) and into the lake. Some of it clumps together with grass to form floating islands of green on the lake. The farmers gather this and organize it into 1 meter wide, long rows, with a small canal between each row. The islands are staked in place with bamboo shoots. The farmers tend to the rows by paddling small boats in the separating canals. The floating islands are thick enough that they will support a man standing on them as well.

One of the pics shows the farmers cutting the grass as part of the preparation for planting the crops. They grow tomatoes, garlic, and other crops. The man in the foreground, cutting grass, found the bowl of a old opium pipe. He came over and gave it to us as a gift! We asked if we could give something in return and we’re told he would be insulted if we did. Such are these amazingly friendly people.

Once we went further we came to the village where the farmers and their families lived. It has a high school, medical facility, and stores. Like all other villages here, all residents do the same thing. So everyone was a farmer here. Other villages were all silver smiths, while other villages made rice cakes , others were weavers. Astounding! Simple, resourceful, community oriented, no one better than anyone else, yet seemingly happy and content. I think they could teach us something.Read more