2007 Volume 41 Issue 4 Pages 267-272
The authors describe characteristics of boro rice fields of a village in Bangladesh. Boro rice fields in the village are classified by elevation into six types, of which three are characteristic and representative, namely char, khila and maath. The lowest fields classified as char are located on the fringe of bil and are not irrigated. High yield variety rice, which is short and needs a long growing period, cannot be cultivated in char. Fields classified as khila have the top layer of soil removed to expose the clay layer which has high water retention. The soil removed is heaped up around the field to form a bund which gives these fields a characteristic external appearance. Fields classified as maath are simple fields that are fallow land dug shallowly and surrounded by a short ridge which serves as a border for these relatively large plots. Large scale earth-moving work such as that required for khila is not needed for maath and rapeseed cultivation irrigated by a power pump is followed by boro rice cultivation. Reclamation of khila brought the consciousness that the irrigation water from bil is limited and should be shared, which reflects the traditional social relationship in the village. On the other hand, reclamation of maath, in which irrigation is realized by a power pump, introduced the consciousness that irrigation water is a purchasable and economical commodity
