Sharing Rice
Bob Hill & Peter Fredenburg

The garden of Phath Kantannam and her husband, Mai Khong, is a slice of Eden in the hardscrabble hills that crowd the Ou River in northern Laos. Young trees do not yet bear fruit, but chili, eggplant, banana, and pineapple earn a modest income. Hedgerows of legumes control erosion on this sloping hectare and provide fodder for pigs. Stream-fed ponds at the bottom of the vale nurture fish that the couple share with their children and grandchildren.
Unlike biblical Eden, this garden demands long hours of labor. The couple can spare both land and labor for the garden because their other hectare of rice paddies produces the 2.5 tons of grain that their family of six consumes each year, removing the need to devote their sloping hectare to labor-intensive upland rice. “Without rice, you can’t do anything” is a maxim in northern Laos. Their rice needs secured, Phath Kantannam and Mai Khong can pursue a wealth of options. Improving the yield and reliability of their rice paddies was their first step out of poverty. Planting their hillside garden was their second.

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ISBN: 192120608X

Price: $24.95

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