Balinese man hoeing terraced wet-rice field

In the center foreground of this lush scene, a Balinese man is hoeing a wet-rice field terrace level in preparation for its next round of planting. Some terraced fields at heights above and below the farmer are flooded with water, but the man is turning dark soil in a dry field. Tall coconut trees rise from the hillside terraces in the background.As in other parts of Southeast Asia, irrigation of wet-rice terraces is organized successively down the mountainside, so that some fields are in earlier planting and harvesting stages than other fields nearby. This gravity-fed system keeps insects and other pests confined, and also uses the limited water from upstream rivers and lakes most efficiently.