Stories through the Lens: Dry rice farmers of border town

November 19, 2016 - 09:00

Around this time of the year, residents of the border town Bù Gia Mập, in Southeast province of Bình Phước are busy with their dry rice harvest. Many of the town’s residents are of Stieng origin, an ethnic group with a population of 80,000, one of some fifty-plus ethnic groups in the country.

Daily grind: A woman carrying a handful of rice stems during harvest.
Viet Nam News

Around this time of the year, residents of the border town Bù Gia Mập, in the southeast province of Bình Phước are busy harvesting dry rice. Many of the town’s residents are of Stieng origin, an ethnic group with a population of 80,000.

Dry rice, which used to be cultivated on dry land and hilltops, is now grown mixed with cashew and rubber trees in large plantations. The owners of the plantations often open their lands to rice-growers for free.

The practice helps them save weed control expenses while allowing poor farmers to earn extra income, making it a win-win approach.

Team effort: Farmers harvesting dry rice in Đức Hạnh District in Bù Gia Mập.
Shake it: Local farmers sifting rice at a harvest site. — VNA/VNS Photos
Ripe: Dry rice is ready for harvest. Large cashew trees are seen in the background.
More than a handful: A farmer during rice harvest in Bù Gia Mập.

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