Jan Reynolds is an award-winning author and photographer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including National Geographic, The New York Times, and Outside magazine. All seven books in her Vanishing Cultures series of photo-essays for children were recognized as Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People. Reynolds is also an avid skier, mountain climber, and adventurer. She holds the world record for women's high altitude skiing, was part of the first expedition to circumnavigate Mount Everest, and performed a solo crossing of the Himalayas. Reynolds lives with her family in Stowe, Vermont.
Cycle of Rice, Cycle of Life: A Story of Sustainable Farming
Paperback
- ISBN-13: 9781620140789
- Publisher: Lee & Low Books, Inc.
- Publication date: 04/01/2013
- Pages: 48
- Sales rank: 119,744
- Product dimensions: 10.25(w) x 9.50(h) x (d)
- Age Range: 8 - 13 Years
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On the island of Bali in Southeast Asia, rice farming is a way of life. The people live in tune with the natural rhythms and cycles of the water and the soil. Ingrained in their community and culture, rice farming connects them to the land and one another.
Balinese farmers have planted rice using an intricate system of water sharing and crop rotation for more than a thousand years. Intertwined with their spiritual, social, and day-to-day lives, this system has made Bali a leading producer of one of the world's most important crops. And because Balinese rice farming respects the balances of nature, it serves as a remarkable example of sustainable agriculture in an increasingly industrialized world.
With lush photographs and captivating text, Jan Reynolds explores the traditional world of rice farming on the beautiful island of Bali. Readers of all ages will come away with an enhanced awareness of how we farm, eat, and live today, and the effects these practices have on the world of tomorrow.
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This slim book is filled with lovely color photographs showing the people of Bali, ancient water temples, and rice in every stage of growth. It begins with an overview of the customs governing the use of water and explaining how community cooperation within the water temple system ensured that each farm got enough water to produce a plentiful harvest. The book then shows how rice was (and is) grown in Bali using traditional methods involving a fallow period and ducks. Reynolds discusses the consequences of the imposition of modern agricultural practices, such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides, on the crop, and the resulting drop in production. The final part explains how American anthropologist J. Stephen Lansing analyzed how the water temple system and traditional farming methods were more effective than the modern practices and convinced the Indonesian government to allow farmers to return to the old ways. While the text occasionally oversimplifies the subject, it does provide a fine overview of a classic anthropological study and a strong argument for sustainable farming practices. Back matter includes three Web sites, although two of them are dead links. Given the dearth of books on the topic for children, this one can serve to provide additional information for reports on Bali or on anthropological studies.-Caroline Tesauro, Radford Public Library, VA