Rice

Area-wise, India is mostly small-scale agriculture. What corn and soybeans are to the U.S., rice and sugar cane are to India. Today we drove through kilometer after kilometer of rice cultivation. Sugar cane was next most common, but we also saw millet, cauliflower, and tomatoes being grown. There were also a few eucalyptus and casuarina plantations.

Plowing with a team of oxen -- the most common way to plow in India.

We occasionally saw mechanized farming. Note the birds soaring above the paddy.

Brahminy Kites flying above the paddies. They skim the water surface looking for fish.

More Brahminy Kites.

Planting rice

Sometimes the stubble remaining after harvest is burned off. Other times sheep and goats consume it.

An interesting pattern of half-burned rice paddies.