Northern Thailand rice systems & weeds survey, Nov. 2011

This steep slope is a rice crop field, in a swidden (slash-and-burn) system, as praticed in Northern Thailand, amongst the Karen people.

Is, who worked with us as a interpretor, holding harvested upland rainfed rice.

Threshing rice by hand lashing.

Large-scale rice processing: Threshing and winnowing.

Winnowing rice husk off of daily0dehusking of rice. Husk by-products are immediately consumed by family pig.

Project team members, surveying weed flora in swidden field. Cristina Castillo (left), Is (right).

Rice swidden field of the Karen plant. Red-flowered Amaranthus in the foreground is regarded as the "mother of the rice".

Karen farmer, with pack full of harvesting and processing tools, heading out to harvest.

Left to tight: Cristina Castillo, wife and farmer Mili (with son) , Alison Weisskopf, at local accomodation.