Asian Rice Cultivation

Timeline

1. 1371–1374Suzhou–Songjiang Prefecture · JiangnanAfter the late Yuan wars, the early Ming court implemented military-agricultural colonies and tax remissions; Jiangnan farmers restored paddy fields and waterworks, planting early-maturing japonica rice in rotation with late rice. Recovered rice yields supported tax collection and grain transport northward, making the Taihu basin once again the empire's most important rice-growing region.
2. 1374–1377Kinai and the western provinces · JapanDuring the Nanboku-chō period, shugo daimyō across Japan controlled paddy fields, and farmers grew japonica rice varieties adapted to local cold and warmth. Paddy reclamation and water management were the core of the manor economy; rice served as both staple food and tribute and military ration, and rice-growing techniques spread northeast and to Kyushu with domain expansion.
3. 1377–1380Bengal delta · BengalThe Ganges delta of South Asia and Southeast Asian port cities depended on rice cultivation to sustain their populations and exports. Indica rice was widely grown in monsoon-irrigated regions, and rice was shipped by sea to Malacca, Ceylon, and elsewhere, tightly linking rice cultivation systems to Indian Ocean trade networks.