Javanese Rice Terrace Agriculture

Type Object Region Southeast Asia Time c. 600–700

Javanese rice terrace agriculture was a mountainous rice irrigation system developed around the 7th century in the hills of Central Java, converting …

Timeline

c. 600–650Central Java river valleys and hills · JavaWith the rise of Indianized kingdoms, South Asian rice cultivation and hydraulic knowledge reached Java by sea; local farmers began building simple terraces and water channels on gentle slopes, replacing some dry rice cultivation and slash-and-burn farming.
c. 650–700Around the Dieng Plateau, Central Java · JavaTerraces and irrigation networks became systematic, forming hierarchical water division and fallow rotation systems, providing a stable food base for Śailendra dynasty temple construction and court maintenance; the terrace landscape became a hallmark of Javanese agricultural civilization.

Sources

Agricultural Involution: The Processes of Ecological Change in Indonesia — Geertz, Clifford (1963)
Old Javanese Agriculture in the Eighth and Ninth Centuries — Christie, Jan Wisseman (1986)