147. To add both variety and flavor to a diet dominated by rice, people here grow a number of other crops and also keep a few animals.

148. Since, however, rice can feed more people per hectare than fruits and vegetables, these are grown in areas unsuitable for rice … either because the soil is poor or the land too difficult to irrigate.

149. In the same way no cropland is wasted on livestock. Cattle, which provide milk as well as muscle power, are grazed individually on roadsides and also fed grass cut from the embankments between terraces.

150. Pigs live off scraps that would otherwise be wasted, and chickens look after themselves.

151. Ducks are the commonest farm animal, though. They usually live for just six months, being destined for temple offerings or family ceremonies. They spend most of their time paddling through rice fields in search of frogs.

152. The ducks are watched over by a man with a flag on a pole. He uses this to indicate the area where the ducks are to feed. It’s a sign with which his flock is familiar (imprinted), and they stay close to it till it is moved.