Lol....don't mind my post topic , funny to me also. Rice is one of the most widely consumed staple foods globally, providing sustenance for over half of the world's population. Rice cultivation is a complex process that requires careful planning, precise water management, and meticulous crop care. At first I didn't know how rice grows all I know is that I eat rice almost on a daily basis because I so much like it, but I do wonder how rice grows or where they harvest it from, I have seen other crops and I have idea of were they are been harvest but for rice it still remain a mystery to me until I was posted to Ebonyi state for my NYSC meaning national youth service corps, after coming out of orientation camp I was in a bus taking me and other corps member to NCCF family house Abakaliki so we can from there go locate our (PPA) place if primary assignment because we fall under Abakaliki and Ebonyi local government, but on my our way down to Abakaliki I saw many lands full of green plants looking like elephants grass but not as tall as elephant grass, I then beging to wonder why this plant grows everywhere to cut the long story short when we reach the NCCF family house, we were welcomed and the next day I decided to look for my PPA but on my way I keep seeing this same plant almost on every free land that has no building on it some by the road side.
No quite long it started raining because it was raining season back then, I then decided to hide somewhere till the rain stopped but I met some other persons there discussing about there farm land and that's when I got to know all these green plants have been seeing was rice, the only thing that makes is common then was because it was raining season and that's the best time to plant rice, but I still can't see any rice I then later say maybe the rice is inside the soil that when the time coming for harvesting they will just uproot it out of the ground. Lol, funny though because little do I know about rice then, there is one adage common by side i.e state, they say if you don't know how okro has been planted you will think it's been harvested home from heaven. But as time goes on I later have the understanding of how it grows and it's not been uprooted out of the ground.
Rice planting is very stressful, from land preparation, rice fields are prepared by plowing, leveling, and flooding the land to create a suitable environment for rice growth, Seed selection, high-quality rice seeds are selected based on factors like yield potential, disease resistance, and adaptability to local conditions. Nursery preparation, seeds are sown in nurseries, and seedlings are raised before being transplanted to the main field. When all these are done some then replant it somewhere else, let me give a brief explanation;
Transplantation: Seedlings are transplanted to the main field, usually 1-2 weeks after sowing.
Water management: Rice requires consistent water supply, especially during the critical growth stages. Farmers manage water levels to ensure optimal growth.
Fertilization: Fertilizers are applied to promote healthy growth and maximize yields.
Pest and disease management: Farmers monitor for pests and diseases, using integrated pest management techniques to minimize damage.
Rice cultivation is a complex process that requires careful planning, precise management, and attention to detail. By understanding the various stages of rice cultivation, farmers, policymakers, and consumers can work together to ensure sustainable rice production, improve yields, and meet the demands of a growing global population.
