Paddy is the main food crop of Nepal. With the onset of monsoon season, planting of paddy all over the country begins. Nepal is not fully self-sufficient in paddy but production is increasing every year which is positive news. The main purpose of today's report is to show the difference between the paddy farming system (completely focused in plantation process) in past in Nepal and today's trending method.

Modern technology has affected every place, every region, whether it is fast or slow. Similarly, there has been a lot of technical facilitation for paddy cultivation. Remembering the past, when I was child, many people from the village used to gather to plant paddy for a single person’s land. Oxen were used to plow the fields. Halo, a wooden object that made it easier for oxen to plow. Men used to prepare the fields while women used to sow paddy seeds. Before preparing the field for planting paddy, organic manure was carried in the doko (a material used to carry agriculture related stuffs like manures and grasses, made up of bamboo) and spread in the field. People were ignorant about the use of chemical fertilizers. Rice seeds were also a native variety of the village which was not as fruitful as it is today. Since modern machines were not used, it took a lot of time. Therefore, they used to eat lunch (Dahi Chiura in Nepali, yogurt and beaten rice in English) in the field and sing songs while working so as not to get bored during the day. The main thing is that they worked in a environment friendly manner.

But the atmosphere has been changed. Nowadays tractors are available for plowing the fields so that the day-long work can be completed in a few hours. Farmers prefer to plant improved and hybrid varieties of seeds which will greatly increase the production in relatively short time period. The use of chemical fertilizers has increased tremendously. There is no need for more human manpower than before and people have started to consider eating and singing in the fields as a myth.

I have seen a lot of difference in paddy farming technology from my childhood to now. Yes, the new technology has been able to take a lot of produce from small plots of land which has made it much easier to eliminate hunger and food dependence. People have started doing business other than agriculture and the lack of human manpower in agriculture has been filled by machinery. The use of oxen and halo has become the story of the era of grandparents. It also saves time to run farming with new concept. Although there are many advantages, I also see some weaknesses and disadvantages. If we are being lured by chemical fertilizers and forgetting organic fertilizers, will the fertility of the soil remain the same forever? Earthworm and other soil organisms are dying, but we have not been able to pay attention to them. What will be the future of human resources as the use of machinery increases? Unemployment is on the rise. In the greed of planting hybrid seeds and producing more, we are working hard to eradicate native seeds. Surprisingly, oxen are no longer raised in the village because they are not used for plowing and slaughtering of them is prohibited due to religious beliefs. At the same time, our originality, traditions and culture are disappearing.

We have to grow a lot of paddy to meet the needs of today's population and also with the help of modern technology. But we also have to learn from the sacrifices of our forefathers, their hard work and their work in balancing the environment and ecological biodiversity. 

The first photo credit goes to Sarita Shrestha/Republica, which was published on https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/. This picture shows the modernization in paddy plantation in Nepal. second and third pictures describe traditional practices which is  adopted still in many parts of Nepal. The  two pictures was taken from raleighnepal.org. (https://raleighnepal.org/blog/blog_post/busy-season-bhalukhola/)