Most of the communities, and indeed some of the countries, around the Mekong rely on agriculture for the sustenance of life
and economy. The rhythm of life therefore is much dictated by harvest cycles. Rice planting and fishing are staple “crops”,
and in turn, these rely on the seasonal ebb and flow of the river, its feeders and tributaries. Around the Upper Mekong and the
Golden Triangle, cash crops grown by tribal farmers might include chilli, sesame, tea, coffee, peanut, castor and soya beans,
tobacco, and opium. Lumber, too, is harvested, sometimes employing elephants. Women play a large role in the harvesting of
rice and other plants, especially among hill tribes.

“All Hands are on the Paddy Field” talks about the cycles of the harvest in Lower Mekong. When it is time to cut the padi, there
is no time for fishing, so the fishing traps are put aside. Once the padi has been harvested, other crops can be grown while
waiting for the fields to be ready again for rice planting. Further north and inland, in Zhongdian, China, communities are also
mainly agricultural. However, because of the two-child policy for tribes in China, there are not enough people to work in
farming. So often older people, will bring cattle – yaks or cows – to grass near their homes in the mountains after sowing,
back to the fields after the harvest, and then to shelter in winter after the harvest. For me as an artist, harvest season is a
chance to catch the activity of people working - cutting, gathering, buffalo carts laden with crops.