Have a rice day

The flat, coastal Mekong Delta in Vietnam's southwestern corner powers one of the biggest rice-growing economies in the world. Of its 17 million people, 80% are involved in growing, harvesting, or threshing the grain-bearing grass. The Ta Pa rice fields shown here are renowned for their vibrant and varied tints: Farmers stagger their plantings, so greener grass is younger while the yellow crop is closer to chopping time.But aren't rice fields supposed to be full of water? Not always. Traditional paddies are kept under a few inches of water at all times, but as rising seas make more of the Mekong Delta salty, freshwater is less abundant. Some farmers have updated their methods with modern soil saturation monitors, only flooding their fields when moisture levels get low.