The seasons in Sri Lanka are an alternation between sunny and rainy periods. These climatic conditions not only influence the cultivation process but also the mentality and
behavioral patterns of the people. The principal agricultural seasons are called 'yala' and 'maha'. The former which depends on the south-west monsoon extends from May
to August while the latter corresponding with north-east monsoon lasts from September to March. The general pattern of agricultural activity is attending to the preparatory work
and the sowing before the arrival of the monsoon rains. It is during the rains that the plants grow and reach maturity.
When the monsoon is over it is time for the farmers to harvest and store the fruits of their labour. Paddy cultivation takes place through the following stages. The paddy fields must be prepared for the cultivation process . They must beinundated with water and left in this condition for several weeks. The purpose of this is to soften the earth and also to allow the vegetation growing in it to rot. Then those fields are tilled. Tilling or ploughing is done using the agricultural implement known as the plough and with the help of animal traction. The animal serving that purpose is the water buffalo. The ploughing is generally done twice with a week or two in between.
This step rakes up the plants uprooting them completely. Thus lying soaked in the water, they rot and disintegrate and yield valuable compost for the soil which is nutrition for the paddy to be planted later. The ploughing leaves the surface of the field in an uneven condition full of stacked up earth. The next step is to render the surface even. This is done by dragging a long, heavy and flat plank of wood through the fields. The fields now looks glazed with a rather shiny surface. Now the farmers build bunds around them by raising little mounds on the four sides of each plot.
They then dig miniature canals in each plot to ensure supplies of water into them. These canals take on the form of geometrical patterns. They are done in such a way as to be fed with water from openings made in the bunds. Paddy can be planted in two ways. The easiest of them is sowing. Such paddy must be soaked in water for one wholeday. After this it is heaped up in a shady place and keptcovered for a few days until the seeds begin to germinate. Only then could the seeds be sown in the assigned plots.
