▁p addy , ▁but ▁rather ▁by ▁it iner ant ▁middle men , ▁whose ▁small ▁fir ms ▁special ize ▁in ▁har vest ing , ▁transport , ▁mill ing , ▁and ▁distribution ▁to ▁mark ets . ▁ ▁The ▁fert ile ▁vol can ic ▁soil ▁of ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁Indones ian ▁arch ip el ago — and ▁particularly ▁the ▁islands ▁of ▁Java ▁and ▁B ali — has ▁made ▁rice ▁a ▁central ▁di et ary ▁st ap le . ▁ ▁Ste ep ▁terrain ▁on ▁B ali ▁resulted ▁in ▁an ▁intr icate ▁co operation ▁systems , ▁locally ▁called ▁sub ak , ▁to ▁manage ▁water ▁storage ▁and ▁d rain age ▁for ▁rice ▁terra ces . ▁ ▁Italy ▁▁ ▁R ice ▁is ▁grown ▁in ▁northern ▁Italy , ▁especially ▁in ▁the ▁valley ▁of ▁the ▁river ▁Po . ▁The ▁p addy ▁fields ▁are ▁ir rig ated ▁by ▁fast - flow ing ▁streams ▁desc ending ▁from ▁the ▁Al ps . ▁ ▁Japan ▁▁ ▁The ▁acid ic ▁soil ▁conditions ▁common ▁in ▁Japan ▁due ▁to ▁vol can ic ▁er u ptions ▁have ▁made ▁the ▁p addy ▁field ▁the ▁most ▁product ive ▁far ming ▁method . ▁P addy ▁fields ▁are ▁represented ▁by ▁the ▁kan ji ▁ ▁( comm only ▁read ▁as ▁ta ) ▁that ▁has ▁had ▁a ▁strong ▁influence ▁on ▁Japanese ▁culture . ▁ ▁In ▁fact , ▁the ▁character ▁, ▁which ▁originally ▁meant ▁' field ' ▁in ▁general , ▁is ▁used ▁in ▁Japan ▁exclus ively ▁to ▁convey ▁the ▁meaning ▁' rice ▁p addy ▁field '. ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁oldest ▁samples ▁of ▁writing ▁in ▁Japan ▁is ▁widely