M ien ▁cult ures . ▁It ▁was ▁spread ▁in ▁pre histor ic ▁times ▁by ▁the ▁Aust ron esian ▁expansion ▁to ▁Island ▁S out heast ▁Asia , ▁Mad agas car , ▁Mel anes ia , ▁Mic ron esia , ▁and ▁Pol yn esia . ▁The ▁technology ▁was ▁also ▁acquired ▁by ▁other ▁cult ures ▁in ▁main land ▁Asia ▁for ▁rice ▁far ming , ▁spread ing ▁to ▁East ▁Asia , ▁Main land ▁S out heast ▁Asia , ▁and ▁South ▁Asia . ▁ ▁Field s ▁can ▁be ▁built ▁into ▁ste ep ▁hills ides ▁as ▁terra ces ▁and ▁adjacent ▁to ▁de pressed ▁or ▁ste ep ly ▁s loped ▁features ▁such ▁as ▁rivers ▁or ▁mar sh es . ▁They ▁can ▁require ▁a ▁great ▁deal ▁of ▁labor ▁and ▁materials ▁to ▁create , ▁and ▁need ▁large ▁quantities ▁of ▁water ▁for ▁ir rig ation . ▁Ox en ▁and ▁water ▁buff alo , ▁adapted ▁for ▁life ▁in ▁wet lands , ▁are ▁important ▁working ▁animals ▁used ▁extens ively ▁in ▁p addy ▁field ▁far ming . ▁ ▁P addy - field ▁far ming ▁remains ▁the ▁dominant ▁form ▁of ▁growing ▁rice ▁in ▁modern ▁times . ▁It ▁is ▁pract iced ▁extens ively ▁in ▁Bang l adesh , ▁Camb odia ▁, ▁China , ▁India , ▁Indones ia , ▁Iran , ▁Japan , ▁La os , ▁Malays ia , ▁My an mar , ▁Nep al , ▁North ▁Korea , ▁Pakistan , ▁the ▁Philippines , ▁South ▁Korea , ▁Sri ▁L anka , ▁Th ailand , ▁Taiwan , ▁and ▁Vietnam . ▁It ▁has ▁also ▁been ▁introduced ▁elsewhere ▁since ▁the ▁colonial ▁era