Many Historians and Scientists agree that Rice orginated in the Yangtze river in China, 5000 b.c
Chamap Rice orginated in south Vietnam, 800 A.D
Oryza gladhernima rice native to Africa.
The Spread of Rice
The Spread of rice
From China, rice spread to India around the same time period in which it orginated
Rice spread to the middle east(Arabia) in 2,500 b.c
Rice was indroucted to Africa in the sixteenth century
There are also some types of rice like glaherrima rice that is native to Africa.
Rice arrived in Europe from the Middle East in the 10th century.
Rice also spread to other parts of the world like Indonesia in 1,500 b.c.
Champa rice showed up in China in 977 a.d.
Rice was indrouced to the New World in 1685 via the columbia exhange.
Rice in the Colubiam Exchange
ColumbiaExhange
Spain brought rice over to Mexico/Centeral America in the 1520's
Portugal brought rice over to Brazil in the middle of the 16th centuruy.
Rice reached America in the year 1685.
Rice was a very profitable cash crop in the columbian exchange as it was traded internationally and new knoweldge on how to grow it increased the demand for rice.
Places like South Carolina grew a lot of rice becuase the environmental conditions and weather were perfect for growing rice.
Spain and Portugal profited off of rice trade. South Carolina did as well. South Carolina exported a lot of rice.
Labor Practices
Labor Impacts
When farmers from South Carolina needed seeds from Africa, the ships would also return with slaves. The slaves from Africa that had knowlege of growing rice would be forced to work in the South Carolinalian rice fields.
Colonist Farmers also took the knowedlge that these African Slaves held about growing rice to create new techhnologys, techniques, and irrgation systems for their rice.
Environmental Impacts
Envirnmonet impacts
The slaves from Africa brought Malaira via mosquitos-The slaves were immune to the mosquites that carries malaria.
Mosquites like moist, wet areas, so they would lay eggs in the puddles in the rice feilds.
Mosquitos would then bite the colonists who were not immune to malaria and there in turn was a outbreak of the diseases.
The weather and envinoment in South Carolina that was perfect for growing rice allowed for rice to become a popular export crop.
Cultural Impacts
Cultural impacts
Rice itself became a culture in the area of South Carolina and Gerogia because the colonist realized the mass profit that they could have if they grew rice and exported it.
Rice created a low country cultural within this region, the new knowdelge of how to grow rice from the African slaves also helped with the creation of the new culutre/way of life.
Rice farmers gave their slaves one task to do a day in the fields, and once they were finished with that task they could cultivate their own rice or other crop.
This lead to a rise of an underground market amongst the slaves that helped with the survival/development of the Gullah culture in this region.