Agriculture and Aquaculture
Rice
The main food of South-East Asia has
become rice, once cultivated from wild grasses and the best crops grew in
shallow and slow-moving water.
At the peak of the Khmer Empire, it is estimated that farmers had planted over 50 million fields of rice. There were 3 or 4 harvests each year and the water system was essential to the growth of these crops. To keep their crops growing, as that area suffered droughts sometimes, it was vital they maintained a constant supply of water. Fish were allowed to go into the water system so there would be a plentiful amount of easily available fresh fish in their rice-growing areas. This created a successful aquaculture at Tonle Sap Lake and its surrounding rice fields. |
Trade
A key part of Khmer’s economy was
their trade in rice and fish. The Mekong River was very useful in the fact that
it allowed trade for both the north and south end of the empire. Its trading
partners grew in numbers as the empire grew larger and developed. By around
1100 CE, trade routes to South India were established and inland routes to
South-East Asia were developed. The Khmer Empire’s economy grew better and
stronger than lots of its rivials.
At times, raids and wars developed with people from Myanmar, who attempted to control the key inland routes which meant trade with the north became difficult. Due to these political instabilities, trade would have decreased in these times and an example can be seen in the 1160’s when the Burmese didn’t allow access into the Angkor area and elephant trade was blocked.
The Khmer Empire’s response was to go to war, which led to their temples receiving a lot of destruction. This seemed to indicate the economy’s agricultural base was still strong and the kings didn’t need to be careful in warfare. Rice supplied their wealth, so warfare might’ve just been carried out for the honour and image of these particular kings.
Using agriculture, the Khmer people produced food for both survivial and trade. The heart of their system was Tonle Sap Lake, which provided them with water for rice production and fishing. During the wet season which is May to October, freshwater mangroves that surround the lake are filled from the Mekong River. During the dry season, it is a shallow lake, only one to two metres deep when in the wet season, it reaches nine to eleven metres deep. The water systems and lakes of the Khmer empire had a significant and vital role to its success.
At times, raids and wars developed with people from Myanmar, who attempted to control the key inland routes which meant trade with the north became difficult. Due to these political instabilities, trade would have decreased in these times and an example can be seen in the 1160’s when the Burmese didn’t allow access into the Angkor area and elephant trade was blocked.
The Khmer Empire’s response was to go to war, which led to their temples receiving a lot of destruction. This seemed to indicate the economy’s agricultural base was still strong and the kings didn’t need to be careful in warfare. Rice supplied their wealth, so warfare might’ve just been carried out for the honour and image of these particular kings.
Using agriculture, the Khmer people produced food for both survivial and trade. The heart of their system was Tonle Sap Lake, which provided them with water for rice production and fishing. During the wet season which is May to October, freshwater mangroves that surround the lake are filled from the Mekong River. During the dry season, it is a shallow lake, only one to two metres deep when in the wet season, it reaches nine to eleven metres deep. The water systems and lakes of the Khmer empire had a significant and vital role to its success.