Inle Floating Gardens

Inle Lake has a unique style of aquaculture. The Inthas live on the lake and also live off of it, thanks to their floating gardens. Intha farmers grow flowers and vegetables such as tomatoes and squash on long strips of floating land. The land is formed through the collection of tangled water hyacinth, weeds and reeds that accumulate on the rim of the lake which takes years to form a thick layer of floating land. Inthas usually go and look for a good piece of light, deep trough around the rim of the lake. Once found, they cut them into long piece and towed them by boat back to their village. Here, they were tied down to the bottom of the lake by long bamboo poles. These gardens are called Kyun myaw, Intha women cultivate vegetable on this floating garden from boat, usually working on both sides. These vegetables are a good source of income for Inthas who export them all over Shan State and Myanmar. Floating gardens can be found mostly in Nampan, Kaylar, Inchan and Zayatgyi villages.