Fields near Saga, Japan, used for the intensive cultivation of rice. Almost all low-lying areas in Japan are used for farming, and as there is a shortage of flat land, the high-labour practice of terracing is used to irrigate successive rice fields.

A maturing rice plant. Rice requires a large amount of water and plenty of heat, in order to grow, and therefore it is generally only found in warm wet locations. It is cultivated intensively and has a high yield. Rice is a cereal that can easily support large populations and so is favoured in areas with high population pressures.

Market gardening near Cheddar, Somerset, England. The cultivated slopes face southwest so that they receive more heat from the sun, particularly in the afternoon. This area, in the southwest of England, has a mild climate as a result of the North Atlantic Drift, and the mix of clay and limestone in the bedrock helps produce fertile soil.