Nepal, June 24 -- The monsoon is erratic, thanks to the growing impact of climate change. Nonetheless, rice transplantation is in full swing across the country.

Ever-increasing plots of arable land have been abandoned, more so in the hills and mountains, as increasing numbers of people move to the cities and flatlands of the south. Those still living in the rural communities are busy in their flooded paddies, hard at work, under the constant risk of floods and mudslides, expecting a good crop in autumn.

Rice production is so vital that on Asar 15 (June 29), the prime minister, some of his Cabinet members and other senior politicians want to touch and feel the wet earth and plant rice seedlings alongside the farmers. Rice is economically...