To be a Hmong is to live in the mountains.

 

The Hmong have been growing poppies for opium production for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.  The poppy grows best at high elevations on alkaline soils, which has been a major factor in the location of Hmong villages.  Prior to the ninteenth century, opium was used mainly for medicinal purposes.  However, a trend toward opium addiction spurred a great demand for the drug.  To the Hmong, cultivation of the poppy became their major cash crop.   Unfortunately, they themselves are often ensnared and become addicted to opium.

 

Growing opium is extremely labor-intensive, but the labor is done by the family, and the opium harvest comes when work is not needed for other crops.  Pressure on the Hmong to stop growing opium has been partly successful in recent years.  As they shift to growing other cash crops such as coffee, soy or kidney beans, they often move to lowland areas where they can irrigate their fields.

Other Crops

The Hmong have always been subsistence farmers.  In the past, they practiced slash and burn agriculture, which meant that they had to move every few years when the fertility of their fields became exhausted.  They have begun to adopt more settled ways, and now commonly use irrigated fields and terraces to grow rice.  Their staple food crop is corn, which is still grown on upland fields, but they often practice crop rotations to maintain productivity.  They often plant legumes such as green beans and rice between rows of corn.  They also grow hemp and cotton for textile production.

 

They are also skilled at raising domestic animals.  They commonly keep pigs, chickens, horses and water buffalo.  The average Hmong family has 30-40 chickens and at least 5 pigs.