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Inle’s Floating Gardens. Photo by DANIEL JULIE from 麻豆APP, France.

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Inle Floating Gardens

Inle Lake is a freshwater lake located in Shan State in Myanmar, in the Shan hills in Nyaungshwe Township.

Covering 44.9 square miles, Inle Lake is the second largest lake in Myanmar. The lake is located at 2,900 feet above sea level which is one of the highest in the country.

The average water depth is 7 feet during dry season with the deepest point being 12 feet. However, the depth of the water increases by 5 feet during the rainy season.

The lake has been a designated place of World Network of Biosphere since 2015 and is also designated as a protected Ramsar site since 2018.

The lake is unique as about 25% of its surface is covered by floating gardens with fruits and vegetables floating from the gates in the idyllic lake.

The top 10 amazing facts about Inle floating gardens include the following.

1. About 25% Of the Lake Is Covered by Floating Gardens

Floating Gardens. Photo by LBM1948.

Carefully tended gardens full of fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables cover about 25% of the lake鈥檚 surface area. An outer barrier of reeds and water hyacinth nominally protect the farmed strips.

Sometimes the reeds and water hyacinth are planted together with colorful annuals such as Cleome and Amaranthus to nominally protect the strips that are farmed.

2. The Authorities Have Restricted Further Expansion of Farming in The Lake

Farmers capture naturally occurring water hyacinth and other lake debris and using bamboo poles secure them in position in a bid to create the farming strips.

Farmers in the region are generally well off which brings with it demand for a larger surface area to do more farming. However, these farming practices involves introducing mud and other debris into the lake which enhance lake siltation and pollution.

These practices have raised concerns over silting up and pollution of the lake which could impact on the fish population negatively. 

The area of the lake under cultivation is therefore restricted by authorities to the 25% currently in use.

3. Preparation of The Farming Strips Is Done Meticulously

Garden Bed Preparation. Photo by David Stanley.

Preparation of the farming strips is done meticulously as first naturally occurring clumps of water hyacinth, lake weeds and other debris within the lake is secured to position using bamboo poles.

The farmers then drive the water hyacinth and debris into the mud at the bottom of the lake.  This is usually done in areas where the depth of the water ranges between one to five meters in depth.

After the newly created island is naturally knitted together by clumps of water hyacinth and mud, grass is grown on the surface and then is cut and burned to create a nutritious ash dressing.

The farmers then heap more clumps of water hyacinth on top together with dressings of mud.

The process is repeated until at least one meter of the farming island is above water before planting is done.

4. The Floating Gardens Produce a Wide Range of Fresh Produce

Floating Garden. Photo by Ralf-Andr茅 Lettau.

Seeds are planted in the fertile mud in the floating gardens and bamboo canes are used to support the young plants that germinate.

Fresh produce including rice, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, gourds and pulses are grown on the gardens depending on the season.

The gardens are not ideal for growing root vegetables such as onions, garlic and carrots due to the relatively shallow terrain.

 However, there is plenty of space around the shore of the lake to grow these root vegetables.

5. Inle鈥檚 Floating Gardens Produce the Finest Tomatoes in Myanmar

Inle Lake Tomatoes.Photo by Mark Fischer.

Picked while green or just blushing tomatoes are transported all over Myanmar during the 8-month growing season. Inle鈥檚 tomatoes are the finest in the country.

Inle鈥檚 tomatoes are used to make a classic Myanmar tomato salad which includes sliced tomatoes, sliced shallots and peanuts.

Sesame seed dressing is added to the mixture to make the tasty and famous Myanmar salad dish

6. Modernization Has Reduced Oxygen Content of The Water

Introduction of new seed varieties which are supposed to be better from Thailand and China and increase in modernization has increased the use of fertilizers and pesticides to manage new crop diseases.

Modernization has resulted in mushrooming of non-native water hyacinth as the pollution levels increase.

There is threat of damage to the fisheries as the oxygen content in the lake water has reduced.

7. Foreign Snails Introduced Have Reduced Farm Yields

To control the explosive growth in non-native water hyacinth, foreign snails were introduced as a biological control to eat the water hyacinth.

It was hoped that once the non-native water hyacinth is controlled, the levels of oxygen in the water would increase which would reduce the threat reduced oxygen in the water posed to local fisheries.

Unfortunately, the snails have not been discriminating in their diet.

The snails have proceeded to eat everything including the tomatoes the farmers grow and the indigenous snails in addition to the water hyacinth.

This has posed a threat to tomato yields from the gardens.

8. Farmers Glide Between Their Manmade Gardens on Top of Boats

Farmers pluck produce from patches of 鈥渓and鈥� that rise and fall with the currents while on top of boats which glide between their plots.

Tomatoes are the most successful crops that are grown in these gardens as they make up to 90 percent of total produce from the gardens.

Farmers also grow beans, cucumbers, flowers, and gourds in these gardens.

9. The Practice of Farming on Floating Gardens in The Lake Begun in the 19^th Century

Even though farming on the lake鈥檚 surface through floating gardens seems to have intensified as from the 1960s onwards, it started a long time ago.

The practice of farming on top of the lake rather than farming around it started in the 19^th century.

The farming practice has boosted the economy of the region over the years even though its currently under threat from pollution, runoff of the lake and other climate changed related issues.

10. The Floating Gardens Are Resistant to Floating

A lot of manual labor goes into making the floating gardens beds. Farmers gather lake bottom weeds from the deeper parts of the lake including water hyacinth and carry them to garden areas.

The water hyacinth and lake bottom weeds are made into floating garden beds using large bamboo poles as anchors.

The gardens are resistant to flooding as they rise and fall with changes in the water level. 

These gardens are incredibly fertile due to the constant availability of nutrient-laden water