NEGBAN, Bong County, April 15 -- The vegetable and lowland rice field behind the Yan family home here should be alive with movement this time of year: young men clearing brush; laughter rising above the steady rhythm of hoes striking soil, and seedlings lined in careful rows.

By Joseph Titus Yekeryan with New Narratives

Instead, the field is quiet. Only one figure moves across the land: Kou Yan, the mother, bent low, working alone under a punishing sun. The soil is uneven, with patches left untouched. Weeds creep where rice and vegetable should be growing.

"This farm used to feed us," she said, pausing to catch her breath. "Now, we na even finish planting it. The problem is not just land. The problem is, I having no one to help me here...