0 Govt to Preserve Subak Traditional Farming

The central government, in cooperation with the provincial government, will implement an integrated program to maintain and preserve subak, Bali’s traditional farming and irrigation system. The program will involve several ministries, including the Office of the Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister, the Public Works Ministry, the Education and Culture Ministry, and other relevant institutions. “The Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister will coordinate the program,” the Deputy Education and Culture Minister for Culture Wiendu Nuryanti told Bali Daily during her visit to Bali recently. 

Subak has been a central pillar of traditional Balinese society and culture for many hundreds of years. With this traditional farming system, Balinese farmers not only created an efficient and ecologically sustainable rice-growing environment but also produced one of the most aesthetic bodies of art and culture in the world. In June last year, UNESCO recognized subak as part of the world’s heritage, along with Taman Ayun Water Palace in Mengwi, Badung; the terraced rice fields in Jatiluwih, Tabanan; and Pakerisan watershed in Gianyar regency. 

Over the years, however, the subak system has been threatened by the rapidly growing tourist industry. Every year, hectares of rice paddies are converted into housing and tourist facilities. The lucrative tourist industry has grown into the economic backbone of the island, pushing aside the once powerful agricultural sector. Wiendu said that the central government would carry out many programs aiming at protecting subak, based on assessments held by Bali’s World Heritage Council, one of the organizations that played an important role in lobbying UNESCO for the inclusion the “Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: The Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy” on the world heritage list. 

“Based on the assessment, we already know the needs of the farmers. Our programs are designed to provide the basic needs for farmers and the communities,” Wiendu said. Wiendu also said that the program would emphasize how to improve the quality and quantity of the distributed water to irrigate rice fields. This irrigation program would be under the auspices of the Public Works Ministry. In addition to irrigation, the government will also focus on providing land and property tax subsidies and many other programs for farmers. “We are now designing the entire program. 

We hope that we can start implementing the program this year and continue on with it,” she added. The Head of the Bali Cultural Agency, Ketut Suastika, said that the program planned by the central government would be in line with the provincial administration and regional administrations programs. He said that the provincial government was now in the process of establishing a special board to protect and preserve subak. The board will include members of Bali’s World Heritage Council. Previously, former executive of Bali’s World Heritage Council, Alit Artha Wiguna, said that UNESCO’s acknowledgement of the subak system last June should be followed by concrete actions. 

Many farmers, he said, were burdened by high land and property taxes. They were forced to sell their rice fields to tourism developers because farming ceased to provide an adequate livelihood. The presence of luxury villas was driving land prices higher, thereby increasing the amount of taxation that landowners in the area had to pay. When a villa was built next to a rice field, the farmer had to pay a similar amount of land tax as the owner of the villa. “The tax subsidy would really help farmers and encourage them to maintain their rice fields,” Wiguna said. Besides tax subsidies, farmers also need an empowerment program to drive their economy, so that they do not have to consider selling, or need to sell, their rice fields.

source : bali daily