Bali allocates Rp.46.9b to revitalize `subak'

The Bali provincial government has allocated Rp 46.9 billion (US$4.2 million) from the provincial budget to revitalize 2,345 subak traditional agriculture and irrigation associations on the island.

Currently there are 1,546 subak yeh managing rice paddies and another 799 subak abian managing farms.

Ida Bagus Sedhawa, head of the Bali Cultural Agency, said each subak would receive Rp 20 million (US$1,800) to revitalize and to maintain the subak system.

"This financial assistance is expected to encourage local farmers to maintain its subak organization and to prevent farmers from selling their lands to outsiders."

Bali is facing problems with decreasing agricultural lands being converted for various development projects, especially those related to the tourism and hospitality industries.

Annually, Bali loses at least 600 hectares of fertile land to make way for the construction of hotels, villas, shops and other properties.

Currently, the province has only 1,008 hectares of rice paddies and 1,456 hectares of farms.

"The drastic changes in Bali's land use have threatened the centuries-old subak system, the backbone of the island's agricultural system," Sedhawa said.

Subak deals not only with technical agricultural methods such as irrigation and plantation. It also incorporates social, cultural and religious concepts."If all farmers sell their rice paddies and plantations, subak will also die accordingly. This means one of the island's important cultural aspects will vanish."

Made Nuada, head of a subak organization in Kapal village in Badung regency, said he was thrilled to receive the financial support.