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dayana University's School of Agriculture has established Lodtunduh ricefield areas, in Ubid village, Gianyar, as a learning center for those interested in studying traditional Balinese farming and its centuries-old subak (traditional irrigation and farmers' organization) system.

Wayan Windia, professor of agriculture at UdayanaUniversity, explained the establishment of the area as a learning center was based on a special agreement and collaboration with local farmers.

In Lodtunduh, there are 70 farmers registered with the subak organization, who are managing around 30 hectares of rice fields.

Ubud village has been famous for its beautiful landscape and its artistic life. The village is now filled with luxury hotels, villas, restaurants built on former fertile rice fields and plantation areas.

"The idea to establish Lodtunduh was to preserve rice field areas in Ubud and more importantly its subak system," the professor explained.

Subak, which has been practiced by Balinese farmers for centuries, regulates the usage of waters for rice field irrigations. The system also allows farmers to set dates for planting seeds and to harvest the yield. Subak is closely linked with religious and traditional activities that bond the farmers in a strong communal ties.

Agricultural experts from the university have closely worked with local farmers to introduce cooperative units. Subak members automatically become the unit's members.

The cooperative units provide seeds, fertilizers and even money as capital for farmers to buy seeds. The cooperative units could also market their harvest yields.

The cooperative unit also sells staple food like sugar, flour, coffee, soaps and even school books and clothes for their families.

"Farmers are encouraged to buy they daily needs in this cooperative units since it belongs to them," Windia said adding such a system would enable farmers to meet their own needs.

Farmers are usually trapped in heavy debts because they used to borrow money from loan sharks with high interests before harvest time.

I Ketut Suamba, one of Lodtunduh Subak's coordinator, said that Subak system benefits local farmers, as well as preserving the village's food basket.

"Agriculture students and people in general can visit Lodtunduh and learn many things about traditional farming system," said Suamba, who is also a lecturer at Udayana University.

He said he received many guests, some from foreign countries, who really want to know more about Subak.

"In Bali, there are only a few areas that can maintain their Subak and rice fields because of the rapid tourist industry which eats every inch of Bali's land," Suamba said.

The 70 farmers have committed to preserve their ancestral rice fields, resisting big money offered by large-scale investors.

"This would not be easy for farmers to resist to the temptation to sell their land as done by their counterparts in Denpasar, Badung regency and other spots in Bali, which now becomes tourist sites," he said.