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Rice
is a very important aspect of Balinese life,
dominating not only the country side with
its luminous green terraced fields but also
the religion and culture of Bali. It is
the major crop and also the main diet of
the Balinese people.
In the history of pre-mechanized agriculture
few societies have ever achieved the high
levels of productivity characterized by
wet rice farming in Bali. It appears that
four factors are central to their success
as rice farmers.
These includes:
1. The fertility of the volcanic soil
2. A high complex technology and corresponding
knowledge which allow s the Balinese to
make maximal use of environmental systems
and resources
3. An organizational system (subak) capable
of co-coordinating use of man power and
resources.
4. A genetic strains of rice selected over
thousands of years for their diseases resistance,
productivity and beauty
About
The Rice
Rice cultivation has shaped the social landscape-
the intricate organization necessary for
growing rice is a large factor in the strength
of Bali’s community life. Rice cultivation
has also changed the environmental landscape
– terraced rice fields trip down hillsides
like steps for a giant, in shades of gold,
brown and green.
There are four words for rice namely;
1. Padi is the growing rice plant (hence
paddy fields)
2. Gabah is rice after harvesting,
3. Beras is uncooked grain
4. Nasi is cooked rice,
As in Nasi goreng (fried rice) and nasi
putih (plain rice). A rice field is called
Sawah. The whole rice field has a farmer
organization called “Subak”
 The
subak as an organization of the farmers
Wet rice agriculture, especially as practiced
in Bali, is far too complex and requires
too much regulation, particularly in coordinating
use of irrigation systems, for one farmer
to practice alone or even in conjunction
with a few others. Consequently, a highly
specialized farm of agricultural association
has evolved over the centuries in Bali to
coordinate the maximal usage of the environment
for the growing of the wet rice. These irrigation
cooperative, known as “Subak” are responsible
for the allocation of water resources, and
maintenance of irrigation networks, for
coordinating planting, and for insuring
that all religious rituals to insure good
harvests are performed.
 Subak
organizations are usually comprised of all
individuals owning land irrigated by a singles
dam and major canal. The water from a single
subak dam may be divided into dozens and
even hundreds of channels to irrigate to
terraced sawah. In determining the many
issues involved in wet rice cultivation
(when to plant, who is responsible for cleaning
and guarding canals, regulating water flow
, etc.) group votes are taken . Each Subak
member has one vote regardless of the size
of his holding. Generally, all Subak leaders
are elected by group decision.
Thus, for the entire peasant farmer’s expertise
in using his environment for wet rice, without
the subak to coordinate activities it is
unlikely that the Sawah system could ever
reached its current level of pervasiveness’
efficiency and productivity.
Subak in Bali does not belong to the Banjar
and has its own leader. The people who become
the Subak members are not always the same
people who become the Banjar members. The
Subak members are the owners or the people
who work on the rice field that getting
the water irrigation from the dams regulated
by a Subak organization. Not all of the
Subak members live in the same Banjar. On
the other hand, there could be a Banjar
member who has many rice fields in different
areas and get the water irrigation from
the dams organized by several Subaks. Therefore
this Banjar member will join himself in
all of the Subak where his rice fields are
located.
Planting of the Seeds
Bundles of the rice shoots over then brought
from adjacent nurseries where the seed has
been sprouted. Without the aid of strings
or measuring devices each seedling is precisely
placed next to its neighbors, neither too
close nor too distant.
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