Asia is rice, and there is no agriculture more indiscriminately demanding of water than rice farming. So, how does a small volcanic island keep itself so well-watered as to produce rice all year round, especially through the long seven-month dry spell from April to October?
This summer was my first experience of a Bali rainy season and all I can say is ”was that it?” Friends told me to get a good raincoat, abandon my motorcycle and be prepared to build an ark, but as I waited, and waited, nothing really happened.
Maybe my expectations were too high but it was all a bit lackluster and hardly a Biblical experience. I suppose the silver lining is that it was of great benefit to the sun-loving tourist, but man cannot live on Bintang sales alone and low lake-levels are potentially disastrous for the continuation of the island’s food supply. So how does Bali do it?
It’s no big secret, it’s all about balance, an idea central to the Balinese way of life. The answer lies in an elaborate centuries old system of irrigation and water diversion controlled by community organizations called the Subak, which consists of groups of landowners who control the flow of water in Bali to ensure the equitable and even distribution of this precious resource to all of the island’s farmers.
Over the centuries, Balinese farmers have dug tunnels, carved channels and constructed complex bamboo piping systems to divert water from the rivers and streams that flow from Bali’s crater lakes in the central highlands. This unique system combines engineering with elaborate social structures and religious elements to ensure the even distribution of water throughout all the arable land on the island.
Using gravity, water is channeled into the upper most sawah (rice field) and then drains downhill through each sawah ensuring that each farm is flooded in turn before flowing on all the way down to the sea.
The Subak is not only responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the channels, tunnels and aqueducts, but also coordinate the planting and organization of festivals and ritual offerings.
A Subak can even decide the type of rice to be grown depending on how much water is available, and in extreme cases of lower than normal water levels, can also decide as a group to grow other less water intensive crops.
Judging by the state of the weather and lack of decent rains this year, it could mean a lot more potato being offered up with your babi guling and padung over the coming months.
Let’s hope not, it tastes so much better with rice.
