Sawah Bali
or direct deposit
Account Name: Yayasan Konservasi Sawah Bali
Account Number: 034 426 2353 (IDR)
Bank: BNI
Branch: Denpasar
SWIFT Code: BNINIDJADPS
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Conserving Bali's Rice Paddies and Creating New Markets for Farmers
TRAVELERS, TOURISTS + SEEKERS
Sawah Bali creates Awareness regarding Sawah (rice paddies) + Subak (900-year-
old water technology and underpinning for
Balinese Hinduism), so that YOU are able
to make better choices, in matters of healthy food and your accommodations.
1
Transition to organic and varied crops
Technical assistance for a transition back to organic, varied production
Farmers will return to organic farming methods and expand the diversity of their crops and technical assistance will be provided at each stage of the transition. This technical assistance will be sustained through multiple generations to ensure lasting success. Support will come from both domestic and international organizations and include education on everything from seed saving to vermiculture.
2
Expanded economic opportunities
Value-added product and market development
Farmers will gain opportunities for economic growth by restructuring how they farm and what they grow. We will help farmers connect directly to markets with existing demands for high-quality organic produce and heritage rice. Possibilities for a further financial boost will be developing value-added products from surplus crops.
3
Agro-tourism and mentoring
Farmstays, education and a homegrown youth movement back to the land
We are working to develop a sustainable model of agro-tourism that includes on-site education about the sawah and the subak. Tourists will have the opportunity to stay in the farmers' family compound and may choose to participate in the activities of village life, including the spiritual ceremonies surrounding rice culture.
We will invite young travelers from around the world to work and learn on the farms. An added benefit of this initiative is a volunteer farmhand will contribute to the labor-intensive transition to organic agriculture.
These tourist activities will fall in step with Balinese culture and daily life, and will immerse the volunteer into an environment very different than their own. Furthermore, this will provide direct sources of income for farming families. We will be fostering Indonesian and Balinese youth to return to the land and reimagine farming with their ideas and technology.
4
Sawah and subak conservation
Annuities are paid to multigenerational farmers to not develop their land
Sawah Bali is applying a U.S. land trust concept adapted to the framework of Balinese custom and law. This conservation tool places long-term restrictions on land use: though the land may be sold or leased, development is prohibited. Farmland owners are compensated in annual payments in return for making this agreement.
5
Ongoing land stewardship
Continued monitoring and skill-sharing helps sustain program
All conserved farms will continue to be monitored by Sawah Bali to ensure success and sustainability. Land stewardship will grow out of cooperation between the subak, village leadership and Sawah Bali.
Through the farmers' transition to organic and varied agriculture, best land use practices will be encouraged to make farms more readily adaptable to the changing climate and economic markets.
Guiding Principles
Sawah Bali listens and responds to the specific needs of farmers in Bali in a culturally sensitive, inclusive manner.
Sawah Bali operates as a legally registered yayasan (foundation) wholly controlled and managed by Balinese and Indonesians.
We build strategic partnerships with academics, technical advisors, Indonesian foundations, politicians, business consultants, communities, social entrepreneurs and the UNESCO Governing Assembly to create and share resources for overlapping objectives.
Our primary goal is to restore best land use practices for the health of the farmer and the ecosystem along with elevating the farmer's economic stature.
We employ the concept of "Gotong Royong", which translates as "working together" and refers to cooperation and mutual assistance between farmers.
We will create a greater balance between the tourism and agricultural sectors by opening new markets for farmers and developing eco- and agro-tourism programs will ensure better integration and elevate the stature of the farmers.