Rice is very important aspect of
Balinese life,dominating not only the country side with its luminous green terraced fields but also the relegion 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 succes as rice farmers.
These include :
- The fertility of the volcanic soil
- A high complex techology and corresponding knowledge which allows the balinese to make maximal use of environmental systems and resourse.
- An organizational system (subak) capable of co-coordinating use of man Power and resourse.
- 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 fro 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 the shade of gold,browm and green.
There are four words for rice namely"
- Padi is the growing rice plant (hence paddy fields )
- Gabah is rice after harvesting
- Beras is uncoooked grain
- Nasi is cooked rice
- As in nasi goreng( fried rice ) and nasi putih(plain rice).A rice fields 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 regulations,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 fro the allocation of water resoureces and maintenance of irrigation networks,for coordinating planting,and for insuring that all religious rituals to insure good harvests are performed.
Subak organization areusually comprised of all individuals owning land irrigated by a singles dam and major canal
The Process of Growing the Rice.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 fro cleaning and guarding canals,regulation water flew,etc)gropu votes are taken.Each subak members has one vote regardless of the size of his holding.Generally,all Subak leaders are elected by group decesion.Thus,for the entire peasant farmer's expertise in using his environment fro wet rice,withour the subak to coordinate activities its unlikely that the Sawah Sytem could ever reached its current level of pervasiveness efficiency and productivity.
Subak in bali doest 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 the subak members live in the same Banjar.On the 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 himselfin all of the Subak where his rice fields are located.
Subak irrigation system beside as an appropriate technological system,but as a cultural system as well.This phenomenin indicate thar basically subak irrigation.
Planting of the Seeds
Bundles of the rice shoots over then brought from adjacent nurseries where the seed has been sproutd.Without the aid of strings or measuring devices each sedling is precisely placed next to its neighbors,neither too close nor too distant.
History of the Traditional Rice Field
Wet rice agriculture (Sawah )in the nexus of Balinese low-land economy.This is hardy a new development.Wet rice (Huma) is mentioned in teh earliest knowm old Balinese inscription (prasasti) dated 882AD.It seem quite likely that the origin of "sawah "cultibation on Bali dates back to the beginning of the first millennium or earlier.The development of the wet rice agriculture was fostered by the abundance of water and fertile oil,and this fertility of the land has long been evoked as an explanation for Bali proddigious fields.Still,even the most fertile fields would have been exhausted after hunderss of years of used bad it not been for the Balinese farmer's ability to prepare and replenish the nutrients of the soil.
Description of wet rice farming preparatin of the soil;
Traditional fertilizer relies primarily on ash decaying organic matters,and cow manure.Peasant families have traditionally own one or more cows fro fertilizer production.The preparation of the soil is crucial in traditional methods of wet rice agriculture.After each harvest unusable matter in teh fields in burnt to provive ash,after which the field are hoed.They are then flooded;cow manure is spread over the fields,after which they are ploughhed several times.The soil is tehn worked into a fine,smooth mud,being leveled by dragging a heavy wooden bar pulled by a cow or buffalo across teh fields.
The Growth Period
The fields are carefully weeded in teh first few weeks and throughout the growth of the crop the rice's water supply is carefully regulated according to the plant's needs.The plant are also periodically inspected for insects and other pests which,if found,are quickly dealt with .During the first momth or so of growth the fields.
As the rice begins to develop heads of grain the farmer construct elaborate systems toward of the bird.Scarecrows,bamboo poles,wind-driver noise makers,flag and streamers are used to this end.As the crop ripend the farmers guards their fields around the clock to protect them from birds during the day and field mice at night.
Harvesting
The crop is harvested with the help of friends,relatives or the harvetsing association known as "seka manyi".During the rice harvest a line if harvesters will work their way across the field cutting insures a minimal amount of loss during harvest.Once all the rice is cut it is gathered into bundles,which are then carried to the farmers rice barn where it can be kept in bundles for yeras without spoilage.The bundles can be removed,threshed and hulled as needed for family consumption,or sold in the market when cash or other goods are required.
The Process of Growing the Rice
The process of the rice growing starts with the bare,dry and harvested fields.The remaining rice stalks are burnt off and the field is then liberally soaked and repeatedly ploughed.Nowadays this may be done with a mechanical,petrol-power cultivated,but often they will still use two bullocks or cattle pulling a wooden plough.Once the field is reduced to the required muddy consistency,a small corner of the field is walled off and the seedling rice is planted there.The rice is grown to a reasonable size and lifted and replanted,shoot by shoot,in the large fields have to kept in a working order and the fields have to be weeded.
