On June 17, Bali will see what may be its first ever heritage
rice-tasting competition. Seven varieties of heritage rice
--five of them from Bali -- will be competing for the title
of Tastiest Heritage Rice. Most have been grown using the
System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and all were produced
without chemicals. Farmers, tourists and curious locals are
all welcome to compare the samples and vote for their favourite
contender.
The contestants are Limboto Pari from Java, Pandan Wangi from
Flores and Hijau Gading, Angsa Jelatuk, Padi Cicih, Padi Taunan
and Gaga (dryland rice) from Bali. It’s pretty amazing
that these varieties have survived the tidal wave of hybrid
rice that has engulfed Indonesia. An informal group of Balinese
and tamu farmers have started a seed bank and are seeking
other varieties.
The event takes place on Sunday June 17 at 4 o’clock
at Sari Organic, a private experimental station for sustainable
farming techniques and food processing near Ubud. It’s
a pleasant 15 minute stroll or 5 minute bicycle or motorbike
ride through the rice fields, starting from the Abangan hill
just outside Ubud. See the map and look for a sign at the
bottom of the hill. A buffet featuring produce from the farm
will be available.
As farmers see the better yields and lower costs associated
with the SRI, they’re interested in learning the method.
I Made Chakra, a young Balinese who has been working for the
past two years to return his family’s rice fields to
chemical-free production, continues to experiment with combinations
of non-traditional rice growing. He runs two training workshops
a year on the SRI at his family farm near Ubud.
“Farmers used to be so connected to the land and had
respect for Ibu Pertiwi. They would let the land rest and
regenerate between rice harvests. We need to bring back that
sense of connection and stewardship. After the Green Revolution,
the farmers were ordered to grow as much rice as possible.
They abandoned the old tradition of rotation planting. Now
they don’t know how to grow or market anything except
hybrid white rice.”
Life was abundant in Bali’s rice fields until decades
of chemical inputs gradually leached away the topsoil and
the wildlife that lived in it. But Nature is forgiving. Two
years after chemical use was stopped and the SRI was initiated,
harvests doubled. Crabs, eels, dragonflies, snakes and legions
of busy insects have returned to the padi and are slowly rebuilding
the topsoil that was washed away by a quarter of a century
of chemical farming.
Chakra is probably the only farmer in Bali currently using
the SRI method to grow heritage Balinese rice integrating
the use of ducks for weeding, pest control and fertilization.
“I was inspired to try this method after reading Japanese
farmer Takao Furuno’s “The Power of Duck,”
he explains. “I’m still fine-tuning the modifications
using the technique with SRI. My next goal is to experiment
with a no-plowing method of growing rice.”
The economics of growing rice without chemicals are clearly
favourable. Producing hybrid rice on 25 are using chemical
inputs costs the farmer about Rp 900,000 (Rp 2.7 juta/hectare)
each harvest for seed, chemicals, labour, use of a tractor
and milling the rice. After a three and a half month growth
cycle, a good harvest would bring in about Rp 1.6 million
(many harvests are not this good). After expenses, the profit
of Rp 700,000 works out at Rp 200,000 a month. No wonder farmers’
kids are heading to the city in droves.
Growing rice by the SRI without chemical inputs and using
ducks is much more profitable, even though the growing cycle
is a month longer. The method uses only 10% as much seed.
Chakra pays Rp 15,000 for seed for his 25 are of land and
Rp 75,000 for cow manure to prime his natural fertilizer system
(he adds liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water where it
enters his fields). His ducks cost Rp 250,000 but last for
four growing cycles, which works out at Rp 62,500 per harvest.
He sold his last harvest of heritage red rice for Rp 3,270,000
(he milled it himself), so his profit was Rp 3,070,000. Add
to this his sale of duck eggs, about Rp 420,000 each harvest
cycle, and the sale of 30 fat, chemical-free ducks for Rp
35,000 each. His total profit each growing cycle is over Rp
4.5 million. (Note: He was able to sell his rice for almost
Rp 10,000/kg. If he’d sold it for half that, his profit
would still be almost twice that of his neighbour who uses
chemicals, plus he makes almost Rp 1.5 juta on the ducks.
However you crunch the numbers, he is ahead.)
Even using C64 with chemical inputs, the SRI method improves
yield. A subak group in Payangan noted that the individual
grains were fatter; a bag of hybrid C64 rice usually weighs
about 35 kg. Using the SRI, each bag weighed 47 kg. This,
in addition to harvesting twice the usual volume of rice,
has convinced the farmers to continue with the SRI. They’ll
be attending Chakra’s composting and SRI workshop June
11 and 12. He hopes to convince them to use natural fertilizers,
saving on outlays for chemicals and further adding to their
profits.
The SRI increases yield dramatically in several ways. Planting
just one seedling 30 cm apart instead of a bunch together
allows the plant to grow more strongly. (Chakra sets out the
10 day old seedlings in late afternoon, so the plantlets aren’t
stressed by the sun.) It also saves 90% of the cost of seed.
Because it doesn’t have to compete for nutrition and
sunlight, a single SRI rice plant can set over 60 (some reports
claim 100) grain-bearing shoots. The fields are flooded only
two days out of seven when the plants are young, encouraging
deep, strong roots. Manual weeding a month after planting
ensures a better crop. The ducks are released into the flooded
fields when the plants are two months old, and they take over
the weeding and fertilizing until harvest. Returning to the
traditional cycles, the field is rested and then sown in peanuts
or other legumes. This cash crop enriches the soil before
it’s planted in rice again.
Last time Chakra gave a workshop on growing rice with the
SRI, only two farmers showed interest. This time, about 50
farmers from all over Bali and 5 from Java will be attending.
An officer from the Department of Agriculture is also attending;
he’s familiar with the advantages of the SRI and very
interested in the chemical-free aspects of rice production.
Interest in sustainable rice production is growing in Bali;
Chakra had to drive to Jati Luih to buy heritage seed this
season because the usual sources were sold out. As understanding
spreads that entrepreneurial farmers can make more money,
hopefully their children will be encouraged to stay on the
land. And raising awareness of Bali’s unique heritage
rice varieties is a step in that direction.
To organize a workshop for composting or the System of Rice
Intensification, or to pre-order chemical-free heritage rice
and ducks, please contact Chakra at chakra_widia@yahoo.co.id
