Bali Box

Bali, famed for its multi-tiered paddy fields and strong agricultural society, will have fewer farmers and a small new generation of farmers leaving the island's agricultural sector in dire straits, a census revealed.

The agriculture census has been recently completed by Bali Statistics Agency.

The census revealed that in the 10-year period between 2003 and 2013, farming households in Bali decreased by around 83,494 households, or 8,400 households every year, an annual decrease of 1.84 percent.

In 2003, Bali had 491,725 farming households, while 10 years later, in 2013, that had fallen to only 408,229 households.

Luh Kartini, professor of agriculture at Udayana University, said that Bali's tourism used art, culture and tradition as famous lures.

"But the real essence of Balinese culture is based on the island's agricultural society," the professor said, adding that spiritual and cultural tourism would be soon lose ground.

"Such tourism will not exist in the future," stated Kartini.

"Balinese Hindus perform entire rituals to pay their respects to the earth and its abundant harvests," she said.

The present reality was dismaying as farmers and the agricultural sector received inadequate attention and protection from downstream to upstream, the scholar argued.

The government, she said, should assist the farmers, ranging from the procurement and distribution of seeds and fertilizers, to pre- and post-harvest handling, including marketing harvests.

"Rocketing prices for food, cost of living and education have forced farmers to leave their profession to find other jobs," noted Kartini.

To make things worse, farmers were selling their land to outside investors, who would later convert it into business and housing complexes.

"When the rice fields are sold, farmers will stop performing rituals related to their properties—meaning that the tradition will be extinct forever," the professor said.

Pan Marwan is one of the poor farmers possessing only less than one hectare of paddy field (2,500 square meters) in Badung regency.

"I have had to gradually sell part of my rice field because of the burden of daily necessities," Marwan said. The farmer said he could not afford to send his children to school if he worked as a farmer.

"Now with a smaller plot of land, I cannot grow paddy. I have had to change to fast-growing crops, like seasonal fruit and vegetables. This also means that we do not have to perform elaborate rituals related to subak tradition,"
Marwan said.

In Balinese agricultural society, farmers are required to conduct rituals at every step of their cultivation process. The day they sow the seeds must start with certain rituals. During harvest season, the rituals are much more elaborate.

In other prominent areas, like Tabanan and Gianyar, the island's rice baskets, the number of people willing to work in the agricultural sector is also decreasing sharply.

The rapid growth of the tourism and business sectors has led to many farmers giving up their ancestral lands.

In Denpasar, only 6,000 households are still working their land.

The agriculture census has been conducted six times across Indonesia.

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via bali - Google News www.thejakartapost. com/bali-daily/2013-09-25/bali-have-fewer-farmers-coming-years-census.html

Bali's just opened delMango Villa Estate might incorporate traditional materials such as recycled teak, bamboo and volcanic stone but the aesthetic is resolutely contemporary, defined by  curvy white walls, avant-garde furniture, in-room iPads and hand-woven Japanese fabrics.
 
Acclaimed Balinese architect Yoka Sara has combined with interior designer Nobuyuki Narabayashi (a former creative director at the pioneering Japanese design group Super Potato), to create an eco-oasis — and one of the Design Hotels group's newest members — in the heart of buzzy Seminyak.
 
Twelve self-contained villas are linked by recycled timber decks and each features a well-equipped kitchen, private swimming pool and garden, and luxe bathroom complete with a tub built for two and indoor/outdoor monsoon showers.

 
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Villas are available in one, two and three-bedroom configurations and some can be linked by a sliding wall panel on the pool deck to provide a very large, more sociable space for families or groups of friends.
 
Bedrooms are air-conditioned and include a king-sized bed, 42-inch smart TV, complimentary WiFi and the services of a 24/7 concierge.
 
An all-day dining restaurant is located on the upper floor of the main reception building, a sexy, curved structure made almost entirely from bamboo.
 
WHERE TO EAT
Executive chef Ida Bagus Alit Sugiarta, who began his career with Aman Resorts in Bali more than two decades ago, oversees the Estate's all-day dining MANGOlia Restaurant, specialising in Indonesian and vegetarian fare. Signature dishes include sop bontut (oxtail soup) and black garlic risotto. And don't miss the pastries.
 
Out and about, check out SIP, a charming French brasserie on Jalan Raya Seminyak or DeJaVu on Jalan Arjuna. Just around the corner from the Estate you'll find a small Sumatran warung (casual food stall) that's very popular with expats.
 
DON'T MISS
Unwinding in the spa where a specialist magnetic resonance therapy, full body fish spa and aquatic stretching treatment are just some of the innovative menu options. Take home some mango-infused lotions. (The spa building opens October but in the meantime in-villa treatments are available.)
 
STAND-OUT FEATURE
The private pools are non-chlorinated and lined with Java stone. Timber decks are recycled and each villa garden is shaded, as the retreat's name suggests, by a mango tree.
 
CONCIERGE'S TIP
Bad hair day? Pop by Manik, the only Australian-owned and operated hair salon in Bali.
 
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Villas from $US350 plus tax.
More: + 62 361 73 11 78; www.designhotels. com.
 
 
   
via bali - www.theaustralian. com. au/travel/delmango-villa-estate-bali/story-fnd548ar-1226706659809

Indonesia knows good relations between our two countries are critical at this time throughout the region, and particularly as both the US and China are now positioning themselves as the regional superpower.

The danger for Australia's new government, however, is that Indonesia has a democratic electoral system as robust as that in Australia. As Indonesia now heads into its own national pre-election period, a "turn back the boats" policy could easily become a strong point of nationalism in Indonesia used by opposition parties, for domestic political purposes, to portray Australia as the big and arrogant southern neighbour.

And the suggestion by Abbott that Australia would buy old fishing boats and pay village wardens to "dob in" people-smugglers is seen by most Indonesians - including senior government officials - as silly and quite offensive.

Abbott will therefore need to handle this matter with great skill and diplomacy because at some stage, if the Coalition desires to build a deeper relationship with this emerging giant of 240 million people on our doorstep, the focus will need to move beyond not only the "boats", but also beyond the other two dominant issues that suck oxygen out of the larger and more significant issues facing our two countries: beef and Bali.

The term "Beef, Boats and Bali" was coined on the recent ABC Q&A program was filmed live in Jakarta. It was a phrase that did in a way summarise how many Australians see our relationship with Indonesia; a relationship built upon misperceptions, fear and a narrow community mindset trapped in a 20-year-old time warp.

The Prime Minister and his Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, may therefore, as a first step, take a look at a snapshot of how Australians view today's Indonesia. The recent survey conducted within Australia by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade revealed a community perception of Indonesia that is insightful but disturbing in its misunderstanding of our near neighbour:

* 50 per cent see Indonesia as a military threat to Australia.

* 53 per cent see Indonesia as having an undemocratic political system.

* 50 per cent see Indonesia as having laws based on the Islamic code.

* 20 per cent of Australians see Bali as an independent nation, and the two words most associated with Indonesia were "holidays" and "Muslims".

Ironically, very few Australians see Indonesia as it really is: the absolute opposite of the above. These misperceptions are often fuelled by politicians who seem to focus only on the "three Bs", and also some sections of our electronic media, who appear interested only in the latest Bali holiday disaster.

The second thing Bishop should consider doing is to attend the inaugural Conference of Australia & Indonesia Youth in Canberra next month.

Thirty youth leaders from both countries will attend this event, which has the appropriate title, "Our turn to decide". They are right, as these young people can provide our Foreign Minister with an honest and achievable vision for the future, and some good starting points.

These could include making it easier for youth to move more freely between our respective shores; to be able to work, holiday and learn without bureaucratic red tape that makes it simply too hard at present for many young people.

We need to see how more young people from Indonesia can undertake temporary work here in the hospitality and tourism sectors, and how young Australians can live and study in Indonesia.

In this regard the Coalition's reverse Colombo Plan is an excellent initiative. As part of the review of our foreign aid budget for Indonesia, we need to ensure the focus is on how to lift the living standards and education of young people. Indonesia is already No 3 in the world for Facebook usage and No 2 for Twitter, yet online banking using smartphone technology is almost non-existent.

Their youth are hi-tech savvy, but the country's internet infrastructure is run down and outdated.

Here is an opportunity for Australia to make a difference.

So while the immediate challenge for Abbott and Bishop will be about turning around the boats, there must be a broader agenda to completely review the relationship to move beyond the cliche of needing to build closer ties because without a coherent plan they become just words.

The Indonesia Strategy as developed by DFAT provides the framework for a substantial upgrading of the bilateral relationship. Australia and Indonesia are very different in many respects, but we are also natural partners.

Therefore the sooner we start to look beyond Beef, Boats and Bali, the sooner we will genuinely strengthen the relationship, starting by re-focusing on our young people, language skills, technology and exchange programs. Then business, cultural and educational opportunities will flow to benefit both countries and the region.

It's a matter of whether Abbott and Bishop are willing to seriously invest in a new and more vibrant relationship with our close - and very youthful - neighbour.

All the indications are that they will.

Ross Taylor is chairman of the Indonesia Institute (Inc) and Australia's 2013 "Presidential Friend of Indonesia".

via bali - Google News www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/taking-relations-beyond-beef-boats-and-bali/story-e6frg6zo-1226723686853