Announcements
Announcements
SEI researchers have worked closely with leaders of subaks – traditional farmer organizations – to strengthen the management of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Cultural Landscape of Bali was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012, one of 981 sites considered to have an outstanding universal value. At the heart of that landscape is the subak, a cooperative water management system that uses irrigation terraces built around a water temple and a water source governed by written and unwritten rules. The tradition dates back to the 9th century.
“The subak reflects the philosophical concept of Tri Hita Karana, which brings together the realms of the spirit, the human world and nature,” the inscription notes. “This philosophy was born of the cultural exchange between Bali and India over the past 2,000 years and has shaped the landscape of Bali. The subak system of democratic and egalitarian farming practices has enabled the Balinese to become the most prolific rice growers in the archipelago despite the challenge of supporting a dense population.”
One of the areas included in the World Heritage Site is the Catur Angga Batukaru subak system in the Regency of Tabanan. Through a project financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), SEI has contributed to the future management of the site by helping organize local stakeholders.
On 11-12 May, SEI Asia facilitated the first musyawarah (assembly to build consensus) of the pekasehs (leaders of subaks) from Catur Angga Batukaru. The meeting, held at the Prana Dewi Retreat Centre, Tabanan, brought together 20 pekasehs. It was the culmination of months of meetings, focus group discussions and individual conversations with farmers and other stakeholders in the cultural landscape. The Subak Research Centre of Udayana University in Bali, Ministry of Education and Culture in Jakarta, and Samdhana Institute also attended and supported the event.
Catur Angga Batukaru is a sacred space spanning more than 17,000 ha. It includes Buyan and Tamblingan lakes, the Mount Batukaru forests, 20 subaks and temples. It was established around 2005, and its name means “the four pillars of Batukaru”, after the four supporting temples (Tambuwaras, Muncaksari, Petali and Besikalung) that are built around Pura Luhur Batukaru, the highest temple, on Mount Batukaru. The 20 subaks in the World Heritage Site are ritually connected to these temples and have a total membership of nearly 4,500 farmers.
SEI-Asia organized discussions with selected subak members in Catur Angga Batukaru in January to March 2014, and found that the farmers have not been fully involved during the nomination process and, hence, were not aware of the implications to their lives, livelihoods and landscape.
Even though it is the subak members’ traditions that led to the World Heritage Site designation, the farmers have been poorly represented in discussions about the management of the site. They are also struggling with a number of problems, such as declining productivity of their farms, escalating costs of rituals and ceremonies, decreasing water flow, lack of farm support, ongoing land use changes, and tourism impacts.
“This assembly is something very strategic,” says Nyoman Sutama, the pekaseh of the largest subak (Jatiluwih) in Catur Angga Batukaru and the appointed head of the musyawarah. “Through this assembly, the subaks are improving their bargaining position and becoming stronger to face future challenges.”
Albert Salamanca, a research fellow at SEI Asia and leader of the project, says the goals of the musyawarah were to “build the self-confidence of the pekasehs, strengthen their unity and help them articulate their role in the management of the World Heritage Site.”
The assembly included a series of consensus- and confidence-building activities, says Agus Nugroho, one of the project coordinators, to help the pekasehs articulate a coherent and agreed vision for managing the World Heritage Site. This was followed by an action planning exercise.
Sukaina Bharwani, a senior researcher at SEI Oxford and co-leader of the project, says the musyawarah is a major milestone in SEI’s support to the governance of the World Heritage Site. “Discussions about empowerment will be hollow if those whose lives and livelihoods that are going to be affected by any new management regimes do not participate in planning the future governance of the landscape,” she says.
“SEI is happy to be invited to contribute and share its experience and skills in participatory processes in enhancing deliberative governance and adaptive management of the inscribed site,” adds Maria Osbeck, a research fellow at SEI Stockholm and project co-leader.
Wiwik Darmiasih, from Uduyana University, notes that it will take time for the project to truly empower the farmers. “This is their first step to voice their needs,” she notes. “I think SEI and Udayana can work together to support the farmers in enhancing their capabilities to manage themselves, monitor their action plan and help them advocate their needs to other relevant stakeholders.” Read more about the project on weADAPT »
Read the World Heritage Site inscription »
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