Field Trip to Jatiluwih – Rice terrace designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site

Bali has several rice terraces that are designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site (official title: “Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy”).
This is an area known as Jatiluwih. Terraced rice paddies stretch out as far as the eye can see. We visited this site soon after the rice had been planted.

Bali’s rice terraces have long been managed by water management collectives called subak. The subak system itself is closely connected to Bali’s unique religion and philosophy. Each subak collective has its own water temples, where they conduct rituals and ceremonies. These water management collectives discuss issues such as water allocations and rule breaches among themselves. Subak has served to maintain the culture, religion, landscape and other important aspects of the region. In recent times, however, with the growth of the tourism industry, there are concerns about the impact that tourism could have on these traditional agricultural methods. Legislation is being developed to preserve this important aspect of Balinese culture.

Reference:
1. Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1194/

2. Kedi Suradisastra, Wahyuning K. Sejati, Yana Supriatna, and Deri Hidayat (2002) Institutional Description of The Balinese Subak, Jurnal Litbang Pertanian, 21(1)