- FARMERS in Bali through its subak organization keeps cultivating hybrid varieties
- With this new varieties, they can harvest three times a year
Subak is an irrigation cooperative in Bali that is more than a thousand years old. Currently, subak remaining sustainable is divided into two types, namely subak abian (plantation) and wetland subak (rice field).
History
Sage Kuturan as the originator of this organization has prepared a complete guidelines for this organization in the form of palm-leaf manuscript named the Dharmaning Pemaculan or Shri Tattwa.
Broadly speaking, this guidelines contain technical problems of Bali farming irrigation networks from upstream to downstream, technical maintenance of plants and its religious aspects based on Hinduism.
Even though it belongs to traditional institution, its management has now been adapted and has complete organizational structure as found in a modern organization.
Planting season
The planting season, for example, is determined by the subak members’ meeting. In this modern era, subak members can get three planting seasons during the year as they plant hybrid rice variety.
Unlike the old days or before the 1960s, farmers in Bali only had two or one growing season during the year. This measure is also supported by the varieties of rice cultivated that include the local with the age of more than 3 months.
Meanwhile, the farmer who will start the rice planting must include a predetermined ritual ceremony. Of course, the cost of the ceremony itself will be borne by the subak organization.
The period of planting season is determined by subak members through a meeting. The term also includes the closing so that all farmers can be expected to plant simultaneously. If scattered and going on indefinitely, the pest cycle may never be interrupted. As consequence, this will have an impact on farmers’ rice crops.
Then, those who violate the rules will be penalized by paying a cash fine of a certain amount. However, there is also a penalty in the form of termination of subscription for irrigation water.
Rice varieties
Around 1974, new rice varieties were introduced in Indonesia to replace the old varieties. Undeniably, after that the agricultural landscape changed. Farmers can harvest three times a year as long as irrigation water is still available.
In a different case, there are subak organizations that do not get a turn in the growing season if they share primary irrigation canals in one dam with other subak. As a result, the availability of water will be rotated and those who do not have a turn will plant horticultural plants such as corn, peanut and the like.
Prior to planting, farmers should prepare seedling where their husked rice must be soaked for one to two nights. After that, it is broadcast in a seedling plot. Approximately after three weeks, the seedling is ready to be transplanted.
In terms of labor use, farmers can transplant their seedlings by themselves, doing in mutual cooperation with other farmers as well as take advantage of farming labor.
With rice hybrid varieties, farmers can have harvested after the paddy plants have been around 105 days.
