FAO Director General Qu Dongyu Field Visit in Bali: Sustaining Bali Farmers' Lives and Livelihoods

JAKARTADAILY.ID – Bali as a global popular tourist destination often faces the challenges of water scarcity, which threaten the livelihoods of the local populace.

Bali farmers, in particular, are facing the complexity of these problems in their day-to-day lives. At the same time, Bali also faces the challenges of endemic Rabies that threatens the lives of tourists and the local population.

Sustaining the lives, livelihoods, and tourism in Bali, therefore, requires a holistic approach, and this was one of the themes of the field visit on the last day of the G20 Agriculture Ministerial Meeting in Bali.

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Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Qu Dongyu visited a UNESCO world heritage site in Jatiluwih Rice Terrace and interacted with the local officials and farmers.

Jatiluwih Rice Terrace in Tabanan district in Bali is a reflection of the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana and Tri Mandala that maintain the harmonious relationships between the Gods, humans, and the environment --including animals and plants.

The rice fields have been applying an irrigation system called ‘Subak’ for centuries, which requires harmonious cooperation among different farmers, especially for water management.  The ancient philosophy and practices have resulted in the stunning scenery of huge rice fields.

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Qu Dongyu, together with a few other G20 ministers of agricultures and officials, enjoyed the scenery of beautiful rice field, interacted with farmers and local officials, and tasted locally produced Balinese tropical produces, such as coconut, banana, organic coffee, and mangosteens.

The DG was also joined a group of women farmers' ritual performances of dancing and singing followed by rice pounding with the female farmers.

Real-time mobile application as a solution to farmers' problems

The FAO DG then visited the FAO project on e-agriculture showcasing the use of mobile phone app under the FAO flagship Digital Village Initiatives (DVI) program. 

Qu Dongyu attended the demonstration of the mobile application and dashboard system to gather real-time and comprehensive data from on-farm activities in the area.

The mobile application assisted extension workers in collecting integrated data from the field in collaboration with the coffee producers in Pajahan, Bali, and rice farmers in Yogyakarta, Central Java.