Bali – Talking about food issues cannot be separated from the agricultural sector at large. Regarding the agricultural sector, the focus cannot be separated from three important aspects, namely land, water and the surrounding environment (temperature, light, humidity, weather, etc.).
Apart from these three aspects, the agricultural culture in Bali has long established the pattern of maintenance, care and regulation of water, which we know as Subak.
“Then whether the local Balinese wisdom that we have inherited, its standards and operational standards can continue to be preserved. “Of course there will be a shift in line with the demands of regional spatial patterns, economic growth and an increase in the number of residents who have to sacrifice green space patterns as “savings” for water absorption sources,” said Integrated Agriculture Practitioner, I Ketut Darmawan, S.Pt, M.Si in Denpasar, Saturday 18 May 2024.
This answers why the people of Bali must support the holding of the World Water Forum (WWF) in Bali, from 18 – 25 May 2024.
This water phenomenon in Bali will certainly be one of the topics of discussion for WWF participants from various countries , with the same attention to water management and looking for solutions that arise as a natural phenomenon and current world progress which has used water more massively.
According to Darmawan, who is also an environmental activist, water is synonymous with the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and forestry. There are plants/livestock as water users, there are also plants as water producers. Water is the main component in the photosynthesis process, which is the process by which plants produce their own food.
Plants, he continued, need water to transport nutrients from the soil and carry out photosynthetic processes that support growth. In food production, water is a very important element. Water is a key factor in agricultural sustainability, where if water is not available then food production can stop. Food production stops automatically threatening the availability of food for humans.
“Then what do we want to do? Especially in the agricultural sector, watering plants is known as irrigation. “Irrigation is a system for irrigating land by blocking water sources,” he said.
Furthermore, Darmawan explained that irrigation is often found in rural areas where there are many rice fields. The benefits of water in agriculture include, among other things, fertilizing plants such as rice fields, plantations and others.
The flow in rice fields is part of the hydrological cycle, which occurs continuously throughout the year. Therefore, rice fields really need water flow, both from irrigation water, rainwater and others.
“The second benefit is supplying sufficient water. The availability of water has a big influence on the agricultural sector. If there is enough water, it will increase agricultural production. If there is a lack of water, the soil will crack and there will be crop failure,” he added.
Darmawan said that it cannot be denied that producing the main food, namely rice, must begin with cultivating the land with the help of water. Water functions to facilitate land management. Water clearly helps farmers in cultivating the land. Through the plowing process, the land can be cultivated more evenly. Water plays a role in carrying nutrients/fertilizer to the soil capillaries, this function is known as the absorption of fertilizer by plants, water makes it easier to use fertilizer.
“After the nutrients are absorbed by the roots, water also helps transport all the nutrients to all plant organs. Water also really helps speed up metabolism in the plant photosynthesis process and then transports the results throughout the plant body,” he explained.
The facts on the ground now are that water cannot be respected as the “life” of plants, livestock, fish, the environment and humans themselves. We see a lot of water polluted by industrial waste, household waste, household waste and MSME waste.
According to Darmawan, it is necessary to strictly enforce the rules that must be implemented in order to save all creatures on earth. If our water is threatened, what will happen to agriculture and the creatures on this island? Awareness of caring for water sources, protecting rivers from rubbish, using water as wisely as possible are slogans that must be embedded in the behavior patterns of every individual who inhabits this earth.
“The Tri Hita Karana concept, especially protecting the Balinese environment, must be socialized by religious instructors in all villages in Bali and must be applied in society,” he said.
Water businesses that utilize upstream water sources must also be closely monitored, so that our downstream subaks also get water for food production.
