0 Census on agriculture starts May

Bali Statistics Agency plans to conduct a provincial census on agriculture in May, estimated to cost around Rp 1.7 billion (US$176,000) to complete. Held every 10 years, the agricultural census will cover a vast amount of the sector, including crop plants, plantations, husbandry, fishery and related industries. Gede Suarsa, head of the agency, told Bali Daily on Wednesday that the next census would also gather information and data on the size of agricultural sites — personal, collective and government owned. 

The census is also to delve into types of commodities, the number of farming households and their monthly and annual per capita income. “The results of the new census will be very significant, providing accurate data and information on the agricultural sector — its potential, productivity and challenges, in order to create new and integrated agricultural development and policies for the future,” explained Suarsa. The Rp 1.7 billion funding is to be allocated to recruit 1,000 field workers and provide training for them. According to the 2003 census, Bali had 408,114 farming households, equivalent to 46.51 percent of the 877,478 families in Bali. 

Around 223,691 (54.81 percent) of the 408,114 farming households were small-scale, poor farmers, whose land and property was getting smaller due to financial and family reasons. The 2003 census still showed an annual conversion rate of 798 hectares of rice fields and productive plantations being transformed into residential and business sites. “The result of the coming census will be used to create new mapping of the agricultural sector and to obtain data on the latest size of our farms,” he said. Gede Ambara, head of Denpasar’s Agriculture Agency’s food crops and horticulture, said that he was looking forward to having the latest data and information on the sector. 

“When compared to other sectors, such as business and tourism, the agricultural sector receives little attention and development because the revenue from agriculture is lower than that generated by tourism,” Ambara said. However, he said to remember that it was farming that supported low-income and rural families across Bali, including in Denpasar. “Land prices in Denpasar are rocketing, forcing many farmers to give up their productive rice fields,” he said. Adding that land conversion had been uncontrollable as productive land made way for enormous development projects. 

To solve the shortage of productive land, Denpasar mayoralty has been developing urban farming using land in city areas to cultivate food crops — rice, fruit and vegetables. The mayoralty is also encouraging people to farm in the city’s green belt areas as part of its effort to improve the living condition of poor urban families. Similarly, IGAK Sudaratmaja, head of Badung Agricultural Agency, explained that the Badung administration planned to preserve around 18,000 hectares of wet rice fields in an attempt to curb development projects on productive agricultural sites. 

Badung was once a lucrative farming center, producing tons of rice and other food crops, but in the last few decades, the regency, the richest in Bali, has been developing as a glittering tourist destination attracting investors who acquire productive lands for their tourist-related facilities. “South Badung — Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Kuta and Seminyak — are already designated as tourist destinations, while northern Badung, such as Petang and Mambal, will be preserved as protected agricultural regions,” he said.

source : bali daily