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Why the
Bali rice terraces
are special
 Rice terraces throughout the world are photogenic. Of all of them, those in Bali are the most beautiful.
Where to find
the most photogenic
rice terraces in Bali
The emerald-green rice terraces in the river gorge north of Tegallalang
village in central Bali (see photo) are generally
considered to offer travelers the best photo opportunity.
Other popular
lush-green and well-tended
Balinese rice paddy sites include those in the
Ubud area (including Sayan) -- and in Pupuan,
Jatiluwih. Tabanan and Tirtagangga.
Rice terrace
history in brief
The Balinese rice terraces go back over 2,000 years when hard-working
farmers with primitive hand tools began carving the
stepped terraces out of steep hill sides.
Generation after
generation has extended and kept them in meticulous
shape out of necessity - rice is the staple food of the islanders.
Cooperation
is essential for
rice terraces
Today's individual rice terrace farmers, as did their ancestors,
join a community cooperative.
Each informal
agricultural mini-society establishes firm regulations on a local level. This
helps
ensure that the limited irrigation water is fairly
allocated and that only so many farmers tap into
the limited-flowing water at the same time.
The
community cooperative also makes sure that the
complex irrigation system is maintained and that a
farmer does not block the water from flowing
downward to rice terraces below his.
Rice
terrace cooperatives are a major reason why a
farmer is able to get up to three crops per year from his paddies.
Rice fields
vs. rice terraces
Although the maze of rice fields that blanket
Bali's flat lands are not quite as visually
striking as the rice terraces that follow the
natural contours of the hills, they are stunningly
picturesque in their own right.
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