Buleleng plans over Rp13.7 billion in 2026 grants for adat villages and subak

Buleleng — — Buleleng Regency plans to allocate more than Rp13.7 billion in grants in the 2026 budget year for 169 customary (adat) villages and 528 subak institutions, according to local government statements and regional media reports.

The assistance is intended to strengthen the role of adat villages and subak bodies in preserving Balinese traditions, community institutions and agriculture-based livelihoods. Buleleng Regent I Nyoman Sutjidra has publicly highlighted the grants as support for customary institutions and irrigation-based farming.

Local outlets report that the allocation is structured as follows: 169 adat villages are slated to receive Rp50 million each, and 528 subak institutions Rp10 million each. The subak recipients comprise 308 subak sawah, which manage wet-rice farming, and 220 subak abian, generally serving dryland or plantation agriculture. Regional media and government information describe the overall envelope as approximately Rp13.7–13.8 billion, with the detailed breakdown published as Rp8.5 billion for adat villages and Rp5.3 billion for subak bodies.

Announcement and budgeting process

According to the Buleleng Regency government, coordination and socialisation of the hibah (grant) program for the 2026–2027 budget years has been conducted through online and in-person meetings with district officials. In these sessions, officials outlined that adat villages would receive Rp50 million per village and subak programs Rp10 million per institution, with proposals to be uploaded via the Regional Government Information System (SIPD-RI).

A report from Singaraja-based radio news and regional print media states that the total Rp13.8 billion hibah for 2026 is intended specifically for adat villages and subak institutions across Buleleng. Both outlets quote Bupati (Regent) Sutjidra emphasising that the grants must be used effectively and on target to reinforce customary governance and agricultural systems.

Head of the Buleleng Culture and Tourism Agency, Nyoman Wisandika, has been cited explaining that the hibah for adat villages and subak is planned to be included in the 2026 revised regional budget (Anggaran Perubahan 2026). Wisandika also stated that proposals for the revised budget are to be submitted digitally through SIPD using each institution’s official account, with submission targeted around May 2026 in line with the revision process.

Grant distribution and technical guidance

Government coordination notes indicate that sub-district offices are tasked with facilitating adat villages and subak in preparing and uploading proposals so that the grants are “tepat guna, tepat sasaran” — appropriate to needs and correctly targeted. Technical guidance from Buleleng’s planning and cultural agencies instructs adat villages to propose programs worth Rp50 million and subak institutions programs worth Rp10 million, in accordance with the hibah framework.

While official communications confirm the planned grant levels and the use of SIPD-RI for applications, they do not publicly detail specific project categories, oversight mechanisms or audit schedules beyond general references to accountability and proper use. Regional articles describe the program as part of broader annual support for adat villages and subak, which in recent years has included funding for infrastructure, institutional strengthening and religious-cultural activities.

Role of adat villages and subak in Buleleng

Adat villages in Buleleng oversee customary law, rituals and community-based cultural life, often working alongside formal village administrations. Subak institutions, recognised by UNESCO as part of Bali’s cultural landscape, coordinate community-managed irrigation and farming across rice terraces and dryland agriculture. Local reporting notes that Buleleng has 169 adat villages, underscoring the scale of the customary network the grants are intended to support.

Separately from the planned hibah for adat villages and subak, Buleleng has in 2026 channelled other forms of support to traditional communities and farmers, including assistance for mass cremation (ngaben) ceremonies and agricultural inputs. These parallel programs illustrate the regency’s broader strategy of linking cultural preservation with rural economic and agricultural development.

Sources

• RRI Singaraja regional news report on Buleleng adat village and subak grants
• NusaBali article on hibah for 169 adat villages and 528 subak
• ATNews report on Buleleng support for mass ngaben and annual assistance to adat villages and subak
• Detik Bali report on Buleleng’s ngaben massal assistance
• BisnisNusa article on Buleleng’s hibah to adat villages and subak
• Koran Buleleng article on involving adat villages in integrated waste task force and planned incentives
• Buleleng Regency information page on coordination and socialisation of hibah for 2026–2027