Sidan expands organic farming to 30 hectares, links it to eco-tourism

Gianyar — Sidan village in Gianyar, Bali, has expanded its organic farming programme to 30 hectares and is linking the effort to Kissidan Eco Hill, a village tourism site focused on organic agriculture education, according to local reports and Indonesia’s official tourism-village listing.

Denpost reported on 7 May 2024 that the village’s organic farming programme began in 2020, after the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted livelihoods and pushed residents back into agriculture. The report said the first trial plot covered 1 hectare and later grew to 30 hectares, out of 75 hectares of agricultural land in the village.

The same report quoted village head I Made Sukra Suyasa as saying Sidan aims to convert all of its agricultural land to organic production by 2026. It also said the village has worked with the Gianyar Agriculture Agency and with universities in Bali to support the programme.

Klungkungnews reported on 18 April 2024 that Sidan’s rice-field area is around 100 hectares and that the village has a 3-hectare display area at Kissidan Eco Hill used to receive visitors and introduce organic farming practices. The village’s official tourism listing also describes Kissidan Eco Hill as an organic farming education site and says the village’s organic farming has been running since 2020.

Tourism and farming

According to the tourism-village listing, Kissidan Eco Hill is presented as an eco-tourism destination built around terraced rice fields, organic gardens and learning activities for visitors. The listing says the site features Mentik Susu organic rice and other horticultural crops grown with environmentally friendly methods.

Denpost said the village-owned enterprise, or BUMDes, helps market the harvest by buying organic produce and distributing rice through local channels. The report also said the programme gained attention from other districts and institutions that visited Sidan for comparative study.

Klungkungnews described Sidan as a model for organic farming and said the village received technical assistance and product-promotion support from district and provincial agriculture offices. The report also said the village sought to revive traditional farming practices amid fertiliser shortages and the high cost of unsubsidised inputs.

The two reports differ on the village’s overall agricultural area: Denpost puts it at 75 hectares, while Klungkungnews says the rice-field area is about 100 hectares. Both, however, support the central point that Sidan has been expanding organic farming alongside tourism development at Kissidan Eco Hill.

Separate village and tourism listings also say the programme has earned organic certification, but the two news reports cited here do not identify the certifying body or provide certification documents.

Sidan’s organic-farming push began during the pandemic and has since been tied to village tourism, with Kissidan Eco Hill serving as both a showcase and an educational site. The village’s target remains full conversion to organic production by 2026, according to the report from Denpost.

Sources

• Denpost
• Klungkungnews
• Indonesia.travel / Jadesta