Why restore rice paddies ?
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Rice yields are declining due to impoverished soils by decades of chemical farming.
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The cost of chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides) is increasing.
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Rice paddies are responsible for 11% of the world's methane emissions because of paddy flooding to combat weeds. This eradicates soil life and fertility, requiring further chemical inputs.
We have reached a turning point. Food security and the livelihoods of millions are at stake.
There has to be a better way.
Regenerative Agriculture is our Way.
Since 2018, Astungkara Way has collaborated with Subak Uma Lambing farmers, in the heart of Bali, to shift towards chemical-free and ecosystem-regenerating rice farming.
Our primary objectives include assisting farmers in boosting their income from rice cultivation, collectively revitalizing rice paddy ecosystems both above and below the soil, and supplying restaurants and hotels with healthy and nourishing rice.
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Since January 2023, we have been scaling up this Rice Paddy Restoration project with farmers, international experts, funders and customers:
Astungkara WAY
Astungkara Way and the farmers of Subak Uma Lambing collaborate closely to adopt a traditional cultivation method while gathering data to assess its economic and environmental impacts.
Restaurants and hotels
Establishments of all sizes in Bali serve nutritious rice to their customers, who are informed of the importance of supporting traditional, sustainable agriculture.
A few of our customers supporting local, regenerative agriculture
We use profits from selling rice to hire and train more young Balinese agriculture graduates to work alongside farmers across Bali and help them make the transition to regenerative farming.
Regenerative Rice Farming
The primary objective of Astungkara Way is to gradually eradicate chemical usage in Balinese farming, focusing on one farmer and one rice paddy at a time.
To achieve this, we aim to address the root cause by restoring the health of paddy ecosystems, to replicate their natural state observed for centuries.
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To accomplish this, Astungkara Way is adopting a method known as Complex Rice Systems, which has been developed and extensively tested by Dr. Uma Khumairoh from Brawijaya University in various regions of Indonesia over a period of ten years.
Here is a simplified breakdown of the method:
