About Our Programs

Sawah Bali is an Indonesian non-profit with the goals of conserving Bali's beautiful agricultural landscape and creating new markets for farming families. In Bali, the land and the culture are inextricably intertwined, and this unique island is in danger of losing both.

We have a living laboratory project ten minutes north of the cultural center of Ubud. Our participants live with host families in a traditional Balinese village . We accept a person who is 18+ years old.

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Academic Internships (for credit or learning for the joy of it)

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This is an opportunity to come to Bali and delve into a project/subject of your own interest and creation.  It should have some relevancy and overlap with Sawah Bali's mission.  Before you even come to Bali, primary source materials, academic peer reviewed papers and books will be electronically sent to you so that you have context, history and knowledge of Balinese Hinduism and culture. Tutorials will enable you to learn deeper with team members and others in agriculture, history, anthropology, sustainability, appropriate technologies, music and culture.  Weekly meetings will be encouraged and interviews, ceremonies, academics will be facilitated; all student driven but advisor assisted for success.

 

YKSB will work with your University, and fulfill all paperwork and evaluations. Papers and projects will be reviewed and vetted for factual data.

 

Examples of projects/papers: Mono economy of Bali created water crisis,  1000+ year old system: Subak, Rampant Tourism impact on Bali's culture/agriculture, Change management for tourists + expats to understand their negative impact on the island, hydrology/ground water issues, land  + soil degradation, lack of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) given to communities, The apex of Unsustainable tourism, Appropriate technologies for developing countries, Mono-economy is SE Asia, Cultural retention , Agriculture, Spirituality and Ritual, Foundations and Social Enterprise: Sustainable Mission Driven funding,  Organic crops/sales can perform land conservation, Traditional societies and what we can learn from them, exporting US Land Conservation, Climate change and agriculture, Building capacity in Bali,  The Failure of the Green Revolution, Exploitation of the poorest: farmers (How chemical + hybrid seed corporations exploit the poorest on earth) , Cultural identity in the modern world, traditional plants + medicine..........

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Learning by Doing: Permaculture Program : What You'll Be Doing

Our demonstration pilot project serves to introduce and teach permaculture, sustainability techniques and new food products to the local farmers. Join us and you will be an integral part of our project in a very exciting time. You will have the opportunity not only to learn an immense amount from permaculture experts and local farmers, but also to contribute your knowledge, skills and ideas. Traditional societies and indigenous people have wisdom to impart, especially as our planet heats up, and food security is threatened.

You'll be learning a lot! A few examples of workshops, activities, lessons and projects you will experience: aquaculture, vermiculture, biogas, rice milling, pest management, tropical farming, bamboo construction, pig tractors, duck herding, botany, nutrition, bee-keeping, language exchange, rice culture and spirituality tied to the land, Balinese tradition and so on...

Your daily tasks on the farm will vary according to what we're growing and when you come, but can include: rice paddy farming, garden maintenance (weeding, watering, planting, potting, plant identification & labelling, seed sorting), preparing products for market, building, animal care, technical assistance, IT, communications and social media and product marketing.and work on our farm for around 20 hours/week. Participants receive a great education in tropical permaculture, and a truly immersive cultural experience.

It's hot out here, so you won't be working 8 hours! Participants usually work 4 hours a day, spread out over the morning and the late afternoon. You'll have plenty of time to explore.

 

More On The Issues...

Bali - long an immensely popular tourist destination - is now experiencing a dangerous, harmful and unsustainable rate of development. In addition to the never-ending parade of new hotels, there is now a huge demand for independent luxury villas from both visitors and ex-pats.

Unable to make a profit in agriculture, many farmers are selling their land to developers for very attractive profits. What follows is the disintegration of community, culture, environmental health, food security and water crisis. Further, the disproportionate water use of all these new developments is quickly straining the limits of Bali's fresh water supply.

The goal of our work as a foundation is to conserve this land through a land trust model while simultaneously providing new economic opportunities for farming families. To learn more about our vision and mission, please click here.
 

Watch our permaculture expert Chakra demonstrating some of his magnificent innovations, with the prime motivator being resilience within the framework of climate crisis.
 

Bamboo structure for green building
Terracotta & charcoal water filter
Hydrogen-powered motorcycle

Closed system for rice drying + processing

Bee workshop: apiculture + make a bee temple


Requirements for Academic Internship
 

• Two month minimum stay 

• All necessary vaccines

• Social-cultural visa for 1-6 months (must submit application at a Consulate/Embassy outside of Indonesia in advance: YKSB will supply necessary documents to you.)  If you are already in Indonesia you must leave the country to obtain proper visa.

• A tourist visa may be applicable: discussion of project prior to decision

• Cost of  Visa 

Location

Our pilot project and homestays are located in the village of Bunutan or Pengosekan,  just ten minutes north or south of Ubud in central Bali.

Fees

The Learning Program is $500 / month.

The Academic Internship is $950 /month : (If you choose to find your own place to live, $800/ month)

The price of the programs covers our administrative fees, one on one learning, ceremonies + gamelan attendance and your accommodation with a Balinese family in the village near Ubud. Full cultural immersion in a welcoming society. Visa fees not included.

Accomodation

We have homestay rooms in family compounds available to you.  Host families enjoy the company of foreigners and love to invite their guests to join them for meals, ceremonies, and outings to secret natural sights! You'll be a part of the family and have access to the family kitchen, but your room will be private and secure.  Private bathrooms in most family compound.  Food is not included in this price.

(All team members of Sawah Bali delight in living in traditional multi-generational family compounds!)

Food
Balinese food is multilayered, delicious, yummy and spicy. Are you vegetarian or vegan? Easy - you'll find plenty of tofu and tempe integrated into Balinese cooking and many delicious vegetarian dishes.

Succulent papaya, mango, watermelon, pineapple, mangosteen, salak, passion friut, guava, tangerines, strawberries and lychees literally grow on trees. It's durian season, and that's a real new flavor to experience, and an Asian treat.Real, fresh coconut water is an everyday treat, and a farmer will climb the palm to get it for you. It is the best rehydrating drink!

There are always local warungs (small eating places or stalls) in walking distance where you can purchase locally cooked food that is very cheaply priced ($3-4). You'll also find lovely Indonesian and international restaurants in Ubud where a full meal costs around $5-20. We will give you all our best tips! You may have kitchen access to prepare your own meals with the highly varied and delicious produce available in Bali.  Nearby Ubud has every imaginable kind of delicious food, in small and large informal restaurants.  Salads too!