Page 51 - The World About Us

Gunung Batur
1.1.1
2.2.3

How do aid projects help the people of Indonesia?

The Bali ReGreen project is working maintaining irriga on systems.
to help regenerate the forests in the The project is funded by dona ons
north east of Bali. The villagers here are from supporters and local businesses,
s ll struggling fi y years a er the as well as from cket sales from the
devasta on caused by the 1963 annual Bali Spirit Fes val. $10 from
erup on of the Gunung Agung volcano. each cket sold to this music and yoga
Bali ReGreen is working with the fes val is donated to Bali ReGreen.
Environmental Bamboo Founda on to By 2015 the project had planted
plant shelter belts of fast growing, over 10,000 bamboos, educated
drought-tolerant bamboo.
bamboo poles to make furniture, hundreds of local farmers, created
ornaments, baskets, livestock pens and effec ve irriga on systems and was
construc on scaffolding. beginning to contribute to a more
healthy catchment for Batur Lake.
The poles harvested in the ReGreen
shelter belts will become a sustainable
source of income for the villagers.
Some 35% of the 8,000 villagers in
the area live below the official poverty
line. As the Balinese use bamboo in
almost every religious ceremony, the
villagers will no longer have to spend
fig.140 Bali ReGreen bamboo.
precious resources buying bamboo.
These belts of bamboo reach Bamboo has a widespread root
maturity in just a few years and can help system and uniquely shaped leaves. It
protect the land between the belts from produces a dense li er on the forest
the sun and wind. This creates a floor. This greatly reduces surface run-
microclimate which can help the soil off, prevents soil erosion and results in
hold onto the water. This will then be twice as much water infiltra ng the soil. fig.141 Growing bamboo in Desa Songan.
released later during the dry season. The project started small in 2012,
Each family in another village, called
As the villagers live within the plan ng 390 bamboo seedlings around
catchment of Lake Batur, Bali's second Desa Songan village and training five Batu Meyeh, were only able to have
eight litres of water per day because of
largest water reservoir, the project will farmers from each village in the care both the area’s aridity and their own
benefit Balinese villagers outside the and maintenance of the young bamboo. poverty. They could not afford to build
hamlets directly involved. Water from By 2013, 4,000 more seedlings had the infrastructure to increase water flow
the lake irrigates Bali's famous terraced been planted and another 310 farmers to the area. In 2015, Bali ReGreen built
rice paddies. trained. Phase 3 involved plan ng 5,000 the infrastructure, developing water
When mature, at three to five years seedlings around another hamlet called pipelines up to 9.6km long. This way
of age, the bamboo may produce Batu Mayeh and training more farmers. the Batu Meyeh community could
upwards of 200 poles over a five year Training focuses on educa on in maintain the bamboo planta ons and
period. Bamboo is the natural forest areas such as compost making, get access to clean water.
cover of Bali and the Balinese use cul va ng bamboo seedlings and For the villagers, their rehabilitated
land between the bamboo should
fig.142 Bali and Lombok, taken during October 2015 erup on of Gunung Rinjani. produce more crops, in addi on to the
bamboo produced in the ReGreen
Gunung Batur Bali ReGreen
project villages forests. For 2017 to 2019, the Bali
Gunung Agung ReGreen programme aims to start new
ac vi es, maintaining and monitoring
the bamboo seedlings already planted,
as well as start bamboo educa on and
plan ng in a new hamlet called Madya.
For more informa on about Bali
ReGreen visit – Bali ReGreen on
Facebook or Balispiri es val.com.

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Many factors contribute to a country’s economic development.