Why Isn’t Organic the Norm in Bali?

The Ubud Food Festival concluded last weekend here in Bali, Indonesia. I spoke at an event on how to work better with nature to achieve greater foodvsecurity. I was invited due to my co-founding of an organic farm school, and was pleased to attend as we encourage collaboration amongst restaurants to scale up organic farming. Our crowdfund to help with that is still a few thousand short of the necessary target. In preparation for the event, I drafted some notes on what I’d say. They follow below. If you can support us, please take a moment to contribute. Thx, Jem

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It’s a pleasure to be here with you in Ubud — a town that’s become an international symbol of nature-based spirituality, conscious living, and the pursuit of wellness. 

Let me start with a question: How many of you would prefer to eat organic food, that’s food grown without any chemicals? And now — how many of you know that you always eat organic food here in Bali?

That’s right: we know what we want but it’s not what we get, for either availability or cost. That is the challenge we’re facing. That is despite being on an island with rich soils, a nature-conscious culture, and a booming visitor economy with a large wellness sector. People are flying in from around the world seeking healing and healthy eating. And yet — if we dig just a little into the food systems here — we find something more uncomfortable.

Despite this incredible culture that honours health and nature, organic farming still makes up only a tiny fraction of the agriculture in Bali. 

Two years ago I co-founded Bekandze Farm School to promote and teach organic farming methods to Indonesians. Robi from the Indonesian rock band Navicula came to one of our events a couple of weeks ago. He sang a Balada Pak Tani, or the Ballad of Mr Farmer, which summarised the problem really well. Translated into English, part of the lyrics go: 

“Our farmers now are like the lost and weary; Hooked on hybrid seeds and chemicals, it’s eerie; Production costs are madness, profits none; While food policy’s ruled by the corrupt ones.” (nb: more lyrics follow below)

Did you know that many of the agrochemicals used in farming are toxic? Did you know that the rates of cancer and dementia in Bali are some of the highest in Indonesia? And that they are rising? Most of us haven’t been hearing about this. So we aren’t seeing big initiatives to reduce the toxic chemicals in our water and food. 

Many chefs, resort owners, and food lovers still tell me: “I would love to go organic, if only…”

If only..

If only it were easier. If only it were cheaper. If only it looked normal. If only it would arrive in the quantities I want exactly when I need it. If only I trusted my suppliers when they do claim they’re organic. If only my customers wouldn’t expect foods out of season. Or foods that don’t grow well here without chemicals. If only I didn’t have to re-train my chefs to be more flexible to use what’s available.  

I’ve heard all of these ‘if onlys’ for a couple of years now. 

We need to be honest about the difficulties and see what we can change. 

It starts with recognising that our current expectations around food have been shaped by a chemical farming system. It’s one that prioritizes volume, appearance, and predictability — over health, soil, and the long-term wellbeing of farmers and eaters alike.

And yet, we all want something better. 

Don’t we?

I want to tell you briefly about what we’re seeing at Bekandze Farm School. Over the past two years, we’ve trained 60 farmers — mostly Balinese smallholders — in organic and regenerative methods. Some are doing great work. But they face huge challenges.

Producing organic food — especially fresh produce — means more work, so higher labour costs. It means having less tools to cope with strange weather. It means lower yields some months. It means a blemish here or there. It means higher costs to deliver to the customers that do care. 

Right now, the system punishes farmers who care for the earth.

And food buyers — from restaurants to resorts — often don’t want to pay more, or adjust menus to match the rhythms of nature. Some even make vague claims about being earth friendly, or liking organic farming. 

So we face a kind of market failure.

People say they want healthy food. But the money, the choices, the relationships — they don’t yet follow.

So what’s the solution?

Well, it’s not just more education. It’s not just showing farmers how to grow without chemicals. We’re doing that — and it’s not enough.

The solution lies in partnership.

We need the people who profit handsomely from Bali’s food system — the restaurants, the resorts, the clubs and the retreat centres — to step up.

To work with farmers to adapt menus around what grows well without chemicals.

To guarantee some purchases and prices. To even co-invest in organic farms.

To co-invest in systems for aggregating supplies. 

Ultimately, to stop expecting nature to behave like a factory.

Imagine if your favourite café told you: “This salad is made from ingredients that grew without a single chemical, on a farm we support directly — and here’s a picture of the farmer with his family.”

Would that feel different? Maybe even taste different?

I believe we have a chance — here in Ubud, right now — to build that kind of food system.

But it takes real partnership. Real honesty. And real change.

If it works then less chemical usage on this island will not only benefit the privileged foreigners. That’s because the farming systems could evolve so everyone has affordably healthier food. And everyone is living in a safer environment. And our island population becomes less dependent on imports of agrochemicals, so that food security is increased.

So I want to leave you with three questions:

1. If you’re in the food business — are you willing to adjust your expectations and support what’s growing naturally, not synthetically?

2. If you’re a consumer — are you willing to ask harder questions and support the businesses doing it right?

3. And if you’re a tourist — are you willing to truly honour and protect the culture here, not just consume an illusion of it?

At Bekandze Farm School, we’re just a small piece of the puzzle. But we like to think we are planting seeds — of truth, of healing, and of partnership.

Please check us out on bekandze.net, or Bekandze Farm on Instagram or come speak to me afterwards. Thank you. 

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My talk drew on a background note on scaling organic farming in Bali, prepared for May 17th gathering of farmers and restaurants at Bekandze Farm, May 17th 2025. 

Please support our crowdfund to promote organic farming in Indonesia. Thx to Ubud Food Festival for the invite!

Balada Pak Tani https://youtu.be/ghXJSDTTqXk

(The lyrics of the “Ballad of Mr. Farmer”, translated from Bahasa Indonesia by chatGPT).

They say our homeland is rich and grand

Rich in harvest, a gift from Motherland

They say our land is an agrarian nation

But hunger spreads—oh, such contradiction

Your children cry…

The farmer mourns, longs for ancestral lands

Once traded away with guilty hands

Green fields once kissed by morning light

Now only live in dreams at night

Each night they come… to the children of the land

Our farmers now are like the lost and weary

Hooked on hybrid seeds and chemicals, it’s eerie

Production costs are madness, profits none

While food policy’s ruled by the corrupt ones

And daily needs can no longer be postponed

Village lands sold off, city folk buy them fast

Money proves it never truly lasts

The final rice field waits its fate in line

Ah! It’s sold—crossed the final line

The farmer mourns, longs for ancestral lands

Once traded away with guilty hands

Green fields once kissed by morning light

Now only live in dreams at night

Each night they come… to the children of the land

Even the grass is gone from sight

Cows turn on each other, losing all their might

And now the cows have gone insane…

https://youtu.be/ghXJSDTTqXk