A granary can represent a certain set of farming activities reflecting cultural and regional characteristics, and also be associated with symbolic meanings. The traditional raised-floor rice granary in Bali, Indonesia, called a Lumbung, only survives in specific areas of the island today. What is the factor underlying its survival and disappearance? The results of the author’s field research in Bali from 2006 to 2011 indicate that this is connected with the survival of local rice production, which was Bali’s traditional rice before being overtaken by the highly productive normal rice—introduced in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, local rice is cultivated only in a few specific areas such as Tabanan prefecture, where not only Lumbungs but also a set of traditional farming customs are still used. In addition, a clear conceptual connection between Lumbungs and local rice is observed, Such that local rice is exclusively offered in a Lumbung to the goddess Dewi Suri. Such practices suggest that the introduction and spread of the new normal rice not only changed the type of rice cultivated but also led to the decrease of traditional or “real” farming practices among local farmers, as represented by the decline of the Lumbung.
Part of the book: Alternative Crops and Cropping Systems