DENPASAR – The COVID-19 pandemic in Bali is a momentum to correct mistakes in agricultural development so far. That is how people developing agriculture for tourism purposes.
“Whereas tourism should be a bonus from agricultural activities in Bali,” said leader of the Cool Bali Young Farmer Community, A.A Gede Agung Wedhatama in a webinar held by PB Kagama and Pengda Kagama Bali, Sunday (22/11) night.
In the forum, he narrated how people usually start to plowing and planting rice for tourist’s attraction. “So many people making agro-tourism, green-based coffee, and luwak coffee to make tourist interested. When there’s no tourist, they will bankrupt and close like most of business nowadays,” he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has badly hit Bali, an agricultural based island that has turned into a tourism island. The pandemic should be a momentum for Bali to rebuild the agriculture better.
A young farmer Anak Agung Gede Agung Wedhatama said that there has been a big mistake on Bali agricultural development. “People nowadays develop agriculture for tourism purpose. It’s a mistake. Tourism should be a bonus from agricultural activities in Bali,” Wedhatama who is also chairman of Bali Cool Young Farmer Community, a community of Balinese young farmers.
“Pandemic is a momentum to correct the mistakes in agricultural development,” Wedhatama said during a webinar held by the Gadjah Mada University Alumni Association (Kagama) on Sunday, Nov 22.
Citing an example, Wedhatama said that many people usually growing gor tourist attraction. “So many people build agro-tourism, green-based coffee, and luwak coffee to attract tourist. When there is no tourist, they will bankrupt and close, like most of business nowadays,” he said.
As an alumni of Technology and Information Master Program at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Wedhatama was encouraged modern elements of technology and traditional elements of agriculture.
The 35-years-old man has been inspired to develop agriculture, opening opportunities for young people to involve in the agricultural sector. “That’s what we do at the Bali Cool Young Farmers Community, we often go to villages to increase the capacity of local residents in farming,” he said.
He also invited some villages to develop agriculture with new technology, as many people have lost their job and decided to going back to their village. “We should transform them into a new power to build creative economy at villages amid pandemic,” he emphasized. (Kanalbali/ACH)
