Upcoming Talk @ Cornell University by Wiwik Dharmiasih
Title: Multi-Generational Photovoices of Changing Traditional Farming Systems in Bali: Perspectives from the UNESCO Cultural Landscape
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 12:25pm to 1:15pm (7:25am HST) (hybrid)
Speaker: Wiwik Dharmiasi, Dala Institute and University of Hawaii
Location: Emerson 135 and Zoom
Register here
A Perspectives in Global Development Seminar
The traditional farming system in Bali, known as subak, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012. The subak represents water sharing practices in rice cultivation that has existed for over a thousand years. Increasing tourism development on the island, however, has threatened the existence of the subak system. Farmers face challenges in the form of land use change, reallocation of water rights, land taxation, and aging. Inscribing the subak as a World Heritage Site aimed to protect against these threats, but tourism impacts exacerbate challenges in UNESCO designated areas. This is due to a lack of mechanisms for incorporating farmer interests into management plans. This presentation describes engagement with subak farming families at the heart of the UNESCO site. Through a multigenerational photovoices initiative involving eight farming families over a period of two years, this presentation highlights key themes from local farmer perspectives. Overarching themes include: development and land use change; gender and labor; visitor management; and, generational inheritance of cultural practices. Methods of engaging local voices such as this assist in exploring pathways for developing targeted policies that better respond to local farming family concerns.
About the Speaker
Wiwik Dharmiasih’s research focuses on Political Geography, Conflict Transformation, and Community-based Natural Resources Management. She has also worked on climate change adaptation initiatives involving local perspectives of change and supported disaster risk reduction efforts, with a special focus on issues related to water equity, youth, and women. She is currently a Ph.D. student at the Department of Geography and the Environment at the University of Hawaii. She also lectures in the Department of International Relations, Universitas Udayana and is a research associate at Dala Institute in Bali, Indonesia. She actively engages with World Heritage Watch, a network focused on protection, management, and conservation of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. She earned her B.A. in International Relations from the Universitas Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Yogyakarta in Indonesia, and an M.A. in Politics from the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India.
About the seminar series
The Perspectives in Global Development seminars are held Wednesdays from 12:25 – 1:15 p.m. eastern time during the semester. The series will be presented in a hybrid format with some speakers on campus and others appearing via Zoom. Students, faculty and the general public are welcome to attend. The series is co-sponsored by the Department of Global Development, the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and the School of Integrative Plant Science as part of courses IARD 6960, NTRES 6960, PLSCS 6960 and AEM 6960.