The rice kingdom

Indonesia

Kasepuhan Ciptagelar is a traditional indigenous farmer community in Indonesia. It is located relatively hidden in the heights of the Mist Mountain at an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level, in the southern part of Halimun National Park, in the Indonesian province of West Java.
The village Ciptagelar is the head of the Kasepuhan kingdom which includes 568 indigenous villages. The Kasepuhan history exist since around 650 years, their history might be longer but this is what they allow people to know.
They follow their tradition that still preserve the value of religious belief and the rice culture up until now. They believe that the spirit of rice is one of the components of the universe which embroidered with the realm of matter, body, mind, and soul. Activities and the livelihood of the people can not be separated from the rites of rice cultivation which oriented on the process maintenance and cosmic harmony. There is even a 'goddess of the paddy fields’, known as Dewi Sri.
Since the community is living based on the ritual according to the rice culture therefor farming is the most essential teaching of life.
The farming practices in the village Ciptagelar follows their ancestral principle. They implement gentle agriculture where planting cycle only take place once a year for a duration of six months. They leave the land unplanted until the upcoming cultivation year. The community believes that land should be restored to achieve a balance and harmonized nature without any chemical usage. They also avoid the utilization of tractor but plough using buffalos instead.
The village is surrounded by rivers and springs which the community utilize for rice fields irrigation, daily uses like drinking, cooking, washing and they generate electricity with self-made micro-hydro turbine.
The tradition do not allow rice trading because rice is a gift from the God for the community. They implement subsistent agriculture, improving livelihood while protecting the environment. Restriction of cultivable area, strict rules in utilizing woods and exact planting periods are some examples of cultural-based policy leading Ciptagelar to social, economic and environmental sustainability. They also use the modern technology like an own TV and radio station and the King Abah is constructing on a drown to help protecting the nearby rainforest.
Indonesia relies on rice as a staple food, requiring more sustainable landscape and irrigated rice systems. Rice remains a priority of food crops development in Indonesia, particularly to reduce its import dependency. The Ciptagelar community preserve their rice varieties and have organized a rice seed-bank which preserve a legacy of biodiversity for the future.
My motivation was to document the community in Ciptagelar and to show how they live in a sustainable way with the nature and in harmony with the community.