Tourists gone, Bali’s young entrepreneurs eye sustainable future

Young people on Indonesia’s famous resort island are finding new ways to make ends meet after the collapse of tourism, says Risyiana Muthia from Al Jazeera.

[…] When Made Yogantara lost his job after COVID-19 sank Bali’s tourism industry, he had to get creative to take care of his family.

Made, who worked at a popular tourist restaurant, enlisted the help of his uncle – a lecturer in agriculture – and turned a vacant lot owned by his family into a small farm [in Denpasar]. Nearly two years later, the 26-year-old former bartender is selling organic fruits and vegetables online and at the site.

The 25 square metre […] permaculture garden, I Think Fresh Urban Farms, has enabled Made to stay afloat during the pandemic and even donate more than 20kg […] of fresh produce to a recent relief effort for the island’s vulnerable communities.

Before the pandemic hit, Made never thought of venturing outside of hospitality, which in normal times would experience a year-end rush that allowed workers to double or triple their monthly wage. Like many of his peers, he saw few other opportunities for young people on Indonesia’s popular resort island.

“But now young people in Bali will really need to explore. We see and experience it ourselves that we can’t rely too much on tourism,” Made [says].

Made is far from alone.

In 2020, 236,000 people in Bali worked in the tourism sector, compared with 328,000 the previous year, according to data from Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. That number is unlikely to have improved much in 2021. Despite reopening to international arrivals in October, the island welcomed just 45 tourists in the first 10 months of this year, according to the Central Statistics Bureau of Bali, compared with more than six million international visitors and 10 million domestic tourists in 2019.

The collapse has left young people, in particular, seeking out new ways to make ends meet, according to Irma Sitompul, […] co-founder of the Pratisara Bumi Foundation […], [ a nonprofit organisation that helps communities set up businesses that prioritise sustainable practices].

“For Bali in particular, we’ve seen how the youth have really struggled,” Irma [says]. […]

“They are […] looking for alternatives to tourism because they have seen first-hand how destructive the effect of mass tourism is in Bali, how their ancestral lands are being turned into villas, and how the island is sinking with waste pollution,” Irma added.

Irma […] says the pandemic had inspired many young people to think about starting a small business at home.

“We [had] 276 applicants, all between 18 - 32 years old, at the start of the programme. 45 percent of the participants are still in school,” says Irma.

Sustainable biomaterials

Now at its second phase, the [project] is focusing on 23 entrepreneurial ideas, nearly half of which centre around agro-food businesses. Less than one-third are related to tourism.

Gede Abdi Setiawan, one of the […] participants, […] hopes to develop a freshwater eel farm in his village in Negara, West Bali.

“Rice field eels, specifically,” [he says], speaking excitedly about the eels’ value as a foodstuff in his community. “Balinese love eel crackers. They were very popular when I was growing up, sold in almost every roadside food stall. But now that plenty of rice fields in Negara have been converted into buildings, they are becoming more and more scarce.”

Kadek Mesy Wulandari, another […] participant, is keen to turn corn husk waste in her village in Klungkung, East Bali into sustainable biomaterial. [She] believes her idea could help young people in her village find work. “Nearly everyone in the village – mostly working for cruise ships, hotels, restaurants – is still unemployed. We’re looking to change that,” [she says].

But after decades of building up the industry, Bali is likely to find it an uphill battle to transition away from tourism, according to industry expert Gede Sutarya.

“In 1971, the Indonesian government decided to make Bali an international tourism destination. They welcomed foreign investments, built many hospitality training schools on the island, and then saw the tourism numbers target continue to rise,” Gede [says], explaining that arrivals from overseas ballooned from about one million in 1994 to more than six million in 2019.

“To keep up with the climbing numbers, Bali started seeing overdevelopment of foreign hotel chains and villa complexes, often at the peril of locally owned homestays and small businesses. […].”

Gede [says] the population would continue to see tourism as the main source of jobs until the government [puts] a brake on the rampant development of hotels and villas.

“For older generations … that’s all they know,” he [says] “They were there at the beginning of Bali’s plunge into tourism, watched it thrive, and built their career around it. They want the same thing for their children.”

Social expectations

For young Bali residents such as Made, Abdi and Mesy, social expectations are still weighted towards tourism-reliant sectors such as hospitality.

“People thought that it was strange that I chose to study to become a farmer, encouraging me to work in tourism instead,” [says] Abdi, explaining that many older people associate farming with poverty and hardship.

“But Bali used to have a strong agricultural culture, and there is vast potential in agribusiness. This is something I believe in, and I will work to make it happen.”

Irma firmly believes that change can begin with the young.

“They have the power to shape the country’s future, so we want to make sure that our youth are equipped with the right tools,” she [says]. “Our goal is to see them empowered in developing their villages in a regenerative way to achieve economic resilience.”

Click here to see the Instagram page of I Think Fresh Urban Farms.

This is an excerpt from an article originally written by Risyiana Muthia and published by Al Jazeera.