Comparative Socio-Ecological Analysis of Balinese Water Temples

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This award to a cultural anthropologist and an ecologist at the University of Southern California will support their research on a complex irrigation system in Bali. In a previous project the PIs developed a computer simulation model of the irrigation system in a broad area, and analyzed the role of religious priests in managing the flow of water so as to coordinate the activities of different sub-regions to limit pest damage and stimulate increased rice production. The model called for a vast amount of precise data about the actual flows of water, rainfall, crop production and other variables, and this award will allow the PIs to return to Bali to work with local water engineers and personnel to set up a large program of data gathering. The end result will be a more precise test and specification of the model, which should allow local experts to manage the system better. This research is important because it shows the role of native religious specialists in economic production, and will help develop analytical systems to increase our understanding of the function of regional irrigation systems in traditional societies. Any increase in understanding of how such food production systems work, especially when they are so different from our own (i.e., involving religious experts), can potentially help alleviate the world food problem.