Kompas.com reports that the Bali Provincial Government is once again\nthreatening to halt the increasingly alarming rate of agricultural land\nconversion to other purposes.<\/p>\n
Bali Gubernatorial Decree Number 5 of 2025, Governor Wayan Koster\nprohibited the conversion of rice fields to non-agricultural areas,\nincluding the construction of villas and tourism properties. That\ninstruction mandated that agricultural land in Bali, particularly\nSustainable Food Crop Land (LP2B) and Rice Field Standard Area (LBS),\nmust be strictly protected from further development.<\/p>\n
The 2025 decree was enacted into law on December 2, 2025.<\/p>\n
According to social media reports, despite the codification of laws\nprohibiting the conversion of rice fields into villa projects, the\nconstruction of villas on agricultural land appears to be continuing at\nan unabated pace. As reported by Kompas.com, Building Construction\nApprovals (PBG) and Certificates of Functional Worthiness (SLF) are\nbeing rejected by the OSS (Online Single Submission) licensing approval\nsystem.<\/p>\n
The PBG is an official permit that replaces the IMB and must be\nobtained before constructing, modifying, or maintaining a building to\nmeet technical standards.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the SLF is the legal document issued by the regional (or\ncentral) government stating that a building has been completed and meets\nthe technical and administrative requirements for use.<\/p>\n
According to the official Bali Provincial Government website, the\npermit system is intended to maintain the availability of productive\nagricultural land while strengthening food sovereignty on the Island of\nthe Gods. These steps are part of efforts to realize the regional\ndevelopment vision of \u201cNangun Sat Kerthi Loka Bali\u201d, a Balinese slogan\nthat emphasizes the need to maintain balance between nature, humans, and\nculture.<\/p>\n
\u201dWe must ensure the balance between nature, humans, and culture is\nmaintained. If agricultural land continues to shrink, food\nsustainability and harmony in Bali will be threatened,\u201d said Bali\nGovernor Wayan Koster, on Friday, 24 April 2026. The Governor publicly\nproclaims that without strong protection, the shrinking of rice fields\nwill threaten the sustainability of the agricultural sector, which has\nlong been a foundation of Bali\u2019s economy and culture.<\/p>\n
Bali\u2019s shrinking agricultural land is also cited as a contributing\nfactor in the devastating floods affecting the Island.<\/p>\n
Now, under the law, all Regents and the single Mayor in Bali are\nprohibited from approving the conversion of agricultural land,\nespecially LP2B and LBS, for non-agricultural purposes. This is presumed\nto mean that development projects \u2013 such as villas, hotels, and other\ncommercial facilities \u2013 are no longer allowed to convert protected rice\nfields.<\/p>\n
Moreover, district\/city governments are now being asked to reject any\nrevision to spatial planning that could reduce the amount of\nagricultural land. Protection of agricultural land is also strengthened\nthrough spatial planning policies. These instructions expressly prohibit\nand change the land designated as LP2B and LBS in the current Regional\nSpatial Plan (RTRW) and Detailed Spatial Plan (RDTR) documents.<\/p>\n
If enforced, the scope for converting rice fields into development\nareas will be severely limited, as they are now presumably \u201clocked down\u201d\nby regional planning regulations.<\/p>\n
Koster has revealed that productive rice fields in Bali now total\nonly some 68,000 hectares. \u201cIt continues to decline. During my first\nterm, it was around 71,000 hectares,\u201d commented Koster on Wednesday, 25\nMarch 2026. The remaining land, approximately 44 hectares (65 percent),\nis organic rice fields.<\/p>\n
\u201dI ask the leadership and members of the council to continue\nmonitoring so that this conversion of productive land can be controlled.\nBecause if not controlled, the conversion of productive land will\nincrease and will threaten food security,\u201d Koster explained.<\/p>\n
Under the new regulatory regime, owners, builders, and developers of\nvilla projects built illegally on agricultural land can now face\ncriminal charges. This Governor\u2019s instruction was not issued without\nreason. The policy was a response to a 2025 letter from the Minister of\nAgriculture highlighting the high rate of rice field conversion in\nBali.<\/p>\n
The rapid growth of the tourism sector is a major driver of the\nconversion of agricultural land into commercial properties. If left\nunchecked, this situation is feared to erode Bali\u2019s agrarian identity\nand threaten regional food security. Law enforcement of the ban on land\nconversion is in strict accordance with Law Number 41 of 2009. That law\nstates that converting LP2B land can result in a prison sentence of up\nto 5 years. In addition to the administrative ban, the government also\nemphasizes the importance of strict supervision in the field.\nSupervision will be extended to the village and hamlet levels to ensure\nthat no violations go unnoticed or unpunished.<\/p>\n
Related Links<\/p>\n
Bali to Ban Building More Hotels, Villas, & Restaurants<\/p>\n
Governor Koster: No Moratorium on Hotels & Villas<\/p>\n
Escalating Overtourism in Bali<\/p>\n
Moratorium on Development: 2 or 10 Years?<\/p>\n
Equitable Approach to Tourism Development<\/p>\n
Support Grows for 2-Year Bali Moratorium<\/p>\n
Time for Moratorium on S. Bali Development?<\/p>\n
BTB-GIPI Supports Bali Hotel Moratorium<\/p>\n
Megawati Wants Bali Hotel Moratorium<\/p>\n
Bali to Limit Number of Foreign Tourists?<\/p>\n
Stay Informed on Bali Tourism-Related News: Subscribe to Bali\nUpdate<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bali-rice-fields-no-longer-available-for-villa-construction-1778656154", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }