The Balinese Subak Agroecosystem Integrating Local Ecological Knowledge for Water, Food, and Environmental Resilience

Abstract

Water scarcity, declining agroecosystem resilience, and food insecurity have become increasingly interconnected challenges in the twenty-first century, driven by climate variability, land-use change, and intensive agricultural development. These pressures highlight the importance of integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into sustainable water and agroecosystem management. This study investigates the ecological significance of the Balinese Subak system as a traditional agroecosystem that supports long-term water regulation, agricultural productivity, and environmental resilience. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) following the PRISMA 2020 protocol was conducted to identify, evaluate, and synthesize 100 scientific publications published between 2000 and 2025 in both English and Indonesian. The synthesis demonstrates that Subak represents a resilient socio-ecological system in which traditional ecological knowledge, community-based resource management, and adaptive irrigation practices collectively sustain hydrological processes, ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, and the stability of rice-based agroecosystems. The review further reveals that the Tritalic Hita Karana philosophy provides the ecological and cultural foundation that maintains harmonious interactions among humans, nature, and the spiritual environment, thereby strengthening ecosystem resilience under increasing climate and development pressures. Recent studies also indicate that digital technologies, including IoT-based irrigation monitoring, can enhance ecological monitoring and water-use efficiency when integrated with local ecological knowledge without compromising traditional values. These findings demonstrate that traditional agroecosystems, such as Subak, offer a biologically and ecologically relevant model for sustainable resource management, contributing to food security, ecosystem resilience, and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDGs 2, 6, and 13.