Did you know: From Field to Feast
- Rice terraces: Bali’s subak system shows food as landscape and culture, sustaining both farmers and rituals.
- Cocoa plantations: Sulawesi produces some of the world’s finest cocoa, now shaping bean-to-bar tourism.
- Coffee journeys: From Aceh to Toraja, Indonesia’s beans offer immersive tours from harvesting to brewing.
- Heritage farming: Revived crops like red rice and local corn enrich both biodiversity and culinary diversity.
What if the best way to understand a destination is to taste where its food begins? In Indonesia, meals don’t just come from markets or restaurants – they start in rice terraces, volcanic soils, and family farms. Bali’s subak irrigation system, recognized by UNESCO, is as much about water-sharing philosophy as about growing rice. Sulawesi’s cocoa turns into artisanal chocolate, while Toraja’s coffee beans travel from mountain fields to your morning cup. The concept of “From Farm to Table” is now use to showcase how farmers, chefs, and communities work together – transforming ingredients into stories and stories into experiences buyers can design into powerful travel products.
Indonesia’s farm-to-table story is not a borrowed movement – it has always been here. Farmers plant what their ancestors once planted, chefs draw from the same soils and seas, and communities thrive on the balance between land, water, and people.
On Bali’s emerald terraces, travellers can walk through the subak system, learning how farmers collectively manage water, then share a meal of freshly harvested rice cooked in a village kitchen. In Sulawesi, visitors can step into a cocoa plantation, cracking open pods before watching beans roasted into fine chocolate. In Toraja, coffee journeys take travellers from bean to cup, guided by farmers whose stories flavour every sip.
But farm-to-table is not only about freshness – it is about connection. Chefs in Ubud now work directly with local farmers, reviving heritage varieties like red rice or indigenous corn. These collaborations ensure fair prices, reduce waste, and give diners food that carries both flavour and meaning. For the global travel trade, such partnerships are opportunities: imagine curating itineraries where travellers join a harvest in the morning, cook alongside villagers by midday, and end the day with a chef-led dinner that reinterprets the same ingredients.
These experiences create value beyond dining. They support local economies, preserve biodiversity, and appeal to conscious travellers seeking authenticity.
“Farm-to-table is more than dining – it is storytelling. BBTF 2026 connects buyers with Indonesia’s communities, destinations and resorts with the concept.” Discover farm-to-table journeys with ASITA Bali Region, where agriculture, culture, and travel experiences grow together.
