A natural high: The Organic Farm in Bali

A light rain patters as we make a final approach to The Organic Farm Bali in Munduk Lumbang, a village close to the World Heritage-listed Jatiluwih rice terraces.

We're a world away from the hassle of southern Bali. The chillies and tomatoes growing in neat patches glisten with droplets and a passing farmer covers his head with a banana leaf.

At the farm's open-air restaurant, we're welcomed with fresh juices and coffee. The staff whisk my young children away to feed the rabbits, ducks and chickens.

The farm has three bedrooms, originally built to house visiting chefs growing produce at the farm but now open to anyone interested in seeing rural Bali up close. We've taken The Bale, an enchanting thatched bungalow with its own bathroom (but no running water; it's hand-carted in) and wrap-around verandah standing on its own pineapple-studded hill. It's a five-minute walk through fields of carrots, rucola, fennel, lettuce, mangosteen, beans, mint and basil, across a creek bed where women are washing clothes and children are playing.

Former advertising executive Marjan van Ravenzwaaij from The Netherlands and her Balinese husband, Wayan Sukerta, opened the farm to show tourists a more authentic side of Bali. "It's about being in nature and connecting to the traditions and people of Bali," van Ravenzwaaij says. "And because it's organic, the food of course is very important."

Sukerta, who is from a fishing and farming family, has a background in hospitality and surfing. The couple are working with the farming families in the village to help them earn more. "The main problem for the farmers is marketing, finance and planning. We are educating the farmers that they can grow Western produce and still grow local products," says van Ravenzwaaij.