Sometime in 2016, a typhoon blew the roofs and walls of the office of the Lowlying Irrigators’ Association in Rizal, Kalinga. With their crops, farm facilities and personal properties also greatly affected by the typhoon and needed a lot of tending, it could have been easy for the association to be disheartened by the roofless office and drenched documents. However, ten days after the typhoon, the displaced roof and walls of the office were restored, the recovered documents were already sun-dried and the Lowlying IA moved on to become one of the Outstanding Irrigators Association in the region.
With its name based on the location of their farms as the lowest lying area in Brgy. Liwan East, Rizal, the Lowlying IA was organized in 2012 to manage and operate the Liwan East Ground Irrigation System a groundwater pump irrigation project which installed a shallow tube well irrigating six hectares, and the Liwan East Communal Irrigation System which established series of irrigation canals with a service area of five hectares.
The association ventured into credit business starting with farm inputs such as fertilizer and insecticides to members as form of fund-raising sometime in 2014. In the next years, it included dishwashing liquid, detergents and fabric conditioner as goods being sold to members as well as passersby.
Later in 2019, because it was already an organized association of farmers, the Department of Agriculture and its attached agencies also extended assistance through the grant of farm equipment, combine harvester and tractor. The IA decided to have them rented at a cost to cover for the equipment’s operation, maintenance and needed repairs as well as to gain more funds for the organization.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world which prompted community quarantines and restrictions, some members of the organization were infected by ‘plantdemic’ and later on decided to add to their existing money-making ventures by selling flowers and ornamental plants online. Also, the association has recently put up a fishpond near their office where members are currently growing ‘hito’ which the IA will soon sell for profit.
With all the fund-raising endeavors and other activities of the Low-lying IA, the officers and members are getting by.
Mr. Beda Malecdan, president of the IA, shares that capability building activities the NIA and other government agencies conducted and attended by the association members have greatly aided them in the operation of their IA.
“This is why we are encouraging all members as much as possible to attend trainings and seminars, especially on bookkeeping,” Malecdan said. He added that it is but fair that they apply what they have learned in their organization.
Over the years, facilities of their irrigation systems have continually deteriorated, or damaged by calamities, and there was actually draw down of water at the source of their pump irrigation system. However, the organization has show considerable growth with its assets of the organization consistently increasing (Low-lying IA is actually a millionaire!), and members continually learning.
The endeavors of the association were soon recognized when the functionality survey for all Irrigators’ Association regionwide for CY 2020 generated the highest rating for the Low-lying IA under the Communal Irrigation System Category.
“Our aim is to maintain and grow our organization. We cannot allow it to die,” the IA president said.
Photo Caption 1: The Low-lying Irrigators' Association in Rizal, Kalinga, CY 2020 Regional Outstanding Irrigators Association under the Communal Irrigation System Category, is not spared by the 'plantdemic' and has included selling various flowers and ornamentals online into the association's strings of money-making ventures. These were planted and grown during the onset and duration of the community quarantines brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo Caption 2: Mr. Beda Malecdan, president of the Low-lying IA, shows the new fund-raising endeavor of the association, a fishpond where the IA grows ‘hito’. The IA hopes to see some profit from their fishpond and add to their organization’s fund.