Irrigation in the Mountainous Cordilleras

November 24, 2016 - 9:27am

Rice terraces carved along mountainsides of the Cordilleras engineered for agriculture by our forefathers have consistently awed tourists and visitors here and abroad. Until today, these rice terraces are cultivated mostly for highland rice varieties during the wet season which takes usually longer than the three to four-month period of hybrid rice varieties in the flat lowland areas.

The Cordillera Administrative Region’s rolling and mountainous topography facilitates irrigation development and farm cultivation in areas of higher elevation than the national three pecent slope criteria. The rice terraces in various provinces of the region are perfect examples of this.

With this unique landscape in the region, NIA-CAR covers only three national irrigation systems namely Upper Chico River Irrigation System (UCRIS) with service areas in Kalinga and Isabela, West Apayao Abulug Irrigation System (WAAIS) in Apayao and Cagayan, and Hapid IS in Ifugao. The rest of the... read more

Mangali

November 24, 2016 - 9:30am

Anti Talima lived all her life in the secluded barangay of Anggacan in Tanudan, Kalinga. At 72, she still walks energetically, hears perfectly and talks enthusiastically about some of the indigenous farming customs, which are still very much practiced in Mangali. 

Mangali is an ethnolinguistic cluster in Tanudan and is composed of several barangays such as Anggacan and Mangali Centro. To reach Mangali from Tabuk City, one has to tackle a five-hour super bumpy ride on a high-wheeled PUV which travels once a day. If you are lucky, this will bring you to the nearest Mangali barangay. Otherwise, the vehicle will stop at Brgy. Taloctoc and one has to walk the rest of the way to Mangali which takes about three hours. If the destination are farther barangays like Anggacan, there will be an additional one-hour exciting walk through the golden rice terraces.

Like most farmers of rice terraces in the Cordilleras, farmers of Mangali cultivate ‘Unoy’ varieties, a... read more

Bolo Borobor

November 24, 2016 - 9:23am

Strong leadership and active women participation define the Bolo-Borobor Integrated Farmers’ Association of Brgy. Bolo, Tabuk City, Kalinga, one of this year’s national awardees as Most Outstanding Irrigators’ Association under the National Irrigation System (NIS) category.

According to the members, one of the pride of their organization are its officers led by its President, Mr. Teodoro Kub-ao Jr., a civil engineer-turned-farmer, who is a 2013 National Gawad Saka Awardee as Most Outstanding Rice Farmer Adopting Rice–based Integrated Farming System category. He is diligent, courageous, and hands-on in giving his dedicated service and prompt action to issues and problems encountered by the association.

In turn, Mr. Kub-ao attributes the success of their organization to the active officers and members. The IA has women key officers who are in-charge of the safekeeping of financial documents and organization records. These women of BBIFA proved they are well-... read more

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