Tabuk City, Kalinga –To increase food production and revive the good traditional agricultural practices of the Indigenous Peoples of Dupag, Tabuk City, a non-government organization (NGO) is now implementing a foreign-funded project in the area in partnership with another foreign NGO.
The project ‘Reviving Traditional Practices on Irrigation Management and Good Agricultural Practices in Barangay Dupag to Cope with the Effects of Climate Change’ is funded by the Council of Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan with an amount of 30,000 US dollars, or P1.6 million if converted in Philippine Pesos.
It is under the Taiwan CIP’s 2nd Endowment Program of Austronesian Community Development, a program focused on implementing developmental projects in indigenous communities.
Said project is composed of three components – the documentation of traditional rice varieties and other crops and water management practices; educational activities or training on sustainable agriculture and climate change; and the improvement of the communal irrigation system in the area.
The documentation on traditional agricultural practices focused on rice production and water management was first conducted to get data that will serve as the basis for designing appropriate capacity-building activities and formulating community policy to preserve their good agricultural practices and the environment.
After the study, sustainable agriculture and climate change-related educational activities will be done at the community level to increase awareness among farmers, especially the younger generation, and encourage them to nurture good practices in food production and environmental management.
Following the conduct of trainings, a communal irrigation system will be built.
The irrigation system’s design will utilize a climate change smart model using appropriate materials and a means to improve their community's self-help system for maintaining an irrigation system.
According to Juliet Pagoli, a staff member of the Cordillera Disaster and Response Services (CorDisRDS) and the project coordinator, the irrigation system is expected to benefit 25 indigenous people’s families, while the capacity-building activities will benefit 105 IP households.
The project started in June this year and is set to be completed the same month next year.
Why is Dupag chosen for the project?
In an interview with the staff of the Association of Taiwanese Indigenous People’s Development, they narrated a forum cum training was attended by members of the Cordillera Disaster and Response Services (CorDisRDS) in January this year where they were asked to write a proposal regarding development projects they could implement in indigenous communities.
Juliet Pagoli of CDDR said a letter sent to their office by the people’s organization in Dupag requesting assistance in the repair of their communal irrigation system damaged by the typhoon was the basis of the proposal crafted by their group when they attended the forum in Taiwan, thus the community’s selection as the beneficiary of said project.
The proposal was chosen by ATIDP since it was aligned with the goals of the Taiwan CIP’s 2nd Endowment Program of Austronesian Community Development.
Observations during the visit
When asked about their impressions during their visit to Barangay Dupag recently, the staff of ATIDP said they were positive the project would be implemented well with the cooperation of the community in Dupag.
“During this trip, I found that the connection of the community is very close; they put up a lot of efforts to help the community, have consensus within the community, and know what they want to do. I've learned a lot from their impressive community development efforts," the staff said.
The group is expected to come back in May next year, before the completion of the one-year project.
LISTEN TO STATION 1 RADIO: CLICK ME
.png)
Comments