Saving the Ifugao Rice Terraces

Natural and manmade disasters are ruining what Filipinos call their own eighth wonder of the world." Now, many are racing against time to save the national treasure.

Natural and manmade disasters are ruining what Filipinos call their own eighth wonder of the world." Now, many are racing against time to save the national treasure.

   For centuries, the Ifugao rice terraces in the northern highlands of the Philippines have symbolized both the culture and ingenuity of the Filipino people. Carved out of the steep mountain slopes by the ancient Ifugao people using only their bare hands, primitive tools, and stones carried up from riverbeds, the rice terraces today continue to draw tourists visiting the country.
The United States Association of Civil Engineers calls them an engineering masterpiece. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), recognizing the terraces unusual landscape and history, named the rice terraces a World Heritage Site, with the added distinction of being the only undertaking of ancient communities that significantly contributes to the enhancement of the environment.

Unlike Chinas Great Wall and Egypts pyramids which were built by enslaved peoples, the rice terraces were built through the voluntary labor of the Ifugaos who devised a system to draw water from the higher parts of the mountains into cascading pond fields. They accomplished this without destroying the mountain ranges natural forest cover, or muyong.

This understanding and respect for the relationships among the terraces, the muyong, and rivers manifest the Ifugao forefathers affinity to Mother Nature. Indeed, conservationists and ecologists consider the terraces among the best soil and water conservation structures ever built by man.

In turn, the rice terraces have sustained the Ifugao communities for hundreds of years. These have also become the main source of livelihood for Ifugaos, most of who are engaged in agricultural activities.

Losing the treasure

The Ifugao rice terraces, however, are deteriorating. Irrigation canals are damaged. The stone walls are collapsing. The terraces watershed is shrinking. Some terraces have been converted to vegetable gardens or swidden farms, areas which have been slashed and burned" to grow root crops like sweet potato. Some have been converted to residential lots; others completely abandoned.
The locals point to a combination of factors as the culprit--from natural disasters such as earthquakes to manmade activities such as road construction, many of which destroy the infrastructures that sustain and support the terraces. The repair and maintenance of irrigation systems is critical for the restoration and preservation of the rice terraces.

Another prevailing issue is the lack of alternative sources of income among the rice terraces communities. For an increasing number of Ifugaos, their traditional livelihood could no longer provide even for basic necessities. This has forced some Ifugaos to abandon the terraces in favor of more lucrative livelihood activities. Abandoned terraces contribute to the overall deterioration of the whole system.
Challenge for Filipinos

In a joint effort to save the rice terraces, the Ifugao Provincial Government and the League of Corporate Foundations, a network of the Philippines largest corporate foundations, identified the environmental and socio-cultural factors that contribute to the sites degradation. These include the growing population, forest destruction, lack of appropriate technology, and weak systems to institutionalize cultural values and traditions.

Central to the restoration and preservation of the rice terraces is the return of the symbiotic relationship between the Ifugao people and their environment. Amidst the pressures to cope with modernization, Ifugao communities, with the help of government and non-government organizations, must learn how to rehabilitate, preserve, and fortify the rice terraces for present and future generations.

The Philippine government has responded to this need by creating the Ifugao Terraces Commission in 1994 and developing a master plan for the restoration and preservation of the terraces. The program covers natural hazard management, agricultural management and land distribution, water resource and watershed management as well as the development of transportation, tourism, and livelihood opportunities. The program also aims to enhance socio-cultural relations and strengthen the Ifugao way of life.

Some of these components are now being implemented by the Ifugao Provincial Government through the Ifugao Rice Terraces and Cultural Heritage Office. Individuals and organizations are also encouraged to fund or provide other means of support to restore and preserve the countrys own World Heritage Site.

Advocates believe that the cause will find plenty of support from Filipinos all over the world. After all, the restoration and preservation of a national treasure such as the rice terraces is a concern and a challenge not only for the Ifugaos but for the Filipino people as a whole.

Help Save the Ifugao Rice Terraces

Donate by sending a check to Ayala Foundation USA at 255 Shoreline Drive, Suite 128, Redwood City, CA 94065, USA. Donations may also be remitted online via www.lingkodpinoy.org.
For more details about Ifugao, visit www.haggiyoifugao.gov.ph. For information about other noteworthy projects in the Philippines, please call Myrna Araneta at (650) 598-3126 or e-mail us at afusa@ayalafoundation.org or visit our website at www.ayalafdnusa.org.
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