Programme area. The programme will be implemented in 24 municipalities and 150 barangays (villages) in six provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region (Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province). This land-locked and mountainous region is socially and economically disadvantaged and further isolated by poor infrastructure.

Target group. The target group consists mainly of poor highland and upland indigenous groups whose main economic activity is agriculture. Approximately 30,000 households, or 158,000 people, will benefit directly from the programme.

Programme objectives. Building on the achievements of the Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management Project - cofinanced with the Asian Development Bank - the programme will seek to reduce rural poverty among indigenous communities in the region. Specifically, it will aim to: (i) increase the household income of poor farmers through sustainable agricultural development; and (ii) enhance the quality of life of the targeted communities by improving land tenure security, food security and watershed conservation.

Programme description. The programme will have five integrated components:

• Community empowerment through participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation, and land titling. The objective of this component is to empower targeted indigenous communities and stakeholders, including local government unit officers and traditional leaders, by strengthening their management capacities. Through active participation, they will gain a clear understanding and sense of ownership of the programme, which will contribute to its sustainability. Community members will also play an active role in drawing up development plans. Programme activities will be undertaken through four subcomponents: (i) community mobilization, including a capacity development programme and social preparation; (ii) participatory planning; (iii) participatory monitoring and evaluation; and (iv) facilitation of ancestral domain titling.

• Watershed conservation and management. This component will support: (i) the establishment and management of tree nurseries by local government units; and (ii) reforestation and agroforestry, to strengthen community management of highland forests and watersheds. This will be achieved through the organization of community groups and the wider use of indigenous knowledge and practices.

• Agribusiness and rural enterprise development. Through this component, the programme will (i) provide market-oriented agricultural support services aimed at boosting the productivity and incomes of smallholder households and farmer organizations; (ii) disseminate market information and provide marketing support; and (iii) support the rehabilitation and construction of facilities and the supply of equipment. The programme will also assist targeted communities in implementing the agribusiness and rural-based livelihood enterprise activities identified in their development plans.

• Rural infrastructure development. The programme will mobilize and support communities and local government units so that they can improve rural infrastructure that is essential for the promotion of agricultural production and rural-based livelihood enterprises. Priorities for the rehabilitation or construction of infrastructure will be determined in development plans and will include, but not be limited to, farm-to-market access facilities and irrigation and water facilities.

• Programme coordination and management. Support will be provided to establish and operate programme management structures at regional, provincial, municipal and barangay level, including the implementation of monitoring and evaluation and capacity strengthening.

Important features. The programme is intended to consolidate the progress made in IFAD’s first Cordillera operation (1997-2004), building on its successful innovative approaches and introducing some new aspects. Among the latter will be (i) a sharper focus on results; (ii) the enhanced participation of local government units as implementing agencies; and (iii) pilot testing and application of new concepts and approaches - for instance, indigenous practices of natural resource management such as lapat (forest management);  the Programme for Developing Mechanisms to Reward the Upland Poor of Asia for the Environmental Services They Provide, funded through an IFAD grant and coordinated by the World Agroforestry Centre; and an emerging methodology for increasing irrigated rice yields called the System of Rice Intensification. The programme's targeted support for the rural poor in indigenous communities is fully consistent with IFAD's strategy for Asia and the Pacific and its country strategic opportunities programme currently under finalization. The programme will also support the Government in its efforts to "fight poverty and build prosperity for the greatest number of Filippino people", a basic task under the Medium-term Philippine Development Plan (2004-2010).

Potential cofinanciers. Discussions are ongoing with the Asian Development Bank.

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Photo caption 1: IFAD photo by Louis Dematteis - Philippines - Visayas Communal Irrigation and Participatory Project - Farmers clearing irrigation canals in Bulak, on Cebu Island. The project has enabled 30 farming households participating in the Bulak Communal Irrigation System to replace their annual rainfed maize crop with two crops per year of irrigated rice, each bringing in a 40 per cent revenue increase.

Photo caption 2: IFAD photo by Louis Dematteis - Philippines - Visayas Communal Irrigation and Participatory Project - Vendors selling produce at the vegetable market in Mantalongon, a town on Cebu Island. Agriculture remains the foundation of the Philippine economy, accounting for almost half of total employment.

Facts and figures Region: Asia and the Pacific Division Programme ID number: 1395 Nature of programme: Agricultural development Programme cost (provisional): US$64.6 million Estimated IFAD loan: To be determined Cofinancing gap: See section on potential cofinanciers Domestic contribution: To be determined Proposed terms: Highly concessional Stage of programme cycle: Formulation completed Next step in programme development: Appraisal scheduled for April-May 2007 Tentative date for consideration by the Executive Board: September 2007 Programme duration: Seven years Tentative programme start-up date: January 2008 Implementing agency: Department of Agriculture Borrower: Republic of the Philippines Hot links Rural poverty in the Philippines IFAD operations in the Philippines Planned project activities disclaimer Contact information Mr T. Elhaut Director, Asia and the Pacific Division Mr S. Jatta Country Programme Manager e-mail: s.jatta@ifad.org International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) 107 Via del Serafico, 00142 Rome, Italy Tel: + 39 0654591 e-mail: ifad@ifad.org