Water is an element that remain constant.

Water is a powerful factor in all ecosystem

and it is on the other hand the source that sustains life on land. Water plays an
impoertant role in the world economy as it covers 71% of the Earth’s surface that is
mostly used by humans to develop agricultural lands.

Agriculture plays a salient role in the development of the Philippine economy and the
attainment of inclusive growth. Philippines is primarily an agricultural country with
farming as one of its sub-sectors. The sector is burdened with low productivity for most
of its crops in cases that water is not properly managed. Thus, irrigation is deemed to be
one of the key factors that will help in the development of the country’s agricultural
system. It raises stability of production even under extreme weather conditions.

With the goal of developing, constructing, operating and managing irrigation systems,
the National Irrigation Administrationcommit to repair irrigation systems in provinces
under the National Irrigation Sector Rehabilitation and Improvement Project or NISRIP.
The National Irrigation Administration serve as the implementing agency of NISRIP
together with the Philippine Rice Research Institute as its co-implementing agency and
this project is funded by the Government of Japan through the Japan International
Cooperation Agency or JICA.

NISRIP aims to increase rice productivity and establish a sustainable O&M system
through the rehabilitation of irrigation facilities. It seeks to strengthen Irrigators’
Associations and provide agricultural support to help contribute to the enhancement of
rice self-sufficiency and increase income for farmer beneficiaries.

For the past implementation of the irrigation project, a third party evaluation has made
it apparent that providing basic infrastructure together with institutional development
and agricultural support is effective in improving the operation and maintenance of the
irrigation system and its sustainability resulting to the increase in rice production.

The NISRIP is expected to rehabilitate 11 National Irrigation Systems with a target Firmed
Up Service Area (FUSA) of 35,670 Hectares.

The following criteria were observed in the selection process of the 11 National
Irrigation Systems to be rehabilitated:

1. Must not be financed by other donors

2. Must not be security problem area
3. Must have an updated survey at present
4. Must have the strong need to rehebilitate system
5. Must show high economic Internal rate of return greater than 15%

The Sta. Barbara River Irrigation System is one of the 4 National Irrigation System in the
Province of Iloilo. It is the 2nd to accomplish the rehabilitation in the in the whole
country after ________ years.

The rehabilitation of Sta. Barbara River Irrigation System includes construction and
repair of Sta. Barbara DAM.The said rehabilitation covered the contruction of
Main Canal with a total of ____________

6 Lateral canals ( Lateral A, Lateral B, Lateral C, Lateral C1 & C2 & C3) with a total of
________

_________ kms oF drainage canal

_________ Canal structures

_________ drainage structures

_________ km of farm ditches

Also included is the regraveling of service roads and construction of 5 units Irrigators’
Association Office and 4 units combined IA Office and warehouse with Solar dryer.

The farmer beneficiaries were also strenghtened and developed in the National
Irrigation System, training were conducted to further make the recipient knowledgeable
of the equipment for lesser load of works. The PhilRice or the Philippine Rice Research
Institue and the National Irrigation Administration also collaborated by providing
farmers their needed farm machineries. For a more efficient & effective farming, the
PhilRice & NIA collaborated by providing our farmers farm machineries that could help
lighten their load of work. Likewise, technical skills were also shared to make them
knowledgeable of the equipment handed over to them.

The successful rehabilitation of the Sta. Barbara River Irrigation System has indeed
provided signifcant contribution to the improved and uninterrupted agricultural
production in the area and intervention that the farmers are most thankful for.

Messages:

Sofio Porcelo

Alexander Robles

Ferdinand Espino

Eduardo Alcasaren

With the completion of NISRIP, the Sta. Barbara RIS is projected to improve cropping
intensity from 162 to 200%, increase annual irrigated area for 2,289 has to 2,458 has
during wet season & from 1,145 has to 2,289 has during dry season. The Project aims to
increase cropping yield from 99 to 100 cavs per hectares for Wet season & 80 to 100
cavs per hectares from dry season.

Through the consistent technical support and the successful implementation of NISRIP,
it has indeed met its objective of helping stabilize the food supply in the country by
providing their farm producers the much needed irrigation system.