IK Monitor Articles (7-3)

Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor, November 1999

Contents IK Monitor (7-3) | IKDM Homepage | Suggestions to: ikdm@nuffic.nl | © copyright Nuffic-CIRAN and contributors 1999.

Focus on: Innovation among resource-poor farmers in Benguet province, the Philippines

Terracing with the aid of 'gravity flow'

In the July 1999 issue of 'Focus on:' we presented an example of innovation in soil and water conservation devised in Ethiopia. As we promised then, this . Focus on:. features a local innovation that also makes use of gravity and water flow, this time in the Philippines. After describing this practice, the author examines the concept of innovation itself. She concludes that not only is innovation a useful means of resource management, it also enables farmers to maintain the dynamics of farming.

In 1995 I conducted research on the environmental and farm-related knowledge of Kankanaey farmers in Benguet province, Philippines. It was there that I came across a remarkable innovation in soil conservation and improvement that I would like to share. Benguet is a province in Northern Luzon. Its year-round climate is cool, and its topography is characterized by plateaus and mountains with slopes of over 50%. Only 10% of the total land area is utilized for agricultural purposes; the rest consists of grasslands and woodlands. Benguet is populated by two major ethnic groupings, the Ibalois and the Kankanaeys. Roughly speaking, the Ibalois occupy the southern part of the province and the Kankanaeys the northern part. Most Kankanaeys are engaged in farming, mainly vegetables crops.

Terracing in the Philippines
In the Philippines, terracing is a traditional conservation measure which farmers employ to prevent continuous soil erosion, particularly in steep areas. Thus in Benguet province, with its steep slopes and shallow soils, terracing is one of the techniques used to transform a terrain that is unsuitable for farming into productive land. Some old farmers I spoke with pointed out that terracing is nothing new. Their forefathers probably learned the technique from the people of neighboring Ifugao province, the site of the Banawe rice terraces, one of the seven wonders of the world. Using the simplest of tools, the incredibly steep, rocky mountains have been transformed into rice fields which rise like stairways to the sky.

Terracing by means of gravity flow
One of the farmers told me about the use of the gravity flow of water to construct terraces in steep areas which are not accessible to transport services of any kind. I learned from him that constructing a terrace requires not only labour but also special materials, such as stones or specific kinds of earth known locally as linsang. These are hard soils which have been compacted by the roots of various grasses and are used as an alternative for stones. The farmer told me that he did not have the financial resources to hire workers to help him move these materials, and this is why he resorted to what he said was an age-old method for constructing a terrace. The first thing he does is to select an area which is close to a river or creek. Then he removes and puts aside the surface soils, which will later be used as filling materials. Then a channel is dug to divert the water from the river or creek in the direction of the site where the terrace is to be constructed. Instead of hiring workers or employing special tools, the farmer uses the gravity flow of the water to transport stones, debris and soil from the source to the terrace site, until sufficient material has been accumulated to construct the terrace. The terrace is then walled and the bed is flattened, after which the top soils, which are regarded as quite fertile, are put back on the bed of the new terrace. The farmer indicated that this technique is employed during periods when there is an abundant supply of water, and that this is almost always the case in sloping areas. It also became clear that the technique is laborious and time-consuming, and that it sometimes takes as long as a month to finish one terrace. In walling the terrace, most farmers prefer to use stones rather than earth, because they provide more stability. However, stones are becoming scarce in the area, and it costs too much to transport them from other areas. This means that Kankanaey farmers have no choice but to use earth material. To increase the stability of the wall, pieces of stone or compacted earth are arranged one on top of the other in overlapping layers. This is done in order to avoid gaps in the wall, which could let in water, weakening the wall and even leading to the collapse of the entire terrace.

Comparison with the devil. s tie
I would now like to compare the two techniques: the Ethiopian devil. s tie as described in the July 1999 issue of this Monitor (IK&DM 7(2)) and the use of the gravity flow of water in constructing terraces. There are clear parallels between them: both innovations employ the power of water from the river in combination with stones, as a way of making farming possible in areas where it would otherwise be unthinkable. In the case of the devil. s tie, the force of water is used to transport soils from the river or other source in order to reclaim land; in the Philippines, the force of the water is used in the construction of a terrace. Both innovations are the result of the creativity of farmers, who have found ways to protect their soils from erosion and create new farmland. Moreover, both use the river as a resource in achieving their objectives. As regards the differences between the two techniques, the devil. s tie is intended to control or divert water and soil from the river in order to reclaim land, to prevent erosion and to irrigate land. In the case of the farmers in the Philippines, while water is also diverted in order to transport stones, soils and other debris, the difference is that a permanent wall is then constructed. This prevents the collapse of the terrace and ensures that the soils on the terrace bed can be used for cultivation. No land is reclaimed from the river, but the sloping land is converted into a form that permits cultivation. Another major difference has to do with the extent to which the practices have been adopted by local farmers. The devil. s tie is used wherever farmers are confronted with the problem encountered by Ato Johannes. By contrast, the technique of terracing using the gravity flow of water is much less popular among the people of Benguet province, because it is laborious and it takes time to complete the entire process. Moreover, it can only be used in areas close to a river or creek. The fact that there are other alternatives makes the technique even less popular among farmers.

Why innovation?
An innovation is a novelty that is translated into a new method, practice, service, process or system which changes the established way of doing things. It is the product of creativity, triggered by the need to solve a particular issue or problem. Farming is a highly dynamic enterprise that requires constant monitoring, and yet farmers all over the world have been able to deal with and adjust to their complex environment. They have to be innovative in order to adapt to the dynamic nature of the farming enterprise, and make the most of the resources available to them. We may therefore say that when faced with difficulties in implementing their activities, farmers try to innovate or adopt existing innovations, depending on the available resources. This means that the resources which farmers have at their disposal are a major determinant of their behaviour, and that innovation is an important tool in resource management.

María Corazon Y. Mendoza, Ph.D.
Blk10 Lot53 Golden City
Salawag, Dasmarinas
Cavite, Philippines 4114
E-mail: mariacor@mailcity.com

Ilustration
The water flowing from the river to the terrace.
Photo: María Corazon Y. Mendoza