IN PANAY Island, farmers count on the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project II, or the mega dam, to provide them with irrigation water whole-year round. But that’s some two years away yet as construction is still going on.
The dry season has officially started. It is during this time that people, most especially agriculture stakeholders, realize the importance of water, and specifically, irrigation systems. Lest we forget, we’re still basically an agricultural country. The government should come up with a comprehensive and integrated approach to improve the country’s agriculture and irrigation systems. Yes, there are other interventions to consider such as irrigation extension services, access to technology, access to seeds, marketing assistance, and crop insurance.
A holistic strategy is what’s needed. The proper approach is to inspect the area first to see what potential crops can be planted and what kind of water requirement is needed to know what irrigation system is suitable. All of these have to be part of the strategy. When you design an irrigation system, you have to integrate it with all the other interventions.
To improve farmers’ income, crop diversification or the addition of crops or cropping systems in agricultural production is essential, rather than sticking to monocropping or growing a single crop yearly on the same piece of land, in the absence of crop rotation. Limiting the production into a single crop, like palay, will result in a negative internal rate of return, which means that the cost is more than the benefit.
Operational concerns in the agriculture sector must also be addressed. Of course, one is the poor design of irrigation systems. Since many irrigation projects are funded, there is a tendency to overestimate the impacts of the system to get the loan approval, resulting in an irrigation system that does not live up to expectations.
Another issue is the delay in the completion of projects. A huge amount of money is allotted to new irrigation systems, yet there is a continuous decline in harvested areas. The government should consider extreme weather conditions, flood control, and drainage systems in designing irrigation projects. It must also look into more efficient water management, such as recycling and impounding, and to explore technologies in irrigation that are more cost-effective.
Ah yes, let us not belittle irrigators’ associations. In fact, we should strengthen various stakeholders, including irrigators’ associations. After all, it’s the farmers who will make the system effective, or they can also damage it if they do not take care of it. So, we really have to involve them from the start.
