Japanese Embassy Councilor Ryoji Noda will lead the turn over ceremonies of small scale community irrigation systems for selected organizations under the Project entitled “Promotion of Participatory Forest Management in the Critical Watershed of Nueva Vizcaya Province”. The event will be held in Barangay Tidang Village, Municipality of Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya Province on November 19, 2009. The budget allocation for this project amounting to US $ 173,131 ( approximately Php 8,164,165 ) came from the “ Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects” under Japan 's Official Development Assistance (ODA). The irrigation systems are expected to benefit hundreds of community residents in three barangays namely Tidang Village, Sinapaoan and Antutot, which are located in municipalities of Sta. Fe and Kasibu in Nueva Vizcaya Province.
The implementation of this Project is spearheaded by the GLM Institute, a Japanese NGO, in collaboration with local government agencies in Nueva Vizcaya and PRRM (Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement) and other local NGOs. This second phase project of GLMI will involve the construction of communal irrigation facilities in the target areas, continuation of trainings for selected extension workers/farmer cooperators on organic fertilizer production, efficient use of biological residues and other environmental activities as well as marketing of agricultural and forest products to augment the income of the farmers. The first phase focused on improving the deteriorating conditions of the communities in Nueva Vizcaya through participatory environmental management by setting up model farms which utilizes environmentally sustainable farming methods, strengthening linkages with local stakeholders and introducing environmental awareness campaigns for the local populace.
Nueva Vizcaya is located in a valley between the Magat River and Cagayan River. It is traversed in the middle by the Caraballo mountain range that provides abundant forest resources and a sanctuary of rich biodiversity. Over the years, however, its rich forest cover seems to have been denuded as a result of illegal logging, rampant slash-and-burn agriculture, and insufficient appropriate sustainable forest management. Thus, its water resources have been vulnerable during droughts, and the local communities encountered serious environmental problems such as soil erosion, flood and debris flow.
The GLM Institute has been contributing to sustainable forest resource management in the upland communities of Nueva Vizcaya for the past four years. From 2005 to 2006, the GLMI has undertaken a project called “Nueva Vizcaya Alternative Livelihood Development Support for CBFM (Community-Based Forest Management) Associations”. The project aimed at mobilizing local communities to implement forest resource co-management systems while assisting them in undertaking initiatives towards livelihood improvement. The project has supported the establishment of community-based enterprises owned and managed by CBFM Associations in two villages.
The Government of Japan has supported the Philippine Government's efforts in the preservation of its forest resources through its Community-Based Forest Management Progra m for more than a decade. Japan's support to the forestry sector in the Philippines focused on the establishment and enhancement of sustainable forest management through various projects such as Forestry Sector Project through Japanese ODA loans and Technical Cooperation through JICA, among others. This project espouses such endeavor.
The Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects was launched in 2002 to enhance cooperation between the Government of Japan and NGOs in the implementation of ODA to promote effective and efficient aid for developing countries. Since then, 307 grassroots level projects with an estimated total of more than 4,611 million yen have been implemented by NGOs. In the Philippines, 18 projects have been implemented in various sectors.
