BDRC Pilot Project 2008-2009: PhilNet (c/o PRDCI)
(Iloilo City, Philippines)
Project Concept
Barangay Sianon in Badiangan Iloilo’s rice fields are prone to flooding because these are situated near the banks of Calansanan Creek. Households residing along the creek have to evacuate during typhoons and find refuge in the barangay hall and relatives’ houses located in higher ground. Soil erosion affects about 53 hectares of farmlands with 40% being moderately to severely so. This is due primarily to the absence of soil conservation system in sloping farms.
Barangay Sianon in Badiangan Iloilo’s rice fields are prone to flooding because these are situated near the banks of Calansanan Creek. Households residing along the creek have to evacuate during typhoons and find refuge in the barangay hall and relatives’ houses located in higher ground. Soil erosion affects about 53 hectares of farmlands with 40% being moderately to severely so. This is due primarily to the absence of soil conservation system in sloping farms.
The thin vegetation of the barangay cannot effectively protect its potable water supply that comes from underground springs during drought situations. Numerous springs have already dried out due to the clearing of forested areas for sugarcane cultivation in the 60’s and 70’s and several hand pumps were rendered useless during the 1997-1998 El Nino.
The continuous use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that for many years now, has degraded the soil in the slopes, pose a threat to water quality most especially to two open dug wells used by 8 households.
The barangay cannot rely much on the municipal government for support during calamities. Badiangan is a small 5th class municipality with 31 barangays that have topography similar with that of Sianon.
It is therefore sensible for Sianon to build its own resilience against disasters by drawing its strength from its human and natural resources. This is the rationale for PhilNet and PRDCI’s piloting project in Barangay Sianon.
Project Objectives
The project aims to build the resilience of Brgy. Sianon in the events of disasters. It is a pilot project that is primarily aimed at reducing vulnerabilities of upland agricultural livelihoods due to heavy rainfall and drought.
The pilot project will also enable PhilNet and PRDCI to test the adequacy of its concept and strategies in assisting communities mitigate disaster risks and become better prepared primarily through their own initiatives. The following strategies will be undertaken to achieve these objectives:
The success of this project will make Brgy. Sianon as a model on disaster resiliency that other communities can replicate. It will also enable PhilNet and PRDCI to expand its BDRC program to cover highly vulnerable areas in the Visayas Region.
Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies
Risk and Vulnerability Reduction as a Development Strategy
The Project implementation follows PhilNet’s vision of building self-determining and self-reliant rural communities thru Local Economy Development (LED) and productivity enhancement and wise utilization and management of human and natural resources. Rural development and democratization and disaster preparedness are development frameworks that aim to address rural poverty and reduce risks and vulnerabilities to natural and anthropogenic-induced disasters through broad-based local economy development. Both are intervention frameworks that offer local ownership of development processes that strengthen and re-enforce partnerships among: (a) Local Government Units; (b) Line Government Agencies; (c) Business Sectors; (d) NGO or Not-for-Profit Sectors; (e) Academe and Experts; (f) Church; and (g) Local Community.
Since natural disasters pose a growing threat to the development strategies in rural communities by destroying livelihoods and interrupting economic activity, destroying productive capacity and productive capacity, and even creating irreversible changes in the natural resource base. With the increasing frequency and severity of hydro-meteorological disasters, rural communities like Brgy. Sianon are facing situations in which scarce resources that were earmarked for development projects have to be diverted to relief and reconstruction following disasters, thus setting back economic growth of households and communities.
Disasters also directly impact on the economic capacity of poor households in Brgy. Sianon, at a time when extra resources are needed for the most basic necessities like food, medicines, clothing, education, farm tools and equipment, seeds and inputs for production.
If sustainable development is to be achieved, then the people themselves, with the assistance of civil society organizations (CSOs) like PhilNet and PRDCI, local government units (LGUs), government line agencies (GLAs), the academe, and experts, will have to take effective measures to reduce the vulnerabilities of the most at risk to natural and anthropogenic hazards.
Long term hazard mitigation and vulnerability reduction quite often have to compete for scarce resources with other development initiatives addressing basic infrastructure, production and livelihood needs. The benefits of long term hazard mitigation go beyond economics, as the reduction in vulnerability to disasters contributes to individual security, social stability and sustainable development.
Improving physical infrastructure to secure community safety:
Harvest within 1-3 months
Processing of Vegetables to Ensure Access to Healthy and Nutritious Food During Emergencies
