Libmanan/Cabusao integrated area development project : food and nutrition category

An Area Development Council (ADC) under the Bicol River Basin Council will implement the project. The project will increase the cropping intensity of rice to at least two crops per year through improvements in irrigation, drainage, water management, farm level organization, farm practices, extension services, transport, land tenure arrangements, and marketing services. The project involves five concurrent subprojects. (1) An 8.4 km flood interceptor channel and a 6.7 km tide protection dike will be built to reduce flooding and saline intrusion. In the area between the two, an intensive irrigation and drainage system and 45.5 km of service roads will be built. (2) An intensive compact farm development program will entail training 2,333 potential compact farm members, restructuring 37 existing compact farms, organizing 223 new farms, and fielding "progressive farmers" as farmer-technicians. (3) An Irrigators Association (IA) will be organized, with all members and staff trained to handle irrigation operation and maintenance (especially of pumps) and collect water fees charged for pump irrigation. (4) The land transfer and/or leasehold process will be accelerated. An additional 265 tenants will receive Land Transfer Certificates and 204 will receive fixed leasehold contracts by 7/76. (5) Applied crop research and on-farm demonstrations of appropriate technologies will be conducted to address some of the area"s chief farming problems - inadequate fertilizer and insecticide use, poor weed and rodent control, improper scheduling of planting. A sixth subproject, scheduled for Phase II, involves consolidation of farm lands.