By Rachel Magday

 

NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines — The provincial government of Nueva Vizcaya has taken a major step toward climate-resilient agriculture after Governor Atty. Jose V. Gambito signed a new partnership agreement to expand a modern irrigation system designed to boost rice yields while conserving water.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the provincial government and Verde Carbon Capture Inc. (VCCI), represented by project developer and manager Hamsha Saz, to continue and widen the implementation of the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) Technology Project across irrigated rice farms in the province.

The initiative promotes Alternate Wetting and Drying, a climate-smart irrigation practice that allows rice fields to dry to a certain level before being re-irrigated, rather than keeping them permanently flooded. The approach helps farmers save water, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and potentially increase yields.

VCCI, a company under Green Carbon Inc., will spearhead the project, while Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU) will serve as the academic partner and lead implementer for technical support and field monitoring in target farming communities.

The AWD initiative was first showcased in 2025 in selected rice areas of Villaverde, Solano, Bayombong, and Dupax del Norte, covering 23.6 hectares and involving 18 participating farmers.

The expansion aims to cover more than 1,000 hectares initially, with a target of over 5,000 hectares during the current cropping season. The agreement also outlines a 10-year roadmap to gradually roll out AWD across irrigated lowland rice farms throughout Nueva Vizcaya.

Additional expansion areas include rice lands in Bambang, Bagabag, and Quezon, along with further sites in Bayombong, Villaverde, and Solano.

According to Elbert A. Sana, AWD project staff at NVSU, the expansion is expected to involve 24 irrigators’ associations representing 6,316 farmers across the province.

Initial results from the pilot sites showed promising gains for participating farmers.

Sana said rice fields using AWD recorded higher production compared with the traditional continuous flooding method, where paddies remain constantly submerged.

The AWD practice is widely recommended by the International Rice Research Institute and the Department of Agriculture as a climate-smart approach to rice farming.

Under the system, irrigation water is temporarily withheld until the water table drops to about 15 centimeters below the soil surface, after which fields are irrigated again. This cycle reduces water use while lowering methane emissions commonly produced in continuously flooded rice fields.

Governor Gambito emphasized that the provincial government is fully backing initiatives that can raise farm productivity and improve the livelihoods of rice growers.

Beyond irrigation improvements, he said the province is also working to establish a rice processing center or “rice hub”aimed at helping farmers stabilize palay prices, one of the persistent challenges faced by rice producers in Nueva Vizcaya.

“With programs like AWD and the planned rice hub, we are strengthening support systems that will help our farmers increase production and secure better returns,” Gambito said.