PIDS Policy Issue at a Glance: Challenges in Irrigation Development and Management in the Philippines

Irrigation is essential for many crops, especially for rice, the country’s primary staple. The government, through the National Irrigation Administration, undertakes the planning, construction, operation and maintenance, and rehabilitation of national irrigation systems. Despite huge irrigation investments, however, the performance of the irrigation sector in terms of cropping intensity and actual irrigated areas has barely improved. This infographic provides a background of the Philippine irrigation sector, its performance, and the technical and institutional issues affecting the irrigation systems in the country. It also puts forward some recommendations on how to address these issues.

This infographic is based on the following PIDS studies:

PIDS Policy Notes 2019-09 titled “Strengthening institutional links for irrigation water governance” written by Agnes C. Rola, PIDS consultant (You may download this publication here: http://bit.ly/pidspn1909)

PIDS Policy Note 2019-08 titled “Evaluation of national irrigation systems in the Philippines" written by Roberto S. Clemente, Arthur L. Fajardo, Vicente G. Ballaran Jr., and Julie Carl P. Ureta, PIDS consultants. (You may download this publication here: http://bit.ly/pidspn1908)

PIDS Discussion Paper 2016-12 titled “Technical and Institutional Evaluation of Selected National and Communal Irrigation Systems and Characterization of Irrigation Sector Governance Structure” written by Arlene Inocencio, PIDS consultant (You may download this publication here: http://bit.ly/pidsdp1612)