World Heritage Volunteers Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras ...

PROJECT BRIEFER

World Heritage Volunteers – Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras
7-18 July 2014

Nagacadan Rice Terraces, Kiangan, Ifugao

BACKGROUND

The Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras testify to generations of ancestral engineering and
architectural ingenuity. Built on sloping areas and steep sides of the mountains, the rice terraces are
watered by impounding water in creeks and streams, then coursed through an intricate irrigation
system of canals and toughs made from palm trees and bamboo.1

Prolonged exposure to environmental degradation and climate change, as well as a lack of
interest among younger generations to cultivate the traditions from the past, has caused the
degradation of the terraces. While efforts, mostly community-led, have been made to directly respond
to this, there is much to be done in terms of continuous rehabilitation and advocacy.

The World Heritage Volunteers – Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras project is a youth-led youth
action camp organized by Youth for Sustainable Development Assembly (YSDA). It aims to gather 60
youth volunteers (30 international, 30 national) to work with the local community to rehabilitate the
Nagacadan Rice Terraces and Bae Rice Terraces in Kiangan, Ifugao on 7-18 July 2014.

The project seeks to mainstream youth participation and multi-stakeholder cooperation in the
preservation of cultural heritage. It emphasizes the empowerment of the local community and youth
volunteerism to attain its goal.

The WHV – Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras project is in partnership with the Municipal
Government of Kiangan. Nagacadan Barangay Council and the Heritage Conservation Society, with
technical assistance and advice from UNESO Commissioner Dr. Fernando Zialcita.

World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) Initiative

The WHV Initiative of the UNESCO-World Heritage Centre was launched in 2008 “to mobilize
and involve young people and youth organizations in World Heritage preservation and promotion”. It
consists of youth action camps which are organized by local youth organizations or NGOs.

Action camps generally last between two and four weeks, where youth volunteers carry out
concrete actions, comprising both hands-on preventive conservation activities and information
sessions on issues related to World Heritage, as well as activities carried out together with local
communities.

Since 2008, the WHV Initiative has involved 2,000 volunteers in 173 action camps, in 29
countries with 55 local organizations or NGOs.2 By far, the WHV – Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras
project is the first and only project approved in the Philippines by the UNESCO World Heritage
Centre in Paris.

1 Kiangan Tourism Office. http://www.kiangan.gov.ph
2 For more information, check out http://www.whvolunteersorg/index_e.html

Youth for Sustainable Development Assembly (YSDA)

Youth for Sustainable Development Assembly is a national youth-led and youth-serving
organization in the Philippines that support youth involvement in all aspects and levels of sustainable
development, starting with local communities. Our main thrust is to support young people in the
development and implementation of community-based sustainable development demonstration
projects, and provide platforms for young people to voice out their concerns.

YSDA harnesses youth leadership through the spirit of volunteerism. In 2012, it became the
only Philippine member of the Network for Voluntary Development in Asia (NVDA), the only
regional network on volunteerism in Asia. Since then, it has exchanged, hosted and sent almost 150
volunteers to Greece, Japan, Korea, Slovakia, Poland, Spain and Italy. It has conducted 12 volunteer
projects in the Philippines, specifically in Baguio, Pangasinan, Quezon City, Manila, Palawan,
Mindoro, Dumaguete, Cebu, Bohol, Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Zamboanga, Sulu, and
Davao, among others. Since 2000, it has mobilized approximately 10,000 volunteers.

This year, YSDA will be the first youth organization in the Philippines to become a member of
the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS), the biggest network of
international voluntary organizations in the world.3

YSDA was founded in 1994 and is registered as a non-government organization with the
Securities Exchange Commission. It has also been registered with the Philippine National Youth
Commission since 1999.

For more information, contact the Secretariat at [email protected]

PROJECT SITE

Kiangan is a municipality in the province of Ifugao, Northern Luzon, Philippines. It was named
after Kiyyangan, the first Ifugao village at the west bank of the Ibulao River, and is considered the
cradle of the Ifugao race. It is the oldest and most historic town in the province.

With a population of approximately 15,500, most people still generally rely on agriculture as
the main source of livelihood. They are located in the 14 barangays and one special economic zone
that comprises the municipality.

Kiangan is mountainous, with dry and wet season. The dry spell is from January to April, and
the wet season from May to December.4

Nagacadan Rice Terraces

The Nagacadan Rice Terraces cluster is one of the four terrace systems in Ifugao declared by
the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, and by the Food and Agriculture Organization as a Globally
Important Agriculture Heritage System site. It has an approximate area of 10 hectares and displays
the ingenuity of the Ifugao and harmony between man and nature.5

3 Subject to confirmation in October 2014
4 Kiangan Tourism Office. http://www.kiangan.gov.ph
5 -do-

Action Camp Details

Meeting Point and Time: 7 July 2014; 15:00
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (T3 Arrival Area)
Accommodation: Kiangan Youth Hostel
Number of Volunteers: 30 international volunteers, 30 national volunteers
Departure Date & Time: 18 July 2014; 18:00

Tentative Work Schedule:

July 7 Arrival at Meeting Point
Monday EVE: Travel to Kiangan, Ifugao (9.5 hours)
Arrival in Kiangan, Ifugao
July 8 Welcome Parade
Tuesday Orientation on WHV project, activities and community
On-site demonstration of rehabilitation activities
July 9 EVE: Native dance lessons
Wednesday
Activity 1: Terrace Wall Groundwork
July 10 (survey of foundation of walls; measurement of work areas;
Thursday scouting of perimeters

July 11 Activity 2: Strengthening the Foundation
Friday (clearing of terraces; stone-walling and mud-walling)
July 12
Saturday Activity 3: Terrace Management
July 13 (harvesting of rice with the farmers; signage posting for the Open
Sunday Air Museum)
July 14
Monday EVE: Native dance lessons
July 15
Tuesday Continuation of Activities 1-3
July 16 Intercultural Night / Farewell Party
Wednesday Evaluation
July 17 Departure of participants
Thursday
July 18
Friday