The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has installed an irrigation system dependent on solar power in Isabela in a bid to help farmers suffering from drought during the dry season.
DAR Sec. John Castriciones said the P1 million-worth project in Barangay Sinili in Santiago City will address the community's "problem of extreme dryness during summer, especially if there is an El Niño phenomenon where there is an absence of rain that lasts for months."
Castriciones reiterated that the agency should take advantage of opportunities "to build and create more projects that will help our farmers combat the negative effects of climate change."
"Our farmers should take care of this project because not all agrarian cooperatives are given opportunities like this, be responsible for managing it and make this productive for your own benefit and welfare," he added.
DAR-Cagayan Valley Regional Director Samuel Solomero joined Castriciones in leading the turnover ceremony of the project to Sinili Vegetable Grower Agriculture Cooperative members.
"Since the SPIS runs on solar energy, bringing water to farmlands will be much more affordable than the traditional diesel and gasoline-powered engine pumps," he said.
Solomero said the irrigation system was designed to provide water to a minimum of three hectares of farmland up to five hectares maximum.
The project was implemented under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support (CRFPS) project of the department.