NIA-backed integrated farm project boosts Cadcadir farmers’ harvest

An integrated farming project supported by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is helping the Sanjera Cadcadir Farmers Irrigators Association (IA) in Claveria turn agricultural training into an additional source of livelihood, with the group already harvesting more than 154 kilograms of string beans since its first harvest earlier this month.

NIA’s Regional Institutional Development Section (IDS), headed by Dr. Nenita P. Garcia, together with personnel of the NIA Cagayan-Batanes Irrigation Management Office (CBIMO) and the Local Government Unit of Claveria, conducted a site validation and interview with the farmers association on September 22, 2026.

Led by its president, Ray Lagundino, the association showcased its one-hectare integrated farming area, which was established following an Integrated Farming Training conducted on July 29 and 30.

The project, funded under the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty Program (EPAHP), serves as one of the outputs of the training and provides the farmers with an actual site where they can apply the techniques and knowledge gained from the program.

The one-hectare area owned by the association has since been planted with various high-value crops.

The group recorded its first harvest of string beans on September 9, yielding three kilograms. By September 22, its total string bean harvest had exceeded 154 kilograms.

The association has also harvested 10 kilograms of sponge gourd or loofah, two kilograms of ampalaya and five kilograms of bottle gourd.

NIA-CBIMO said the increasing harvest demonstrates how training can translate into actual farm production when immediately applied in the field, while providing irrigators with additional livelihood and income opportunities.

The irrigation management office also recognized the continued support of the LGU of Claveria and its personnel in the implementation and development of the project.

NIA said the initiative demonstrates how training, hands-on application and sustained collaboration among NIA-CBIMO, the LGU and the irrigators association can help improve productivity, develop sustainable livelihood opportunities and strengthen the self-reliance of farmers.