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Journal of Research in Ecology ISSN No: Print: 2319 –1546; Online: 2319– 1554

An International Scientific Research Journal


Original Research

Assessing the sustainability of agricultural water management of Upper


Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS) in Nueva Ecija in
the Philippines
Authors: ABSTRACT:
Journal of Research in Ecology

Rhea M. Villacorte1, A sustainable agricultural water management system is the key to


Cesar S. Ariola2 agricultural productivity. The New Public Administration Model focuses on the
Gervin S. Tandingan3 and
Arneil G. Gabriel4 performance measure of government institutions. This study is a measure of
performance of Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS) Division
Institution: II in Talavera, Nueva Ecija in the Philippines. The study used a mixture of qualitative
1. College of Management and quantitative methods of research. A researcher-made sustainability scaling, and
and Business Technology, paradigm was also used. The results of the study found that the management of
Nueva Ecija University of agricultural water system of UPRIIS is: a) highly sustainable; b) the weighted mean
Science and Technology, scores in the four areas of organizational development border from high to very high
Philippines. sustainability; and c) farmers are very satisfied with the management of the system.
2. Maintenance Engineer, The data were gathered using survey questionnaires filled out by 450 participants
Upper Pampanga River from 50 irrigators’ associations. It is also recommended that other areas of
Integrated Irrigation System, agricultural water management such as the presence or absence of corruption,
Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, co-management and financial management should be studied in the future to
Philippines. determine the financial sustainability of agricultural water management completely.
3. Research Director, Nueva Keywords:
Ecija University of Science Sustainable management of irrigation, Agricultural productivity, organization
and Technology, Philippines. and management.
4. Faculty, Environmental
Science and Public
Administration Department,
Nueva Ecija University of
Science and Technology,
Cabanatuan City,
Philippines.

Corresponding author: Article Citation:


Arneil G. Gabriel Rhea M. Villacorte, Cesar S. Ariola, Gervin S. Tandingan and Arneil G. Gabriel
Assessing the sustainability of agricultural water management of Upper Pampanga
River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS) in Nueva Ecija in the Philippines
Journal of Research in Ecology (2018) 6(1): 1412-1425

Dates:
Received: 18 Nov 2017 Accepted: 10 Jan 2018 Published: 26 Feb 2018

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Journal of Research 1412-1425 | JRE | 2018 | Vol 6 | No 1


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Villacorte et al., 2018
INTRODUCTION The United Nations defined sustainability as the
Agricultural water management is crucial to the ability of the present generation to enjoy the use and
sustainable agricultural productivity of any country. In benefits of the present at the same time to ensure that
Southern Europe, sustainable water management is such benefits can be preserved for the use of future gen-
linked to agricultural practices under the condition of eration (Pearce et al., 2013; Davenport and Prusak,
climate change (Chartzoulakis and Bertaki, 2015). Sus- (1998). In building a sustainable institution, it is
tainable water management can be achieved by adopting believed that empowerment of the common people is
agricultural practices that are both environmental friend- necessary (Rowlands, 1995). Empowered institution
ly and attuned to agricultural sector productivity. How- means allowing the internal stakeholders to have access
ever, farmers are faced with many challenges that hin- to vital information and make informed decision indis-
dered agricultural productivity including poor govern- pensable to strengthening the organization (Lusthaus et
ance (Ogalleh et al., 2012). In some war-affected coun- al., 1995). Empowerment, therefore, is an element of
tries, like Iraq, agricultural water management is one of sustainability (Richards and Hall, 2000). Participatory
the government services neglected and deficient in water management scheme in the UPRIIS II was a prod-
terms of government support leading to salinity problem uct of a study conducted by Yoshinaga (2016) submit-
and irrigation infrastructure deterioration (Gee and Bau- ted to the management of Upper Pampanga River Inte-
der, 1986). grated Irrigation System (UPRIIS). The main objective
In the United Kingdom, water and land of the study is to come up with a bundle of recommen-
resources used in water management are perceived as dations on how to make irrigation water management
being managed inappropriately resulting in the perfor- sustainable. The findings pointed out to the neglected
mance evaluation at three areas of water management conditions of the irrigation facilities. A large part of the
namely: planning, evaluation, and operation (Smout and irrigation canals are associated to the low canal embank-
Gorantiwar, 2006). In Zimbabwe, irrigation water quali- ment and silted canal bottom due to containing silty soil
ty and soil quality were studied to determine their im- from the river. Some are also described as having
pact on agricultural productivity. The results indicated scoured inlet and outlet of canal structure without meas-
that the groundwater sample provides chemical causing uring device showing the level of agricultural water
salinity of the soils adversely affecting agricultural running in the irrigation canals (Yoshinaga, 2016).
productivity (Chemura, 2014). On the part of the farmer’s behaviour, many of
Efficient agricultural water management is not them are described by the report as non-cooperative,
only a tool to achieve agricultural productivity but also and insensitive to the conditions of facilities. They were
a means towards realizing social justice measured in also found to be committing illegal pumping irrigation,
terms of equal access to opportunity to quality water water intake by cutting canal embankment and unau-
resources (Mateos et al., 2002). In the Philippines, a thorized in taking of agricultural water from irrigation
study conducted in Porac Irrigation Management Sys- canal by using the bamboo tube. The findings of the
tem, analyzed the response of main canal network and study recommended that to improve water management
the systems capability to deliver crop water and make and irrigation facilities farmers should be encouraged to
use of computer models to assist the water management adopt the rotational ad irrigational method and capacity
in the preparation of irrigation schedules and improve building for efficient utilization of rainwater during the
crop productivity (Weller, 1991). wet season through training programs and actual experi-

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Villacorte et al., 2018
ences. Finally, it was suggested by the study that the Pantabangan dam waters supplied the agricultural needs
management help the farmers organize themselves and of the province via the river ways of Carranglan, Canili,
establish the Irrigators Association which would serve and Diayo rivers. Recently, another dam supplying wa-
as partners of the UPRIIS management in managing ter to Pantabangan was constructed. It is known to farm-
agricultural water. ers as the Casecnan dam, providing water from Cagayan
Towards a participatory and sustainable agricul- and Taan rivers to Pantabangan dam. All waters saved
tural water management, the 1987 Philippine Constitu- during the rainy season were temporarily stored at Pan-
tion, mandates the recognition of farmers groups to take tabangan and properly flow out via the Upper Pampanga
part in the planning organization and management of River Basin (UPRB), the biggest river of Philippines.
government program. Moreover, the government pledg- This serves as the water supplier for the irrigation of
es that it will provide support to agriculture in all areas almost 102,000 hectares of farmlands in five (5) differ-
of management (Leon, 2005). The rationale points to the ent cities and 20 municipalities in the province of Nueva
fact that sustainability of the management of agricultur- Ecija and towns of Bulacan, Tarlac and Pampanga.
al water depends to a great extent on the perceptions of After the completion of the said project known
farmers in any governance arrangements (Ahmad, as Upper Pampanga River Project (UPRP), in 1976 the
2009). Since then the role of farmers or Irrigators Asso- Upper Pampanga River Irrigation Integrated System
ciation in the control of agricultural water became (UPRIIS) was created and up to now is known as one of
imperative in the UPRIIS operation. the biggest suppliers of irrigation water not only in Nue-
The construction of Pantabangan dam as a means to va Ecija but also nationwide. It is divided into five (5)
improve agricultural water management divisions; located and situated at different municipalities
In the early part of the year 1970’s, the farm and cities of Nueva Ecija. The first division managing
workers in the province of Nueva Ecija greatly depend- agricultural water in the city of Munoz, the second divi-
ed on rain-fed farming (Lasco et al., 2008). As the irri- sion having management jurisdiction is at Talavera,
gation system then was not fully developed, El Niño Nueva Ecija, the third division is located at the city of
phenomenon, brought about devastating effects to agri- Cabanatuan, the fourth management division is in the
cultural productivity resulting in rice shortage (Tawang city of Gapan, and the fifth division is found in Guimba
and Ahmad, 2002.). Because of this, the government Nueva Ecija.
came up with the decision to develop and create a plan The study focused on the management of agri-
to help the farmers to improve their farming techniques. cultural water in the second division of Talavera in Nue-
With this as an intention, the government started the va Ecija. Other than the five divisions an office was
construction of a huge multi-purpose dam located in the created which later on known as the Dam Reservoir
municipality of Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija. One of its Division (DRD) located at the municipality of Panta-
purposes is the arrangement and construction of agricul- bangan. These divisions play a vital role in supplying
tural waterways leading to agricultural lands thereby irrigated agricultural water and flood control system
supplying agricultural water to farmers of the province providing hydropower electricity in the entire province
(Gusyev et al., 2015). of Nueva Ecija. Presently, the National Irrigation
The construction of an earth-fill embankment Administration (NIA) continuously constructed and
Pantabangan dam began in June 1971 and was complet- provide an arrangement of water canals in the munici-
ed in the year 1976. As water impounding system, the palities of Guimba, Talugtug, Cuyapo, Nampicuan and

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Villacorte et al., 2018

Anao and Victoria located in the nearby province of stakeholders’ evaluation perspectives prominent under
Tarlac. the New Public Governance Era. The paper adheres to
Studies showed that agricultural water manage- participatory water management and its sustainability as
ment is indeed a key factor in agricultural productivity measured through direct community participation in the
(Kijne et al., 2003). It has economic, social and even management of irrigation system. It is also intended to
political repercussions. However, studies on the water measure the level of satisfaction and degree of participa-
management assessment showed a tendency to evaluate tion of the irrigator’s association in the management of
water management system on the point of view of water agricultural water management of UPRIIS particularly
management operators. Moreover, efficiency in opera- in the second division of Nueva Ecija. This study is
tion is measured through an agency team or project- used to identify the basis of performance and as a
based water irrigation impact measurement. Most of "lens" of farmer beneficiaries, and showed the rating of
them are also inclined to analyze sustainability using UPRIIS II in the following sub-variables: a) level of
parameters that are set by the agency and collated mak- community participation in organizational development
ing the conclusion and findings that are bias in the eyes initiatives; and degree of satisfaction to the existing
and minds of the stakeholder farmer- beneficiaries. The water management operation of UPRIIS II. All are man-
agricultural water management performance measure agerial imperatives where sustainability is measured
covers different parameters that can be tested using sci- using qualitative parameters and from the perspectives
entific based tools or laboratory experiment, e.g., leach- of the community. To fill out the knowledge gap the
ing, drainage, and water salinization. Nonetheless, the study, therefore, posed the following questions, to wit:
measurement of sustainability in agricultural water man- How the farmer beneficiaries participate in the current
agement is seldom treated as necessary in the agricultur- agricultural water management of UPRIIS in terms of :
al water management if not perceived as entirely diffi- 1.1 Organizational development initiative towards water
cult to measure (Chmura et al., 1987). management
The new public management model introduced 1.1.1 Formation of irrigators association
a new era of public sector performance measure where 1.1.2 Capacity building
efficiency and sustainability are measured based on the 1.1.3 Information dissemination
outcomes. The performance measure is based on how 1.1.4 Attendance to organizational training and seminar
the primary objectives of the model are realized. The 1.1.5 Policy consultation
major features of the NPM Model are as follows: a) How the perception of farmer beneficiaries on water
responsiveness to the needs of the public; b) managerial services management of Upper Pampanga river be
accountability; c) efficiency and effectiveness; d) con- described in terms of:
sultative decision making, and e) adopting a customer- 2.1 Timeliness of delivery
focused strategy (Broadbent and Guthrie, 1992). The 2.2 Responsiveness to request
change in public administration model created the need 2.3 Quality of maintenance and operation
to refocus public sector concerns. Among them are 3. What is the level of satisfaction of farmer beneficiar-
along the line of performance management reporting ies on the agricultural water management of UPRIIS?
and sustainability issues (Lapsley and Pettigrew, 1994). 4. Based on the findings, what recommendations may be
The present study measures the sustainability of provided to improve the system of irrigation and agri-
water management in UPRIIS Division II using the cultural water management in UPRIIS?

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METHODOLOGY The survey questionnaires were supported and rein-
This study used a mixture of qualitative and forced by personal observation, informal interview of
quantitative methods of research. Major part of this the participants and UPRIIS management. The triangu-
study is descriptive, and the interpretation and analysis lation of data was done to minimize inaccuracies and
of data gathered are solely based on observational, focus bias responses to the questions solicited from survey
group discussion and distribution of survey question- questionnaires. The findings are the bases of researcher
naires. This method is useful not only to describe the recommendations for the increased sustainability of the
existing organizational system and condition, but also to agricultural water management of UPRIIS II.
assess the actual condition of the agency about its ca- Study area
pacity to sustain participatory agricultural water man- This study will focus more on one division of
agement. Data were gathered through survey question- NIA-UPRIIS. The NIA-UPRIIS Division II located at
naires written in English and translated in the vernacular Poblacion, Talavera Nueva Ecija with a total firmed up
through the help of the Institutional Development Divi- service area of 23,162.96 hectares. Its service areas are
sion (IDD) of NIA-UPRIIS, Division II. The existing at the municipalities of Aliaga, Talavera, Llanera, Rizal
irrigator’s association in coordination of other agencies and Gen. Natividad including small areas/barangays of
was tapped to do the interview and submit report check- Cabanatuan city (as shown in Figure 2). In general, the
list to the division office for further evaluation. The NIA-UPRIIS Division II composed of five systems and
field research for farmer's satisfaction survey was con- these are Murcon Creek Irrigation System, Pampanga
ducted on January 18, 19, 25 and 26, 2017. Another set River Irrigation System, Rizal Munich Area, Lower
of farmer's satisfaction survey was conducted on Janu- Talavera River Irrigation System and Vaca Creek Irriga-
ary 3, 4, 5 and 11, 2017. The participants in the study tion System. The total length of the main canal for Divi-
were 450 farmers/respondents belonging to 50 Irrigators sion II are 63,317.00 Km, while the total length of lat-
Association. From the 50 IAs, the researcher selected erals and sub-laterals are 315,666.00 Km. The type of
nine members per association using random sampling crops grown in this area is dominated by rice, onions
method. The other Irrigator's associations refused to and other vegetables. The area is shown in Figure 1
participate. Only 50 of the 89 irrigators associations using Google map;
allowed themselves to be interviewed and answered the The NIA-UPRIIS Division II serves a total of 79
questionnaires. Irrigator’s Associations that serve as active partners of
The survey questionnaire has three major parts; NIA not just in the development and management of
the first part is designed for the demographic profile of irrigation canals but also in ensuring the provision of
the participants while the second part contains state- agricultural water that directly distributed to the farm-
ments intended to measure the organizational initiatives lands. The layout of NIA UPRIIS Division II is provid-
of member-participants (Irrigators Associations) ed in Figure 2 below:
towards sustainable agricultural water management. Data analysis
This includes the capacity building initiatives of the The study adopts the following organizational
UPRIIS II from the members themselves as the end development and sustainability paradigm. The paradigm
users of water management programs. Moreover, the shows the interface between the major components of
last part is the measurement of the level of satisfaction sustainability. The study argues that the four thematic
of the beneficiaries of agricultural water management. components of sustainability are capacity building, de-

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Villacorte et al., 2018

Figure 1. Google Map showing UPRIIS Service Area (Source: Google Map: NIA-UPRISS, 2015)

velopment initiatives, policy consultation and satisfac- mental to the strengthening of the members as human
tion of members of the organization. The four compo- resources. Notice that financial resources are not includ-
nents of organizational sustainability are measured ed considering the public nature of the system. Area III
based on each thematic area. Area I consists of meetings is the consultation and implementation of desired poli-
where programs are agreed upon, and development di- cy. Area IV member satisfaction with the operation of
rection is laid down. Area II is capacity building instru- the organization and the shared identification of the

Figure 2. General layout of NIA-UPRIIS, Division II (NIA-UPRISS, 2015)

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Villacorte et al., 2018
Sustainability index
Weighted mean Verbal description
1-1.79 Not sustainable
1.8-2.59 Slightly sustainable
2.6-3.39 Moderately sustainable
3.4-4.19 Sustainable

Figure 3. Organizational sustainability paradigm 4.20-5.00 Highly sustainable

members of the organization. The presence of the four atives of Irrigators Association members to develop
components of the organization is described using the their organizations to serve as the support system to
Organizational Sustainability Index. The Figure 3 for agricultural water management. Table 1 presents the
sustainability of UPRIIS Division II is shown above, to perception of participants to develop a strong irrigators
wit; association.
The farmer's evaluation of the performance of Capacity Building is a major component of
the management is done through the following Likert sustainability (Briones, 2009). A strong and well-
scaling: 1.00 to 1.79 Strongly Disagree; 1.80 to 2.59 equipped organization may fall on its knees if the mem-
Disagree; 2.60 to 3.39 Moderately Agree; 3.40 to 4.19
Table 1. Organizational development initiatives on
Agree; 4.20 to 5.00 Strongly Agree. Meanwhile, the water management
sustainability of agricultural water management system S. Organizational Weighted Adjectival
No meetings mean rating
is measured using the following Likert Scaling.
Formation of
existing irrigator’s
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION associations helped to Strongly
1 4.95
preserve and Agree
Sustainability of agricultural water management protect the existing irri-
is not only measured through scientific experiments and gation facilities.
Meetings are held Strongly
the use of elaborate measurement tools. Ordinarily, the 2 4.95
regularly. Agree
viability of a system rests on the support and initiatives
Farmers and irrigators
of a group which serves as an integral part of the gen- Strongly
3 association members 4.93
Agree
eral system in the organizational functioning (Lewis and attended the meetings.
Sugai, 1999). As shown in Table 1, farmers beneficiar- Notice to a meeting is
Strongly
ies rated the Irrigator’s Association as Strongly Agree 4 received before the 4.93
Agree
scheduled meeting.
for the organizational development initiatives on the
Attendance is mandato-
water management. The other measures of initiative Strongly
5 ry for members of 4.92
Agree
towards water management have the scores from 4.92 to Irrigators Association.
4.96 having the same verbal interpretation. All develop- Attendance to the
ment initiatives emanate from the assembly or meeting. meeting is a moral
obligation to Strongly
When it comes to attendance to meetings and discussion 6 4.96
the preservation of Agree
existing irrigation
of development initiatives, the Irrigators Associations
facilities.
are rated high by the farmer beneficiaries. The mean
Overall Weighted Strongly
7 4.94
composite average of 4.94 (Table 2) represents the initi- Mean Agree

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Villacorte et al., 2018

Table 2. Capacity building for water management RIIS.

S. Capacity Weighted Adjectival Division II to empower and capacitate the


No building mean rating farmer beneficiaries through frequent seminars and
Seminars are well Strongly training about the use and saving of agricultural water
1 4.96
attended by the farmers. Agree
(Briones, 2009). Moreover, for the farmers to get more
There is a frequent and Strongly
2 4.94 out of the available agricultural water. Table 2 shows
regular seminar. Agree
Seminars and training the participants rating of UPRIIS Division II in so far as
are sponsored by Strongly the capacity management of farmers is concerned.
3 4.98
UPRIIS for the irriga- Agree
tors association. The results of survey questionnaires showed the
highest rating given to the mandatory attendance for the
The training and semi-
nars are on the water Strongly seminar and the free of charge on capacity building
4 4.95
management and irriga- Agree programme. The two fives (5) are verbally described as
tion.
equivalent to “strongly agree”; creates an impression of
Attendance to training
and seminars are man- Strongly the desire of the system to encourage holistic develop-
5 5.00
datory to irrigators as- Agree ment of the agricultural water management including its
sociation.
relation to the ability of the farmer beneficiaries. The
Training and seminar
Strongly need for sustainability is provided by the ability of the
6 are free for farmers and 5.00
Agree
irrigators association. members to manage and take advantage of the capacity
It is a moral obligation building seminars and training (Sobeck and Agius,
of members to attend 2007) sponsored by the UPRIIS II to the farmer benefi-
and inform other mem-
bers with regards to Strongly ciaries. After triangulating the data, the following rec-
7 4.97
continuous develop- Agree ords of seminars are sponsored by the UPRIIS II.
ment on irrigation,
operation and Consultation for policy formulation
maintenance. The strength of a strong organization rests on
Overall Weighted Strongly the participatory decision making and policy formula-
8 4.97
Mean Agree
tion (Ananda, 2007). A participatory approach to man-
bers and officers are not willing to retool and relearn on agement of agricultural water is highlighted by frequent
matters that are vital to effective and efficient manage- consultations for policy formulation (Giordano and
ment of agricultural water. In terms of organizational Shah, 2014). A policy made out of the consensus of
and individual development and capacity improvement, those who will be affected increases the chances of suc-
almost all the participant farmers believed that the man- cessful operation as the people who made the policy is
agement of UPRIIS Division II is providing the neces- deemed to acquire ownership of the policy and will be-
sary skills to improve not only the management of the come personally accountable for the observance and
system but also of the farmer's ability to utilize effi- implementation of the policy. This finding is supported
ciently the agricultural water. The range of responses by the finding of Gabriel and Gutierrez, (2017), where
showed that they strongly "agreed" on the presence and organizational performance is positively correlated to
availability of capacity building seminars for members. people's participation. It is, therefore, safe to infer that
The composite average of 4.97 verbally described as when there is peoples participation in policy making,
"strongly agreed" reflects the willingness of the UP- the greater the chance to implement the policy. If there

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Villacorte et al., 2018
Table 3. Consultation for policy formulation the operation. In terms of information and dissemination
variables, 4.98 is the highest score of the participants
S. Consultation for Weighted Adjectival
No policy formulation mean rating while 4.91 is the lowest. The other scores are ranging
Active participation from 4.95 to 4.96 which means that the participants are
Strongly
1 with regards to policy 4.96 "strongly agreeing" to the ability of the UPRIIS Divi-
Agree
consultation.
sion II to manage information for knowledge dissemina-
Consultations are held Strongly
2 4.97 tion. However, noteworthy is the relatively low score
regularly. Agree
Policies on water distri- for "website" as a means to distribute information usa-
Strongly
3 butions are reasonably 4.95 ble to farmer beneficiaries. The low score of 4.91 means
Agree
explained.
that some of the participants believed that the use of
Policies are well
Strongly modern technology like the internet is not totally availed
4 disseminated before 4.96
Agree
implementation. by the UPRIIS II. Information technology is the fastest,
Policies are the product Strongly most reliable and easily retrievable means to dissemi-
5 4.96
of consultation. Agree nate information (Bawan et al., 2017) In the case of
Overall Weighted Strongly UPRIIS Division II, the means is not totally availed off.
6 4.96
Mean Agree
However, by checking the NIA website, one would real-
Legend: 1.00 to 1.79 - Strongly Disagree; 1.80 to 2.59 -
Disagree; 2.60 to 3.39 - Moderately Agree; 3.40 to 4.19 - ize that the management also availed the Information
Agree; 4.20 to 5.00 - Strongly Agree technology for information dissemination. Many of the
is a greater chance to implement the policy which the activities and announcements of the website are new
members themselves made, the greater the degree of and latest which means that the management also con-
sustainability. The sustainability in the management of siders the use of technology for the improvement of
agricultural water increases as the participation of
farmer beneficiaries increases. Though bereft of statisti- Table 4. Information and dissemination for water
management
cal computation on the matter, the data in Table 3
S. Information Weighted Adjectival
showed that regular holding of policy meeting for con- No dissemination mean rating
sultation is given the highest rating of 4.97 verbally
Information on water Strongly
described as “Strongly Agree". Strongly agreeing “to 1 4.98
management is regular. Agree
the effect that before a policy is made and implemented, Information is dissemi-
Strongly
consultations are held, and the new rule is a product of 2 nated to the farmer 4.96
Agree
beneficiaries.
the expressed will of the members of Irrigators Associa-
Farmer beneficiaries are
tions. The Table 3 below showed the answers as ranging given information flyers Strongly
3 4.95
from a perfect 5 to 4.95 in terms of the willingness of on the irrigation facili- Agree
ties.
UPRIIS management to consult before a policy is made
There is an existing
and eventually implemented. Strongly
4 website for the farmers 4.91
Agree
Information dissemination irrigation facilities.
The importance of information in the organiza- Overall Weighted Strongly
5 4.95
Mean Agree
tion cannot be undermined. Many organization s failed
Legend: 1.00 to 1.79 - Strongly Disagree; 1.80 to 2.59 -
because of the inability of the managers to manage data Disagree; 2.60 to 3.39 - Moderately Agree; 3.40 to 4.19 -
and use them for the development and sustainability of Agree; 4.20 to 5.00 - Strongly Agree

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Villacorte et al., 2018

Table 5. Summary Table for water management corrupt and slow in delivery of services (Brillantes and
Organizational Fernandez, 2011) making the people distrust in institu-
S. development initiative Weighted Adjectival tions of the government. In the sustainable management
No towards water mean rating
management of government resources, not only accountability in
Frequency of Strongly terms of client responsiveness is important but also
1 4.94
meetings Agree
Strongly transparency that would make the government accounta-
2 Capacity building 4.97
Agree ble to the ordinary people. This is true both in the na-
Consultation for policy Strongly
3 4.96 tional and global administrative environment (Gabriel,
formulation Agree
Information Strongly 2017). In the case of Irrigators Association (IA) and
4 4.95
dissemination Agree based from the responses of Irrigators Associations, the
Composite Weighted Strongly participants are very satisfied in the management of
5 4.95
Mean Agree
agricultural water as shown by an average of 4.94 level
Legend: 1.00 to 1.79 - Strongly Disagree; 1.80 to 2.59 -
Disagree; 2.60 to 3.39 - Moderately Agree; 3.40 to 4.19 - of satisfaction equivalently interpreted as "very satis-
Agree; to 5.00 - Strongly Agree fied". The sub-variables measured are also crucial for
agricultural water management. It also contains pictures the accurate measurement of sustainability. They are the
and documents about the office operation and functions. timely delivery of service, timely observance of the crop
However, no policies of the office are posted and dis- season, and fairness in the distribution of agricultural
cussed. The information and information dissemination water. The timeliness of distribution of irrigation water
are given on Table 4. has the highest weighted mean score of 4.95 or very
The summary of Table 5 for measuring the sus- satisfied (Table 6).
tainability of agricultural water management is present- Timeliness in the delivery of services is a meas-
ed before. On an average, the verbal description is ure of efficiency (Hatry, 2006). As the table shows,
"strongly disagree" this means that regarding the four timeliness is seen by the stakeholders as one of the
measures organizational initiatives and on the point of strengths of UPRIIS as it is rated a weighted mean of
view of the participant's farmer beneficiaries, the UP-
Table 6. Timeliness of delivery on water management
RIIS II management is inclined to maintain participa- S. Timeliness of Weighted Adjectival
tory agricultural water management by establishing an No delivery mean rating
institution supported by the majority of members. The Compliance with the
implementation of Very
satisfaction of the farmer beneficiaries is measured in 1 4.94
agreed cropping satisfied
terms of timeliness of delivery, responsiveness to a ser- calendar.

vice request by the farmer beneficiaries and quality of Timeliness of delivery


Very
2 and distribution of irri- 4.95
training provided by UPRIIS II management. The Likert satisfied
gation water.
scaling used in the tables for our better understanding.
Equitability of delivery
The farmer beneficiaries level of satisfaction on the Very
3 and distribution of irri- 4.94
satisfied
water management of NIA-UPRIIS, Division II gation water.
The timeliness of the delivery of services is the Overall Weighted Very
4 4.94
Mean satisfied
hall mark of a responsive, efficient and sustainable pub-
Legend: 1.00 to 1.79 - Not at all Satisfied; 1.80 to 2.59 -
lic organization. The government institutions in general, lightly Satisfied; 2.60 to 3.39 - Moderately Satisfied; 3.40
and in this jurisdiction is commonly judged as inept, to 4.19 - Satisfied; 4.20 to 5.00 - Very Satisfied

1421 Journal of Research in Ecology (2018) 6(1): 1412-1425


Villacorte et al., 2018

Table 7. Responsiveness to service request on water tion where profit is not the driving force towards effi-
management ciency in operation; responsiveness to the service

S. Responsiveness to Weighted Adjectival request is very important to maintain the trust of the
No service request mean rating public, as it is by the dictum public office which is a
Prompt action on the public trust. Following is the Table 7 containing the
requests for rehabilita- Very responsiveness rating of the UPRIIS II
1 4.89
tion/ construction of satisfied
One of the problems besetting farmers about
the project
agricultural water supply, several decades back was the
Prompt action on re-
Very weak irrigation facilities leading to wastage of water
2 quest for technical ad- 4.93
satisfied
visory/support services supply. Table 8 shows the satisfaction ratings of the
Prompt action on re- farmers on UPRIIS management regarding the quality
quest for training and Very of service including facilities and training provided to
3 4.91
other capacity building satisfied
internal stake holders. The focus group discussion held
programs.
on January 11, 2017, supports the data presented.
Overall Weighted Very
4 4.91 Regarding training provided by the system, the
Mean satisfied
Legend: 1.00 to 1.79 - Not at all Satisfied; 1.80 to 2.59 - same satisfaction rate is given, and a very high weighted
Slightly Satisfied; 2.60 to 3.39 - Moderately Satisfied; mean of 4.95 is computed. The findings supported by
3.40 to 4.19 - Satisfied; 4.20 to 5.00 - Very Satisfied
the quantity of training provided during the research
4.94 or very satisfied description. As a measure of effi- period and the number of participants who were present
ciency creating a sense of satisfaction among beneficiar- during the training programs. The Table 9 shows the
ies, the performance of UPRIIS II in the management of training held during the study period.
agricultural water resources is supported by the testimo- As one can infer, the scope of the training pro-
nies of the members who were interviewed saying that gram is comprehensive and does not confine only to
the UPRIIS services most often come on time (Focus
Group Discussion interview, January 2017). It is note Table 8. Quality of training provided on water
management
worthy that equity in the distribution of irrigation water
S. Quality of training Weighted Adjectival
is also given a high satisfaction rating by farmers group. No provided mean rating
A weighted mean of 4.94 is described as very satisfied. Quality of construc-
tion/ rehabilitation of Very
This result, in essence, creates an impression that social 1 4.92
irrigation facilities and satisfied
justice correlatively defined as access to the government structures.
service is promoted by the UPRIIS II. Especially in Quality of technical
Very
2 advisory/ support 4.96
farming communities where absence or lack of agricul- satisfied
service provided.
tural water would cause grave social and economic dis-
Quality of training and
tress to the farmers. Very
3 other capacity-building 4.96
satisfied
In general, responsiveness to the service request programs provided.
is a key feature of good governance and would help in Overall Weighted Very
4 4.95
Mean satisfied
the sustainability of the organization. In private corpora-
Legend: 1.00 to 1.79 - Not at all Satisfied; 1.80 to 2.59 -
tion, this aspect of management is within the corporate Slightly Satisfied; 2.60 to 3.39 - Moderately Satisfied;
responsibility concept. However, in government institu- 3.40 to 4.19 - Satisfied; 4.20 to 5.00 - Very Satisfied

Journal of Research in Ecology (2018) 6(1): 1412-1425 1422


Villacorte et al., 2018
Table 9. List of seminars sponsored in 2017 concept of sustainable management system suggested
S. Number of Date that access to agricultural water can be preserved for
Name of seminars
No participants conducted
future generations. The study showed that the sustaina-
Environmental April 25,
1 52 bility of UPRIIS II is rated by the farmer beneficiaries
Awareness Part 1 2017
Environmental April 26, as strongly agree. Moreover, the management as meas-
2 50
Awareness Part 1 2017 ured is rated as very much satisfied. The study showed
Seminar on living, the capacity of the present management to maintain the
loving, caring and April 28, agricultural water for the benefit of the farmers. Howev-
3 51
serving Irrigators 2017
Association Leaders er, there are areas of management that have implications
for its sustainability. The presence or absence of corrup-
Seminar on living,
loving, caring and June 6, tion in the management, financial status of the organiza-
4 50
serving Irrigators 2017
tion and the direct impact of management performance
Association Leaders
to the volume of harvests must also be considered to
Workshop on living,
loving, caring and measure the financial sustainability of UPRIIS which
5 51 June 7 2017
serving Irrigators
this study failed to include.
Association Leaders
Workshop on
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