Project Proponent:  Educational Discipline in Culture and Area-based Development Services, Incorporated

Project Title :  Enhancing IP Communities on the Management of Pinagalaan Watershed with Livelihood Development

Site Location: Barangay Pinagalaan, Bayugan, Agusan del Sur

Type/Sector: IP, Environmental Conservation cum Livelihood Enhancement

Project Duration: one year and three months

Project Background

Barangay Pinagalaan is located in the Northern part of Bayugan, Agusan del Sur approximately 8 kilometers away from the town center. Its topography is mostly rolling to hilly. The significance of Pinagalaan is its watershed. Pinagalaan watershed is about 700 – 800 meters above sea level and is part of the Diwata mountain ranges. It is the source of potable water supplying in teh entire municipality of Bayugan and nearby municipalities like Esperanza and Sibagat, Agusan del Sur.

Barangay Pinagalaan has population of 1,232 with 120 households 75% of which are IP families. The barangay residents are mostly engage in farming. Major prducts/crops are vegetables, cutflowers, banana, coconut, corn and falcata trees with cut flowers and vegetables as main cash crops. In 2005, the IP community in PInagalaan was organizaed into a landcare group called Land Care Pinagalaan (LaCaP) by the Catholic Relief Services and has undergone trainings on different farming technologies such as land care, nature farming practices and sustainable agriculture, LaCaP is a community-based organization of upland farmers with 79 member, 68% of which are Indigenous People. Thru LaCaP, the Pinagalaan watershed is foreseen to be protected and managed sustainably.

This watershed is relevant to the lives of the people living within the watershed and in the city since it is the main source of their drinking water. Thus, critical interventions to protect and preserve the resources is necessary including the sensible capacity of the communities situated within especially in the sustainable use of natural resources.