Batad, Philippines

by ElHefe

The Rice Terraces in Batad are commonly referred as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. It is said that their length, if put end to end, would encircle half of the globe. Built 2,000 years ago, the rice terraces manifest the engineering skill and ingenuity of the sturdy Ifugaos. They are irrigated by means of mountain streams and springs that have been tapped and channeled into canals that run downhill through the rice terraces. It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand.

They are now slowly being abandoned and showing signs of deterioration. A severe 1990 earthquake damaged some of the terraces’ irrigation systems, while El Niño triggered droughts that led giant earthworms to erode the terraces’ soil. Furthermore, the rice variety most suited to the area’s cool climate is not a high-yielding crop; because it takes so long to mature, some Ifugao families have abandoned their land in the rice terraces in favor of land that reaps faster rewards. The result is the gradual erosion of the characteristic “steps”, which need constant reconstruction and care. In March 2010 a further problem was drought, with the terraces drying up completely.


















Terraces damaged by typhoon two weeks before my visit











On the night bus back to Manila

Philippines travel gallery

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