The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras are a World Heritage Site located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. They were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995, becoming the first site listed in the cultural landscape category. This listing includes five areas: the Batad and Bangaan Rice Terraces (both in Banaue), the Mayoyao Rice Terraces (in Mayoyao), the Hungduan Rice Terraces (in Hungduan), and the Nagacadan Rice Terraces (in Kiangan), all in Ifugao Province. The Ifugao Rice Terraces are built at higher altitudes and on steeper slopes compared to many other terraces. These terraces use stone or mud walls and carefully follow the natural shapes of hills and mountains to create stepped fields. They also include complex water systems that collect water from mountain forests and support a detailed farming method.
The Ifugao Rice Terraces show how human culture can adapt to changes in society and climate, as well as develop new ideas and technologies. Although UNESCO believes the terraces are more than 2,000 years old, recent research from the Ifugao Archaeological Project suggests they were built around 400 years ago, when Spanish explorers arrived.
Keeping the rice terraces in good condition depends on the community working together. This effort uses deep knowledge of the many types of plants and animals in the Ifugao farmland environment. Farmers follow a yearly plan based on the moon’s cycles, carefully plan land use, protect soil from erosion, and use a detailed system to control pests. This system includes using different herbs and performing religious rituals.
Historical description
The rice terraces of the Cordilleras are one of the few structures in the Philippines that show no signs of being influenced by outside cultures. Because the land is very difficult to travel through, the people of the Cordilleras have remained independent and have kept their traditional way of life. The history of the terraces is closely connected to the people who built them, their traditions, and their customs.
Besides the stone-fortresses called idjang built by the Ivatan people of Batanes, the terraces are the only other example of stone buildings from before the colonial period. In most Southeast Asian countries, buildings are made of wood, but in the Philippines, both homes and places for religious ceremonies, like temples, were built using wood. This tradition is still seen in the villages near the terraces.
It is believed that the terraces were first built in the Cordilleras less than 1,000 years ago for growing taro. This shows that the Ifugao people had a deep understanding of building and managing water systems. The knowledge and traditions needed to care for the terraces are passed down through stories and spoken words, not written records. Later, around the year 1600, taro was replaced by rice, which is now the main crop grown there.
Dating techniques
To understand the history of the Philippines and patterns in Southeast Asia, scientists called anthropologists and scholars study ancient terraces. Dating these terraces is very challenging. One important method uses a technique called the Bayesian model, which applies radiocarbon dating to tiered rice fields in the Northern Philippines. Scientists believe these terraces were built around the 16th century by people moving inland and upland from Spanish settlers. New methods for dating have been developed that use radiometric techniques, which are now easier to use. However, these methods rely on layering of soil and materials and carbon dating, which can sometimes lead to unclear results. The data from labs might not match the actual events studied. Bayesian modeling helps when dating rice terraces because it is important to understand the layers and mixed materials found in agricultural terraces. This method can organize different timelines. According to Stephen Acabado, the Bayesian approach begins with what is known about the order in which layers were deposited and then adjusts this understanding based on carbon dating results. Carbon dating provides an estimate of when the terrace walls were built and used.
National cultural treasures
The five groups of rice terraces listed as part of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras are Batad, Bangaan, Hungduan, Mayoyao Central, and Nagacadan. Batad and Bangaan are managed by the Municipality of Banaue but are not called the Banaue Rice Terraces.
The Banaue Rice Terraces refer to the group near the town center of Banaue, visible from a viewpoint. These terraces are not part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site because they have many modern buildings, which lowered their score for meeting UNESCO’s standards for protection. However, they are recognized as a National Cultural Treasure under the Ifugao Rice Terraces, along with the other terrace groups.
- Batad Rice Terraces (in Banaue, Ifugao)
- Bangaan Rice Terraces (in Banaue, Ifugao)
- Mayoyao Rice Terraces (in Mayoyao, Ifugao)
- Hungduan Rice Terraces (in Hungduan, Ifugao)
- Nagacadan Rice Terraces (in Kiangan, Ifugao)
All these terraces are located in the Ifugao region and are part of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Sites (GIAHS). They rely on traditional knowledge about "muyong," which are forests at the top of each terrace group. These forests are managed by local communities using traditional practices. The forests contain about 264 plant species, many of which are found only in this region. The terraces form small water areas that help manage rainwater and keep irrigation water flowing all year. A farming method that matches activities with natural weather and water patterns allows farmers to grow rice at heights above 1,000 meters.
In addition to the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, UNESCO also added the Hudhud Chants of the Ifugao to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008 (first recognized in 2001). These chants are songs performed mainly by older Ifugao women during events like planting rice, harvesting, and funerals.
Threats
Christianity and education are helping younger Ifugaos move away from their traditions and their land. Television and the Internet are weakening traditional work habits, which are important for maintaining the hard work needed to build and care for terraces.
Young Ifugaos are showing less interest in their culture and heritage. When they learn about other cultures and places, they often adopt those ideas and move to areas with better job opportunities. Even though machines like cultivators and threshers are now used, many young Ifugaos still avoid farming, seeing it as a job for people who are not well-educated.
Many young people have left farming to work in cities, leaving only children and older people in villages. This movement of people causes a lack of workers to care for the land and keep the rice paddies in good condition.
Earthworms started appearing in the area in the late 1940s. They dig holes that let water flow between paddies. However, too many earthworms cause water to drain too quickly, drying out the paddies. When paddies dry, the soil becomes hard and cracks easily. If water is added to a dry paddy, the ground can collapse, damaging the stone walls that surround the paddies.
Swamp eels also dig holes in irrigation dikes and rice paddies, making these areas more likely to collapse. They are considered more harmful than earthworms because they create larger holes and reproduce quickly.
Other pests that threaten the rice paddies include snails and mole crickets.
Heavy rains from typhoons have damaged many rice paddies.
Because of poverty, many farmers are switching to growing vegetables, which can provide income faster than rice. Rice takes six months to grow and has lower market value. However, growing vegetables requires using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which can harm the soil and environment of the rice terraces. This causes more terraces to be abandoned and turned into vegetable fields. It may also lead farmers to cut down forest areas to find new land.
Tourism has caused some Ifugaos to turn rice paddies into residential areas where hotels and shops are built. Even traditional homes are being sold.
Tourism has also increased the production of woodcarvings and handicrafts, which uses more local trees. Studies show that more trees are being cut for carving than before.
In the past, a farming system called cooperative farming helped protect the rice terraces. Under this system, neighbors would help each other with tasks like clearing weeds, planting rice, or repairing damaged walls or irrigation canals. The person whose land was being worked would provide food and expect help in return when needed.
Today, workers who help with farming or repairs are paid in food or cash. The decline of this cooperative farming tradition has increased labor costs, which many farmers cannot afford. Repairing the terraces requires money that farmers do not have. Farmers have little savings, so if their paddy walls collapse, they often cannot afford to fix them. Local governments also provide limited resources for restoring the terraces. This makes rice farming less appealing. As a result, many Ifugaos have completely stopped farming.
Preservation
The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras were added to the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1995. This recognition was given because the terraces show a mix of natural and human aspects, including traditions, beliefs, and ways of life. In 2000, the site was listed as one of the world’s most endangered cultural places by the World Monuments Fund but was later removed from this list in 2001.
The Ifugao Rice Terraces were added to the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2001 because problems like cutting down trees and changes in weather could harm the terraces. Another issue is that many young Ifugao people now leave their homes to work in cities instead of continuing farming traditions. The Philippines used the danger listing to ask for help from others to protect the site. A critic named W.S. Logan said that the movement of people away from the land shows that some heritage designations are made by officials, not local communities.
In 2010, the rice terraces were again listed as one of the world’s most endangered monuments by the World Monuments Fund, along with two churches. These sites were removed from the list in 2011 after the Philippines passed the National Cultural Heritage Act.
In 2012, UNESCO removed the Rice Terraces from the list of sites in danger because the Philippines had made progress in protecting and preserving the area.
UNESCO extension
The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, a site listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, includes five properties located in Ifugao province. Other provinces in the Cordilleras, such as Benguet, Mountain Province, Kalinga, Abra, Apayao, and Nueva Vizcaya, also have important rice terraces. The governments of these provinces may work with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Museum of the Philippines, or the UNESCO Commission of the Philippines to add their rice terraces to the UNESCO List as an extension of the existing site.
Some rice terrace clusters in the Cordillera mountain range have not yet been added to the UNESCO List. These sites can only be included if they still have their special features, such as traditional houses or other structures.
Rice terraces are also found outside the Cordilleras. Examples include:
• Lublub Rice Terraces (in Valderrama, Antique)
• Baking Rice Terraces (in Valderrama, Antique)
• San Agustin Rice Terraces (in Valderrama, Antique)
• Cadapdapan Rice Terraces (in Candijay, Bohol)
• Jaybanga Rice Terraces (in Lobo, Batangas)
• Datu Ladayon Rice Terraces (in Arakan, Cotabato)