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Padi field, Bokiawan, Philippines.

Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMo) has worked closely with local communities to develop and install thirteen micro-hydro systems in remote villages in the Ifugao province of the Philippines. The systems provide electric light and power to 190 families, bringing a better standard of living and making it more attractive for people to stay on the farms.

Ifugao Province in the Northern Philippines is an area of outstanding natural beauty and biodiversity. The hillsides are circled by rice terraces which were constructed many centuries ago, and a wide range of rice varieties are grown. The hill-top forests above the terraces are owned by local communities and provide fruit, nuts, shade-grown coffee and game, and also act as the water source for the terraces and the distant plains. However, young people are deserting this remote, agricultural area for the cities, in search of employment and a higher standard of living. The rice terraces are being abandoned, and the hilltop forests become exposed to destruction through logging by farmers and thieves. De-forestation and destruction result, leading to local erosion and increased flooding, hundreds of miles away on the plains. The advent of electricity via micro-hydro schemes makes it more attractive for young people to stay in the farming villages, and thus preserve the unique environment.

The Ashden judges commended the dedication of the small SITMo team, mostly volunteers, who have worked with local communities to bring micro-hydro power to very remote villages. Through this they have helped to maintain an economy, culture and environment which are presently under severe threat.