Carved into the Cordillera by Ifugao communities, the Banaue terraces cascade across steep slopes with stone and mud walls, wood sluices, and forest‑fed irrigation. A UNESCO cultural landscape, they face migration and climate pressures. Programs now blend repair, agro‑biodiversity, and sustainable tourism to sustain livelihoods and terrace integrity.
Contour‑following walls, spillways, and ponds modulate water and retain soils. Communal labor (bayanihan) maintains weirs and bunds across planting cycles.
Agrarian calendars, rice varieties, and ancestor rites interweave ecology and belief. Wood granaries and village clusters punctuate the slopes.
Erosion, fallow plots, and extreme rain events spur terrace rehabilitation, youth training, and diversified incomes through crafts and guided trekking.
