THE Davao City Council’s Committee on Agriculture is proposing a solar-powered irrigation project across high-elevation farming communities to safeguard local crops and food supplies from intense heat.
The initiative follows warnings from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) about developing El Niño conditions that are expected to elevate lowland Mindanao temperatures up to 30.2°C through October 2026.
Recently, Davao City has recorded heat index levels reaching 40°C.
During the Pulong-Pulong sa Dabawenyos at the Sangguniang Panlungsod on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, Committee chairperson Councilor Ralph Abella highlighted the need for proactive measures to safeguard soil moisture and support agricultural outputs, even though current high-value crops have not yet suffered significant losses.
He announced plans to submit the complete project design and feasibility study to the city government in the first week of September.
Preliminary agricultural surveys have already been conducted across several upland areas. Joint surveys with NIA covered barangays including Mapula, Tapak, Pañalum, and Mabuhay, where a proposed irrigation dam in Mapula is being eyed to serve surrounding agricultural barangays.
Meanwhile, a separate survey conducted alongside the City Agriculture Office focused on Sitio Malapangi in Barangay Malabog.
According to Abella, initial field observations indicate the area sits approximately 1,000 meters above sea level.
Under his proposed solar-powered setup for Malabog, water would be pumped from an identified natural source roughly 300 meters below the main highway — which he estimates at 1,300 meters above sea level — up to elevated storage tanks before being distributed by gravity.
However, he acknowledged that implementing the full infrastructure network will take time as technical evaluations and funding requirements are finalized.
"Ang problema tubig. Now kung [may] tubig, guwapo ang resulta sa high-value crops (The problem is water. Now, if there is water, the yield of high-value crops is better)," Abella said, emphasizing that securing a reliable water supply in the uplands is essential to protecting crop yields and keeping municipal food prices stable.
"Higher elevation does not automatically [mean you] will enjoy the rainy season... That's why priority jud nako ang water," Abella added.
To complement the long-term water infrastructure, Abella urged local growers to adopt organic container gardening, rural gardening, and vermicomposting to improve soil moisture retention during dry spells.
He added that the city government is also working to establish a post-harvest trading hub in the uplands to streamline crop handling, reduce post-harvest losses, and connect mountain farmers directly to commercial buyers. GRS
