Impact Spotlight
Solar-powered agriculture systems supporting over 1,000 people
Reducing dependency on diesel and human powered milling methods
40 kW solar array powering a 7 acre farm and rice mill
About
Center for Development Programs in the Cordillera (CDPC) supports the self-determination and socio-economic development of indigenous communities in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) of the Philippines.
The Cordillera Administrative Region is home to over 1.7 million people, the majority of whom are an indiginous people known as the Igorot, with limited or no access to electricity. CDPC is working in the province of Abra to build sustainable, scalable agriculture systems that address food insecurity in communities and catalyze economic opportunity. Previously, CDPC has used micro-hydropower to address communities’ needs. However, many communities are not close enough to water resources to benefit from these operations, and in the future, climate change may limit water as a resource across the entire region. Consequently, CDPC has begun outfitting community-run rice mills and farms with solar energy to demonstrate feasibility and scalability throughout the province.
“At least I have seen the light.”
HF Partnership
In partnership with the Honnold Foundation, CDPC will outfit their existing seven-acre experimental agriculture farm, currently operating using a diesel generator, with solar arrays and solar-powered water pumps. CDPC will also replace an aging diesel generator powering a local rice mill with a solar array. Both installations will be closely monitored, studied, and, ultimately, reproduced throughout the province.
Similar Partners
