The Banaue Rice Terraces

The Banaue Rice Terraces

The Banaue Rice Terraces are a National Cultural Treasure under Ifugao Rice Terraces. (Tagalog: Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banawe) also called Payew, are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to by Filipinos as the "Eighth Wonder of the World".

The terraces are located approximately 1500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers (about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces. If the steps are put end to end it would encircle half the globe.

The terraces are mostly found in the province of Ifugao and the Ifugao people have been its caretakers. The Ifugao still plant rice and vegetables on the terrace.

As their source of life and art, the rice terraces have sustained and shaped the lives of the community members

Organic farming
In March 2009 the Ifugao rice terraces were declared free from Genetically Modified Organism (GMO).