Policy Brief: The Free Irrigation Law
(RA 10969) for Enhanced Agricultural
Productivity and Farmer Welfare
Executive Summary
● This policy brief examines the key
provisions, implementation, and
impacts of the Free Irrigation Law
(Republic Act 10969) in the context
of enhancing agricultural
productivity and improving the
welfare of small farmers.
● The law aims to provide free
irrigation services to small-scale
farmers across the country,
addressing financial burdens and
promoting sustainable irrigation
practices.
● This brief provides an overview of
the policy, evaluates its implications,
and offers recommendations for
effective implementation and long-
term sustainability.
Overview of the Policy
● The Free Irrigation Law was signed
by President Rodrigo Duterte on
February 2, 2018. It is also known as
Republic Act No. 10969 or the Free
Irrigation Service Act.
● The law provides free irrigation
service to farmers with landholdings
of eight hectares and below, and
condones their unpaid irrigation
service fees (ISF) and penalties to
the National Irrigation
Administration (NIA).
● The law also condones the loans,
past due accounts, interests and
penalties of irrigators associations
(IAs) to NIA.
● The law aims to lower the cost of
agricultural production, increase crop
yields, and enhance farmer welfare
by ensuring the availability of
irrigation water and relieving the
farmers and IAs from the burden of
ISF.
Implications of the Policy
● The policy has potential benefits and
challenges for the agricultural sector
and the irrigation system. Some of
the benefits are:
○ It can increase the area of
irrigated land by encouraging
more farmers to avail of
irrigation service without
worrying about ISF.
○ It can improve the efficiency
and sustainability of
irrigation systems by
empowering IAs to manage
the secondary and tertiary
canals and farm ditches with
funds from NIA.
○ It can boost agricultural
production and income by
reducing the cost of inputs
and increasing crop yields.
○ It can enhance farmer welfare
by alleviating their debt
burden and increasing their
disposable income.
● Some of the challenges are:
○ It can reduce the revenue of
NIA from ISF collection,
which may affect its capacity
to develop, operate and
maintain irrigation systems.
○ It can create a moral hazard
among farmers who may
overuse or misuse irrigation
water without paying for it,
leading to wastage and
environmental problems.
○ It can create inequity among
farmers who have different
land sizes, crop types, water
 sources and irrigation
systems.
○ It can face implementation
issues such as lack of funds,
coordination, monitoring and
evaluation.
Recommendations for Policy Action
● To maximize the benefits and
minimize the challenges of the
policy, some possible actions are:
○ The government should
allocate sufficient funds for
NIA to continue its mandate
of developing, operating and
maintaining irrigation
systems, especially in areas
with high potential for
irrigation development.
○ The NIA should strengthen
its partnership with IAs and
provide them with technical
and financial support for the
operation and maintenance
(O and M) of irrigation
facilities under their
jurisdiction.
○ The NIA should implement a
water management system
that ensures efficient and
equitable allocation and
distribution of irrigation
water among farmers, taking
into account their land size,
crop type, water source and
irrigation system.
○ The NIA should monitor and
evaluate the impact of the
policy on agricultural
productivity, farmer welfare,
irrigation system
performance and
environmental sustainability.