Panaad and the Paril: Traditional Systems of Soil and Water Conservation in Cebu, the Philippines

Abstract

Agricultural heritage encompasses practices, beliefs and valuesrelated to farming and crop production passed on fromgeneration to generation through direct experience and otherinformal means. This paper focuses on a type of terrace farmingwhich uses stone walls (paril) to conserve soil and water,and is traditionally practised in the upland barangays of Argao, awell-known heritage town in Cebu, the Philippines. It examinesvarious aspects of this agricultural heritage and its associatedrituals, beliefs and legends. The knowledge of building and repairingthe stone walls, as well as the performance and meaningsof rituals embedded in legends, demonstrate the intangibleaspects of this built agricultural heritage.