To help the FRANCOBILS Irrigators’ Association—composed of 48 smallhold grain growers in Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay—expand its irrigation system, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) improved 865 meters of the existing communal irrigation system through its Growth with Equity in Mindanao Program. By lining the irrigation canal with concrete which reduces water loss, the association was able to double the irrigated area from 120 to 160 hectares. The municipal government and the irrigators association covered approximately 33 percent of the total cost of the irrigation system upgrade in Tungawan. In partnership with municipal governments, USAID has completed 18 irrigation system upgrades to date, improving or rehabilitating a total of about 10 kilometers of irrigation canals to benefit more than 5,000 farmers in Mindanao. The Program is implemented under the oversight of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).