The project covers five (5) provinces of Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mt. Province and about eight (8) component watersheds composed of Tabuk, Conner, Tuai, Lubuagan, Bontoc, Barlig-Tanudan and Bauko.  There are 20 municipalities with about 379,713 population that will directly benefit from the project. Poverty incidence in these areas is reported at 35.8% based on NSCB 2011 estimates. Majority or 95% of the population in this project site are indigenous peoples belonging to the tribal groups Kankanaey, Applai, Bontok, Kalinga, Ifuao and Isneg. The Chico River is known as a major river in CAR that provides water for irrigation in the provinces of Kalinga for rice production and Mt. province for vegetable production.

The issues and concerns surrounding the watershed include:

o   Land use conversion to inappropriate uses such as the conversion of mossy forest in Mt. Data to vegetable gardens;

o   Decreasing water discharge as a result of drying up of water sources;

o   Diminishing biodiversity that may be attributed to anthropogenic activities of man such as kaingin making, illegal cutting, forest fires and chemical pollution;

o   River siltation due to soil erosion and landslides in upstream areas;

o   Water pollution attributed to household and industrial wastes from municipalities in Mt Province dumped into the main river or its main tributaries.