One hundred priority municipalities that will avail of climate-resilient interventions for agriculture have been identified, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
The Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA) interventions come from the “Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change (APA)” Project or APA, a joint project of the DA, Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
The CRA-APA is supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
In a joint statement on Tuesday, April 22, the agencies said 100 priority municipalities were identified through vulnerability assessments and their readiness for CRA interventions. These municipalities are in the following nine provinces and two regions: Apayao, Ifugao, Kalinga, Cagayan, Isabela, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Bukidnon, Cotabato, Northern Mindanao and the Soccsksargen region.
Proponents said the project will directly support 205,000 farmers in adopting CRA practices within these areas.
At least 45,000 farmers are expected to engage in agri-enterprise development, applying various CRA interventions to identified priority crops, the DA said.
Once the project’s CRA interventions are implemented, the project is expected to reduce the Philippines’ total carbon emissions by about 218,875 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
“With the Philippines’ Nationally Determined Contribution commitment currently at 3,340,300,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from 2020 to 2030, the APA Project is set to contribute approximately 0.033 percent to the national goal until 2030,” the groups said.
The APA project is a seven-year initiative supported by a $26 million fund from the GCF, with an additional $13 million in co-financing from DA and DOST-PAGASA.
GCF is a global fund established by 194 countries to support developing nations in responding to climate change. Its main goal is to aid countries in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impact of climate change.
It is also expected to indirectly benefit about 5 million farmers through climate advisories and directly support 1.25 million members of vulnerable farming households through the adoption of CRA practices and the development of agri-enterprises.
The APA Project National Technical Working Group (TWG), led by DA Assistant Secretary for Operations U-Nichols Manalo, also recommended the validation of priority crops through regional TWGs, which will serve as key entry points for scaling up climate-resilient technologies.
To support CRA interventions, the APA Project also aims to provide farmers, especially from the marginalized sectors, with timely climate information to support inclusive agri-enterprises and empower communities to lead climate adaptation efforts.
The agencies also said that by enhancing the Climate Information Service platform hosted by DA, called the Agro-Climatic Advisory Portal, the APA Project will enable the platform to deliver more localized and tailored climate and weather advisories.
Such a move is also expected to empower farmers to manage climate risks, improve productivity and transition toward more resilient farming systems while also becoming more inclusive and accessible, particularly for women, youth and indigenous peoples.
