The government is stepping up efforts to promote climate-resilient farming for high-value crops amid volatile weather conditions.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the initiative also aims to curb recurring price spikes triggered by weather-related supply disruptions.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has just allotted around P300 million this year to expand climate-resilient farming for high-value vegetables, such as tomatoes, chili and bell peppers.
Tiu Laurel said the funds will primarily support basic greenhouses, drip irrigation and water-impounding systems to ensure appropriate crop management and reduce farmers’ exposure to increasingly volatile weather. These crops, he noted, suffer sharp price swings almost every year as extreme heat, heavy rains and flooding disrupt production.
“This is a perennial problem―sometimes chili pepper is very expensive, sometimes there is no supply at all; the same goes for bell peppers and tomatoes,” Tiu Laurel said. “What we want is continuous production, year-round whether it’s dry or rainy.”
The program―referred to within the DA as the White Revolution, is modeled after the protected cultivation system of South Korea and Cambodia that helped boost vegetable output and provide reliable local food system.
By working with cooperatives and farmer associations rather than individual farmers, innovative strategy will start by organizing production at the community level.
Local seed and seedlings production will be established to technically equip women and youth to make planting materials readily available in a structurally coordinated and decentralized manner.
The department aims to generate stable volumes that can reliably supply major urban markets and dampen the boom-and-bust cycles that hurt both farmers and consumers.
Instead of rolling out costly, high-tech facilities, the DA will deploy rain shelters and simpler greenhouse structures to provide partial protection from the elements and make it a viable business model.
These facilities protect crops from heavy rainfall, reduce flood risks and pest damage, and enable more efficient water use through drip irrigation and misting systems, making them easier to replicate across farming communities.
“The objective is to keep producing even during El Niño or La Niña,” Tiu Laurel said. “With irrigation during dry months and cover during heavy rains, farmers are able to adapt with the changing weather conditions and are effectively able to plan their production based on market demand.” DA News
Rain shelters, greenhouses and irrigation systems will be located near―though outside―major consumption centers such as Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao to shorten delivery time and cut post-harvest losses. For the Metro Manila market, the DA is eyeing nearby provinces including Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Laguna, Rizal and Quezon.
To limit market risks during the initial rollout, the program will begin in selected pilot municipalities, with Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) committing to buy the harvest at pre-agreed prices.
The arrangement is meant to give farmers income security while the system is being established.
“If we ask a community to plant chili or bell pepper, whatever they produce will be bought at a fair price,” Tiu Laurel said, adding the government will handle distribution to public markets.
The initiative also underscores how limited protected agriculture remains in the Philippines. The country has only about 500 hectares of greenhouse-covered farms nationwide, compared with roughly 52,000 hectares in South Korea.
Tiu Laurel said reaching 5,000 hectares by 2027 would already be a major step forward.
Sustainability, he added, will ultimately hinge on profitability. “If this proves successful and farmers earn from it, they will push for its continuation and scale up the system ―even under the next administration,” he said.
The DA is also building a network of cold storages to extend the shelf life of highly perishable vegetables, and provide small-scale vegetables processing facilities to reduce food loss and provide additional revenue stream for farmers in a sustainable manner. DA News
