Los Baños, Laguna—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in Southeast Asia have co-published a compendium of climate-resilient agricultural technologies and approaches in the Philippines.
Titled “Compendium of Climate-Resilient Agriculture Technologies and Approaches in the Philippines,” it is in response to the need to provide science-based and actionable knowledge on climate-resilient agricultural technologies and practices in different agroecological systems in the country.
Available in hardcover and paperback, the compendium is authored by Dr. Romeo V. Labios, Dr. Leocadio S. Sebastian, Dr. Jocelyn D. Labios, and Ms. Christine Mae B. Santos. A copy may also be downloaded for free from the SEARCA website.
The authors said many studies and recent events have shown that the Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, with both upland and low-lying regions severely affected by typhoons, floods and droughts.
Climate change has adverse impacts on the agricultural sector, particularly on smallholder farmers who are more vulnerable to climate stressors, they said.
The compendium was jointly developed by CCAFS SEA, Department of Agriculture, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, and SEARCA.
“The compendium aims to better guide policymakers, farmer organizations, researchers, extension workers, and the agribusiness sector, as well as climate-smart agriculture practitioners,” Dr. Labios said.
In the foreword, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said the climate-smart agriculture options listed in the compendium not only improve the agricultural productivity of farmers; they also enhance the farmers’ adaptive capacity against climate change impacts and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from their farming activities.
The compendium identifies various strategies to help the country overcome the challenges in applying and scaling said options.
“The compendium enumerates seven transformative strategies, each of which allows the farmers to participate in climate actions for agriculture,” Dr. Dar said.
SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio said that “the compendium presents a menu of solutions and proposes that the business-as-usual attitude is no longer an option if we want to protect the future of our food supply and the well-being of the farmers and communities that produce it.”
“After all, the battle for climate change is either won or lost at the grassroots level,” Dr. Gregorio said.
Headquartered in this town, SEARCA is mandated to build individual and institutional capacities in agricultural and rural development in Southeast Asia and now focuses on elevating the quality of life of agricultural families through sustainable and resilient livelihoods and access to modern networks and markets.
“SEARCA will continue to find ways to help enhance farmers’ resiliency to the effects of climate change. One is by supporting the development and application of climate-smart agri-technologies and innovations in partnership with the academe, industry, and the government,” Dr. Gregorio said.
The compendium is dedicated to Dr. Arturo A. Gomez, fifth Director of SEARCA, former professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, and one of the pioneers of multiple cropping systems in the Philippines.