DA launches new projects to combat climate change

The Department of Agriculture (DA) revealed two new projects to prepare vulnerable regions and "weatherproof crops" and sectors for climate change earlier this week.

Preparing the Regions

DA Undersecretary for Operations Jess Paras announced Monday a $8 million (P 368mil) pilot projects sponsored by Spain and the United Nations reports philstar.com. The projects aim to enable vulnerable regions in the country to cope the destructive impacts of climate change.

Demonstration projects in vulnerable regions: the fragile ecosystem of Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), volcanic eruption and typhoon-plagued Bicol region, and susceptible to climate change induced drought Agusan del Norte in Mindanao; will be launched to address specific vulnerabilities, said Paras.

Paras adds that the project’s incorporation of climate-change mitigation and adaptation programs in its development planning process is meant to be implemented throughout the country. Regional and local structures for inter-agency participation are being put up by project implementers to make the project sustainable over the long term, he said.

Innovative adaptation measures, agriculture technologies and watershed management will be tested.

“Weatherproofing” crops

On Tuesday DA Secretary Arthur Yap announced the Philippine Climate Change Adaptation Project during a management-committee (ManCom) meeting. Representatives from the World Bank, Samuel Wedderburn and Felizardo Virtucio Jr. presented the project during the meeting.

The $5 million (P 230 mil) project funded by the World Bank’s Global Environment Facility will aims to develop and demonstrate approaches to help communities cope with climate change negative effects said a businessmirror.com.ph report.

In a statement, Secretary Yap said the grant will allow government agencies to gather “thorough and accurate data” on weather conditions, craft a “master plan to weather-proof” Philippine agriculture and other sectors and consolidate the different agencies dealing with climate change.

Two other agencies, the Philippine Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), will collaborate on the project.

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