Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Proceso J. Alcala has ordered all of his subordinates to integrate climate change adaptation measures in all of their programs and projects this year.
These measures are necessary since agriculture and fisheries are vulnerable to vagaries of the weather, with both El Niño and La Niña phenomena causing serious damage to output.
“The nation was still in the midst of its recovery from the back-to-back lashings of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng in 2009, and Typhoon Juan in 2010 when another massive devastation in 2011 came in the form of typhoons Pedring and Quiel. The impact of such natural phenomena – and overall climate change – in the agriculture and fisheries sector cannot be understated,” Alcala said.
“Hence, the full integration of climate change (CC) adaptation measures in all programs and projects are being carried out. This entails designing a climate information system for agriculture and fisheries, research and development for adaptive tools, technologies, and practices, climate-resilient agriculture and fishery infrastructures, implementing regulations to ensure effectiveness and safety, and providing windows for financing and instruments for risk transfer like weather-based insurance,” Alcala added.
“With challenges posing a constant presence in our bid to serve our farmers and fisherfolk, alongside the more promising opportunities for heightened capacity-building, we recognize the pressing need to foster partner-relationships with other government agencies,” he also stressed.
“In addition to its convergence with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the DA is currently working in convergence with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for flood control and water impounding,” Alcala revealed.
“Another convergence approach with the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) has given rise to programs aimed at farm development and rural employment,” the DA chief said.
“The DA’s general policy framework is derived from the PDP (2011-2016),” Alcala stressed.
“The result matrix has been laid out and we score our achievements against those results. To ensure that we attain those results, we further itemize the major deliverables per agency. For example, at the NIA, we look at projects per system, per province and check on hectares irrigated as well as areas planted,” Alcala explained.
“We have found that some irrigation projects in which billions have been spent remain unutilized because the farms are not ready to receive water. These are problems we discover on the ground and which we are able to address immediately,” he added.
Alcala also said the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) of 1997 provides more detailed prescriptions for the DA to execute including ensuring the quality of cross-cutting functions such as research, regulation and extension.
The department’s policy and planning service is currently conducting the updating of the plans and programs under AFMA, he noted.
