EDITORIAL

Honest Gov’t. Private Sector Partnership
To Withstand Climate Change

Secretary Arthur Yap of the Department of Agriculture (DA) under-scored the urgency for greater government-private sector partnerships to make Philippine agriculture and fisheries better adapt to climate change. It will sustain farm growth amid the ever-increasing demand for food and shrinking farm production here and abroad.

To equip Philippine agriculture with the tools needed to cope with climate change, includes utilizing modern tools and techniques, develop the country’s risk assessment and disaster management capabilities, invest more in equipment, infrastructure, new technologies and extension services for farmers and fisherfolk, help them hurdle changing climatic conditions that have started hurting global farm yields.

The freak traits of Typhoons "Ondoy" and "Pepeng" plus the unprecedented level of destruction on Philippine agriculture are stark reminders that climate change is already upon us. It is now the No. 1 threat to global farm production. Both cyclones damaged over P24 billion-worth of crops and farm infrastructure.

"The Philippines is a climate taker," Yap said during business forum held at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel where US Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack attended.

"Climate takers are those that are not responsible for large greenhouse gas emissions but nonetheless suffer the consequences of climate change and must undertake weather adaptation measures", said Yap.

"It cannot be business as usual for Philippine agriculture, for business, for industry, and for society. The toll on lives and the damage to infrastructure, homes, food supplies, energy and transportation have racked up losses in our country in the billions of pesos," Yap stressed.

"In the coming years, what is very critical is our continuing investment in public infrastructure, water, small-irrigation, mariculture parks that are climate-change adapted", Yap said.

The government must act swiftly to toughen Philippine agriculture against climate change and take advantage of the countless opportunities in this labor-intensive sector, especially in mariculture and biofuel feedstock production.

"With climate change already at our doorstep, the Philippines needs to build her in risk assessment and disaster management utilizing available tech-nologies such as Remote Sensing, Geographic Information System, and climate check", Yap said.

The government, through the DA, is investing more in equipment and infrastructure like irrigation works that harvest rain water (big reservoir types and small water impounding projects); all-weather roads; and post-harvest facilities such as farm mechanization, storages and warehouses.

The new technologies such as drought-resistant, submergence-tolerant crop varieties should be developed, while extension services, weather-based insurance and loans should be provided to farmers for production and land improvement needs.

Yap emphasized the need to strengthen and modernize the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics to improve its ability to track and conduct quick and effective surveys that are critical in designing and implementing programs on a local and national levels.

Yap is confident, the Philippines can meet the ever-growing demand for biofuel feedstock and cash on this booming industry to help make agriculture a lucrative venture for its small stakeholders. Moreover, investment in mariculture park has a great potential for development and exploitation.

These are easier said than done. What is needed are government which is sincere, of high integrity and determined to implement the programs. There must be farmers and fisherfolks who are young, healthy to withstand climate change and who are the best and the brightest people, agriculture being multi disciplinary. /MP