Can Hope and Confidence Overcome Climate Change?

by Delano T. Tefora

Recently, a workshop was conducted on Climate Change and Adoptive Management National Workshop at the UP Marine Science Institute. The workshop emphasized the role of local government units, government agencies and private groups in climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation initiatives. It explored the strategic activities that will further enhance the resiliency of local communities in addressing the adverse effects of a changing climate.

LGUs must looks forward to its people to the coming years and promise to continue to stand by its vision, mission and values if they have to achieve beneficial impact in the agricultural, aquatic and natural resources sectors. LGUs must focus on developing awareness on what kind and how farming to adapt crops and vegetation to plant, fertilizer to use to minimize farming losses and increase yield due to climate change.

As Charles Darwin said, “it is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change”. I agreed with the Diretor Pat Faylon of PCAARRD commending the adoption of the program and challenging the implementers to further encourage communities and LGUs to adopt the knowledge generated by the resilience program, and integrate them in their governance system and lifestyle.

Director Faylon’s in his annual Executive Report expressed that confidence and hope are the major elements of the optimistic assurance in his trust in the capabilities and potential of the PCAARRD which he would continue to lead. He would have to stand on a real appreciation of current circumstances and resources present and a clear focus of what must be achieved. Given requisites, hope and confidence must now be concretized through its Science and Technology Program Framework shares in President’s Aquino’s administration social contract with the Filipino people concretize its vision of an organized and widely-shared expansion of Philippine economy through the LGUs’ dedication to hone and mobilize the people’s skills and energies, harness our natural resources in their areas of responsibility. 

PCAARRD priority programs need the LGUs’ collaboration to PCAARRD; develop its High Impact Technology Solutions (HITS) that may contribute to DOST’s and Agricultural State Colleges and Universities’ guidance and direction for the period 2012 – 2016 as follows: 1. Healthy food for the table; 2. Support to sustainable environment; 3. Ensuring food crops biodiversity, 4. Technologies to enhance raw materials production of priority world class products; 5. Goat for livelihood and chevon production; 6. Production of export quality tropical fruits; 7. Support to coconut and livestock industries; 8. Science and Technology support to boost competitiveness of local ecotourism industry; 9. Promotes the development of test kits for the detection of residues in food; and 10. Propose gene discovery to aid breeding program for animals and plants.

President Aquino’s key result areas as mentioned in his all year message being his social contract includes: transparent, accountable, and participatory governance; poverty reduction and empowerment of the poor and vulnerable, rapid, inclusive and sustainable economic growth; and integrity of the environment and climate change adaptation and mitigation.  /MP