The resiliency of the country's agriculture sector is threatened by climate change and extreme weather events. Damage to rural infrastructure and losses to crops, livestock and fishing grounds, water allocation and the competing priorities in the use of water supply are a few emerging problems that should be dealt expediently. Sound scientific advice is needed regarding appropriate crop varieties, cropping patterns, and climate-vulnerable structures, including irrigation systems.
Strategy 2.1. Reduce climate change-related risks and the vulnerability of natural ecosystems and biodiversity through ecosystem-based management approaches, conservation efforts, and sustainable environment and natural resources-based economic endeavors such as agri-ecotourism.
a) Adopt Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) and Sustainable Land Management (SLM) Technologies in the development of water, land, and related resources;
b) Promote environment-friendly and sustainable production systems that use the farming systems approach, employ good agriculture/aquaculture practices, and promote organic agriculture, as embodied in RA10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010;
c) Improve the climate change resilience of fisheries through the restoration of fishing grounds, stocks and habitats and through investment in sustainable and climate change-responsive fishing technologies and products; and
d) Strengthen sustainable, multisectoral and community-based resource management mechanisms.
Strategy 2.2. Increase the resilience of agriculture communities through the development of climate change-sensitive technologies, establishment of climate-resilient agricultural infrastructure and climate-responsive food production systems, and provision of support services to the most vulnerable communities.
a) Strengthen R&D for the improvement of crop, livestock and fishery varieties (i.e., resistant to temperature increase, drought-tolerant, resistant to stresses such as water logging and pests);
b) Promote viable and competitive crop, livestock and fishery varieties that can tolerate climate variability;
c) Establish climate-resilient agriculture infrastructure through enhanced technical design of irrigation facilities, FMR, PHF, etc. that take climate risks and extreme climate events into account; and
d) Strengthen agricultural extension and support services to raise farmers' knowledge and capacity to adopt climate-sensitive farming and fishing technologies.
Strategy 2.3. Strengthen the agriculture and fisheries insurance system as an important risk sharing mechanism.
a) Improve risk-reducing mechanisms (i.e., guarantee, insurance) to encourage more banks and other lending conduits such as cooperatives and NGOs to lend to agriculture and fisheries; and
b) Introduce innovative risk-transfer mechanisms such as weather-based/ index insurance systems.
Strategy 2.4. Incorporate natural hazards and climate risk in the agricultural land use plan or the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP)
a) Pursue the passage of a National Land Use Law as a basis for effective land use policy and planning; and
b) Use land use planning at national and local levels to identify hazardous areas and as a basis for implementing adaptation and mitigating measures in climate risk- and disaster-prone areas.
Strategy 2.5. Strengthen the capacity of communities to respond effectively to climate risks and natural hazards.
a) Conduct IEC campaigns and capacity building activities for the purpose at the local level; and
b) Establish community-based early warning systems, agrometeorology stations, automatic weather stations (AWS) and climate field schools.
Strategy 2.6. Continue vulnerability and adaptation assessments especially in food production areas.
a) Produce updated weather-based dynamic cropping calendars to address the irregularity of wet and dry seasons, and develop optimal planting windows based on medium-range weather forecasts; and
b) Undertake a study to assess groundwater resources availability and vulnerability to ensure food security during period of drought.