Philippine farm sector urged to focus on climate change adaptation

Business Mirror (Philippines): …In securing enough food amid climate change, the country’s agriculture and forestry sector is urged to focus more on adaptation rather than mitigation measures. “The priority strategy for development will focus on adaptation, since this is where most government funds should invest,” said Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) deputy executive director Danilo Cardenas.

Speaking during the recent Mindanao summit on research and development agenda for climate change held in Davao City, Cardenas said the next two years will focus on adaptation considering the limited budget in addressing climate change.

Cardenas said mitigation measures are intended to reduce the sources or enhance the risks of greenhouse gasses and that the Philippines is not a major contributor on greenhouse-gas emissions. “The focus should be on adaptation strategies to come up with adjustment measures [that can be] adopted at the farm level in response to actual or expected climate variability,” he said.

Cardenas said the country’s economic life support system, such as agriculture, forestry and natural resources, is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. …