Experts tell agriculture sector to adapt to changing Philippine climate

Jonathan L. Mayuga in the Business Mirror (Philippines): The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Sunday urged all affected segments of the farm and fishery sectors to take measures to adapt to the changing climate patterns in the archipelago. The decision to include mitigating measures to climate change in the DA’s action plans was made this week by Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap after agency and bureau heads were briefed by a team of climate experts commissioned by the United Nations to help strengthen the Philippines’ institutional capacity to adapt to climate change.

Agriculture Undersecretary for Operations Jesus Emmanuel Paras has divided DA groups into three climate-change adaptation teams: one team involved in crops, another on fisheries, and a team on research and development, an aspect of climate change-mitigating actions most lacking, as pointed out by the UN team.

The three teams were instructed to come out with their climate-change adaptation plans for their sectors before the weekend. The DA was targeted by the UN project as one of the chief implementors of programs to mitigate the ill effects of changing climate patterns affecting the country.

Paras, however, asked the UN group for the speedy release of fresh and adequate information on climate change to give farm officials the lead time to adjust their programs to new situations, especially as the impact of these climate changes affects each region differently….