100 towns targeted for climate-resiliency project

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will focus a climate resiliency project on farmers in 100 municipalities across five regions.

The Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change (APA) Project, a seven-year initiative supported by $26 million from the Green Climate Fund and an additional $13 million co-financed by the DA and the weather service PAGASA, is expected to indirectly benefit around about 5 million farmers through climate advisories. It is also projected to directly support 1.25 million persons in vulnerable farming households through the development of agri-enterprises.

The target municipalities are in the Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Northern Mindanao, and Soccsksargen regions, the DA said in a statement.

“At least 45,000 farmers are expected to engage in agri enterprise development, applying various climate-resilient agriculture options to priority crops,” it said.

In an April 7 meeting, the project’s national technical working group discussed the enhancement of the Climate Information Service (CIS) platform hosted by the DA’s Agro-Climatic Advisory Portal to deliver more localized and tailored climate and weather advisories.

“The APA Project envisions an inclusive and accessible CIS, particularly for women, youth, Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Cultural Communities,” DA said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza