DA launches color-coded agricultural guide map

The Department of Agriculture on Tuesday launched a comprehensive color-coded map as part of the government's initiative to ensure food security and decrease poverty incidence in the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

Under the Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture (AMIA) program, the Color-Coded Agricultural Guide (CCAG) map was the first of the planning tools developed by the DA to "remove guesswork in Philippine farming."

AMIA is one of the key components of the memorandum that "mandates the mainstreaming of climate change in the DA's programs, plans and budget."

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said that about P36 million was invested to the CCAG.

"Not much actually kung iisipin mo yung impact nitong innovation na 'to," Piñol said.

The AMIA-CCAG map will be used to identify which crops are suitable for a particular area. It will "overlay data on soil properties, elevation, slope, rainfall pattern, temperature and climate-induced hazards."

It will also serve as a guide for the government in investment planning, research and development, infrastructure and disaster management.

According to the Agriculture secretary, local government units can also used the map for their "comprehensive land-use plans (CLUPs) and climate change risk reduction measures in line with the Local Climate Change Adaptation Plan (LCCAP)."

"If you remember the President mentioned the vision of his administration to modernize agriculture. Yung pinakabasic na problema ng agriculture is we have taken things for granted," Piñol said.

"Over the years, nakalimutan na pala natin 'yung soil database ng Pilipinas na ginagamit is forty years old...'Pag hindi up to date yung data, syempre hindi effective yung ating agriculture," he added.

The NCCAG map will be presented to President Rodrigo Duterte by Sec. Piñol in a simple launching ceremony in Malacañang on Tuesday.

Its beta version then will be accessible to the public in an interactive format uploaded at www.farmersguidemap.gov.ph.

"This is a work in progress. Through the years we hope we can add more data," Piñol said. — MDM, GMA News