Lapid pushes for climate-resilient Philippine agriculture

Citing double-digit billions-of-peso damage to agriculture due to severe weather conditions in past years, Senator Lito Lapid has filed a bill seeking to put in place a climate-resilient  agriculture mechanism in the country.

Lapid has filed Senate Bill 1912 proposing that the government should institutionalize – or make official – the use of crop climate calendars to equip farmers in making cropping decisions attuned to climate changes.

Likewise, the bill suggests to provide the agriculture sector access to localized weather and climate information.

Almost 20 typhoons and storms rip through the country every year, leaving huge destruction to crops, the bill pointed out.

In 2019, severe weather occurrences left P16 billion in agricultural damage, and in 2018 the sector lost a staggering P34.45 billion.

Just recently, Typhoons Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses ripped through Luzon, and left P10-billion damage to agriculture, affecting some 150,000 farmers.

“Sa likod ng mga nakalululang numerong ito at halaga ng mga nawasak at nasayang na pananim ay mga buhay ng ating mga magsasaka at ng kanilang pamilya na nalulubog din sa kumunoy tuwing may bagyo," Lapid said.

Moreover, Lapid pushed for application of “innovative ideas and technologies, as well as proven best practices in managing the effects of climate change and weather disturbances.”

Under this measure, the Department of Agriculture (DA) shall institutionalize the use of crop climate calendars throughout the country.

A crop climate calendar is defined as “a visual tool that presents the phenology and cultivation practices of a crop against the timeline of the cropping season, containing information on the weather and climate states that occur in the locality and the risks faced by the crop.”

Further, the bill mandates the DA to equip all famers and farmers’ organizations in the formulation, use and interpretation of crop climate calendars that are tailor-made for each specific locality. These crop climate calendars shall be distributed free-of-charge.

Also, the DA shall provide regular appropriate training and capacity-building activities for farmers and farmers’ organizations in the practice of climate sensitive decision-making and the use of relevant tools and applications.

“Sa ilalim ng ating panukalang batas, inaatasan din natin ang DA na bumuo ng malinaw at maayos na mga briefer at materyal gaya ng charts, tables at diagrams na madaling maintindihan ng ating mga magsasaka,” Lapid pointed out.

On the other hand, Lapid's SB 1912 mandates the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to provide regular and up-to-date localized weather and climate information to city, municipal and provincial agriculture offices and directly to the farmers themselves through all available means of communication and information dissemination (internet, social media, television and radio).

This information must be written in simple English, Filipino, and other regional language or dialect as necessary and must be presented in easily understandable form.

On November 10,2020, Lapid also filed a bill requiring the use of plain language in all government documents. —LBG, GMA News