AT least 1.25 million poor farmers are expected to benefit from a $39.3-million project that seeks to boost the climate change resilience and development of the country’s agriculture sector.
The Climate Change Commission (CCC) said in a statement that the bulk or $26.3 million of the fund for the “Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change (APA)” will come from the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
The remaining $12.98 million of the initiative will come from domestic resources.
The APA was approved by the GCF board at its 35th meeting in Songdo, Korea, held from March 13 to 16, 2023.
“We welcome the decision of the GCF Board to approve the APA Project, which will be instrumental in building the capacity of our farming communities, as well as of the government and private sector, to understand and manage climate risks and adopt climate resilient agriculture practices,” Climate Change Commission Vice Chair and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje said.
The project was proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Department of Agriculture.
It will be implemented by the the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Service Administration (Pagasa) starting this year until 2030.
APA aims to develop climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) services and information through the use of low-emission technologies and then mainstream them so they can be adopted by local farmers.
Upon the completion of the initiative, it is expected to help reduce 1.86 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) over 20 years.
It will cover at least nine provinces in Regions 2, 5, 10, 12, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
“High impact, climate-resilient agriculture initiatives such as the APA, have the potential to significantly contribute to the country’s socio-economic development, while enhancing adaptive capacities of our agricultural systems to climate change,” Borje said.
