Evidence-informed planning using scientific tools is important now that climate change impacts are worsening. Climate change is the long-term change in temperature and typical weather patterns in a place. Studies show that most of the impacts of climate change are negative and with the archipelagic structure and the location of the Philippines, it has been identified as one of the countries globally that is most at risk of climate change leading to food insecurity. PAGASA confirms the same and empirical evidence showing the increase in temperature, sea level rise, reduced water for irrigation, occasional deaths in poultry, and frequent and strong typhoons in the agriculture sector alone. Protection of the Philippine food systems is an understatement considering that, as an agricultural country with the share of 47% from the 30 million hectares of the country’s total land area, it is now in peril and the farmers will bear the greatest brunt, worsening their current poverty incidence of 32% (PSA, 2018). Data from 2010 to 2019 showing the real threats at hand to agriculture are: (Infographics)

• Ninety-nine percent (99.9%) of production loss is due to climate-related hazards

• Total production loss due to climate-related events is P290,743,535,269.

• Rice is the most damaged crop by climate-related events with accounted loss of 40% of the total production loss which amounted to approximately P116 Billon, making the rice farmers as the most vulnerable sector.

• Typhoons caused 88% of the total production damages and are then regarded as the most destructive climate-related hazard to agriculture; 8 typhoons per year that enter the county are destructive to the agriculture sector.

• Most super typhoons happen during the fourth quarter of the year.

•  The losses and damages are highest during the fourth quarter of the year when most super typhoons occur.

1. The Climate Change Act of 2009 (R.A. 9792) mandated the mainstreaming of climate change in policy formation, such that policies and measures that address climate change are integrated in development planning and sectoral decision-making. RA 9729 served as the basis for introducing climate change as one of the core subjects to be integrated in government programs and projects. It also resulted in the establishment of the Climate Change Commission, with its advisory board consisting of the Secretaries of the Departments and various representatives from the LGUs and NGOs along with the Climate Change Office whose purpose is to assist the commission through the government agencies.

2.  In 2013, the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) developed the seven systems-wide programs on climate change which consolidated the climate change policies and programs of DA to cut across policy instruments and agencies of the department. These core systems-wide programs allowed the Department to better address climate change vulnerabilities and risks in crafting and implementing the nation’s agriculture and fisheries programs. This strengthened the Department’s stance on creating national and regional agricultural development plants which are climate change compliant. This included the APEC-initiated “Adaptation and Mitigation Initiatives in Agriculture (AMIA)”, one of the flagship programs of the Department which remains to this day. During this transition, the DA Climate Change Office was renamed as the DA Systems-Wide Climate Change Office (SWCCO) to reflect the changes brought about by the memorandum.

3.  Meanwhile, DA Memorandum Circular 4 signed by former Secretary William D. Dar in 2020 renamed SWCCO as the Climate Resilient Agriculture Office (CRAO) and institutionalized Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA) to accommodate the growing requirements on disaster and climate resiliency for the agriculture and fishery sector. CRAO is now designated as the primary agency to provide oversight and strategic direction in mobilizing resources and capacities for the Department’s CRA Agenda. It has been tasked to oversee the well-planned, coordinated, and responsive support services in the establishment and the expansion of Adaptation and Mitigation Initiatives in Agriculture (AMIA) villages to town-/province-/region-level CRA and of livelihoods to CRA enterprises.

4.  MC 4 series of 2020 outlines the following actions to respond to the growing needs on disaster and climate resiliency for the agriculture and fishery sector including the mainstreaming of the Climate- and Weather-Informed Advisories wherein the preparation and dissemination of farm and fishery advisories based on climate and weather outlook is one of the critical basic services to be provided by DA-Regional Field Offices; enhancement of Commodity Roadmaps; completion of Climate Risks Vulnerability Assessments (CRVA).

5.  Another DA MC in 2021 designated CRAO as the Secretariat of Key Strategy 9: Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation measures under the OneDA Reform Agenda. Hence, DA CRAO facilitates the nine components that are adopted under Key Strategy 9 in which Component 7: Strengthening of LGUs’ capacities in using Climate Resiliency Decision Support Tools (DSTs) to reduce loss and damage and sustain increased productivity and income amid climate change, specifically, provides the rationale for the development of this training module.