BAGUIO CITY – Concerned agriculture stakeholders here warned that climate change is now taking its toll on the country’s lucrative agriculture sector, causing huge damage to vegetables, rice, corn and other crops grown nationwide.

At present, the agriculture sector contributes at least 18 percent to the country’s gross national product and is primarily important in ensuring food security and self-sufficiency to the Filipino people as well as in providing employment and income to farmers, fishermen and their families.

However, the onslaught of destructive weather disturbances had greatly affected productivity in the agriculture sector thereby placing the country’s food security in doubt.

Based on a study conducted by the Bureau of Soils and Water Management of the Department of Agriculture (DA), from 1991-2007, almost 90 percent of losses and damage to the country’s rice production was due to flashfloods, typhoons and droughts.

In corn production, the same reasons also caused almost 98 percent in damage and losses during the same period.

In 1998, the El Niño phenomenon resulted in a negative 6.6 percent growth in the agriculture sector which forced legislators to pass the controversial Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) which is not being given appropriate funding support.

At the same time, the study showed some human activities increase greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere which greatly contribute to global warming and eventually resulting in the rise of sea levels, extreme climate aberration, temperature rise and erratic rainfall patterns.

According to the study, these are the main factors that result in flashfloods, stronger typhoons and droughts which decrease agricultural output.

As the national government’s response to mitigate the effects of climate change in the agriculture sector and to attain food security and self sufficiency, DA has embarked on the continuous implementation of various programs to provide enough fertilizer, irrigation and infrastructure, extension and education, loans, dryers and other post-harvest facilities and seed and other genetic materials for the farmers and fisher folks.

For fertilizer and soil management, the agency is working on organic-based agricultural fertilization program.

The government is also involved in the expansion and rehabilitation of irrigation systems and watershed management and the re-use of waste water for irrigation and other sustainable agricultural purposes.