The recent signing by President Arroyo of the Climate Change Act will pave the way for the crafting and implementation of a national adaptation plan to help Philippine agriculture and other vulnerable sectors cope with the worst effects of altered weathered patterns triggered by global warming, a top Department of Agriculture (DA) official said.

DA Undersecretary Segfredo Serrano said the department has already began implementing such a plan by promoting more climate-resilient genetic materials and technologies to develop seeds that are resistant to drought, floods and other adverse effects of climate change.

“These technologies target radical improvements in resiliency to changes in the biophysical elements such as ambient temperature, solar radiation, wind velocities, water levels and precipitation, new pests and diseases, among others,” Serrano said during the Multi-Media Summit on Climate Change held recently in Malacañang.

Serrano said, “The engineering specifications, standards and design of agriculture and fisheries infrastructure and equipment, as in all other infrastructure and equipment, will also be reviewed for better climate proofing and resiliency.”

The department, in collaboration with concerned agencies and stakeholders, is also in the process of instituting the use of updated remote sensing technology for more precise planning, monitoring and verification of government programs on increasing food production, Serrano said.

He said the DA is also planning to immediately provide more precise and localized meteorological information services to farmers, fisherfolk and other stakeholders in order to empower them to undertake appropriate individual climate change adaptation decisions and actions.

Serrano said the Philippines’ stance on adaptation negotiations is guided by the principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Reiterating the previous call by Secretary Arthur Yap for higher spending by UN member-countries on climate change adaptation programs for developing economies, Serrano said such programs “must be supported by substantial, adequate (as determined by science) and sustained financial, technology and capacity-building flows from mandatory commitments by the developed countries over and above their Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitments.”

Earlier, Yap spelled out several “imperatives,” including investing in remote sensing technologies that the government needs to get done to shield the Philippines’ farm and fisheries sector from the devastating effects of climate change and enable it to meet the country’s food security targets.

Yap said that “with climate change already at our doorstep,” the Philippines needs to build up its risk assessment and disaster management capability utilizing available technologies such as remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) and climate check.

New technologies like GIS and remote sensing will beef up the risk-assessment capabilities of the DA and afford it a clearer picture of the real state of Philippine agricultural lands, he said, for better planning and implementation of farm productivity projects.

Yap said the DA should also focus on helping farmers gear up for or adapt to climate change by providing them with such inputs as seeds that are either resistant to dry spells or floods.

Moreover, he said, the government, through the DA, should invest even more in equipment and infrastructure that will likewise help farmers and fisherfolk adapt to abnormal weather patterns.

These include irrigation works that harvest rain water (big reservoir types and small water impounding projects); all-weather roads, and; postharvest facilities such as farm mechanization, storages, and warehouses.

“New technologies such as drought-resistant, submergence-tolerant crop varieties should be developed, and extension services, weather-based insurance and loans should be provided to farmers for their production and land improvement needs,” he said.