MANILA – The Philippines Climate Change Adaptation Project (PhilCCAP), a foreign-funded program jointly implemented by a consortium of national government agencies, including the environment and agriculture executive departments and the state weather bureau, is set to launch its products on March 1, 2015 at the Grand Ballroom of the Century Park Hotel, Manila.
Dubbed as the “PhilCCAP Products Launching Day,” the event will showcase products developed for the purpose of vastly improving the country’s ability to adapt to the effects of climate change. These will include the Community of Practice online knowledge management system, manuals on the retrofitting of irrigation systems and on climate-smart farming, a feasibility study on the weather index-based crop insurance scheme, a climate smart, web-based and SMS advisory system for rice and corn farmers, and a report on climate scenarios and updated management plans for protected areas.
The Climate Change Commission (CCC) will launch the Community of Practice, or CoP, an online knowledge management system. It is intended to become the government’s official repository of all climate-related information and practices, from forecasts to general research. It is also expected to facilitate the exchange of climate information and related ones, which will be guided by a protocol, also developed by the CCC
Manuals on the redesign and retrofitting of river irrigation systems and on climate-smart farming will also be launched during the event. Developed by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), the improved operations manual was based on the lessons learned in the redesigning for retrofitting of two river irrigation systems, in Cagayan and Iloilo, which it completed last year. The retrofitting works will enable both facilities to improve its water distribution mechanisms, reducing the effects of seasonal climate change to water supply.
The Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) and the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) will feature an enhanced climate-smart farming manual, based on a compilation of lessons derived from the practical courses on climate change taught to the project’s farmer-beneficiaries.
The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) will also launch its products and interim report on the weather index-based crop insurance. The insurance products make use of a weather index, particularly rainfall, as a basis for payouts. This ensures the rapid delivery of funds to rice and corn farmers in the pilot areas affected by abnormal rainfall, regardless of the actual damages sustained.
Another product that will be featured during the event is the Climate-Smart Decision Support Tool (CS-DSS). Developed in close collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute, it is a web and mobile phone-based application that integrates climate information into crop management practices. The tool also provides recommendations to enhance the ability of rice and corn farmers in the pilot sites to adapt to climate variations and consequently increase their yield.
The DENR, for its part, will present the updated management plans for two protected areas – the Peñablanca Protected Landscape and Seascape in Cagayan and the Siargao Island Protected Landscape and Seascape in Surigao del Norte. The improved plans take into account climate change adaptation measures and a monitoring and evaluation system that empowers the protected areas’ respective management bodies.
PAGASA, the state weather bureau, will release its Climate Change Report, which includes long-term rainfall and temperature forecasts and climate scenarios. Information derived from PAGASA’s forecasting activities was also used in the project’s other activities, such as the agricultural extension program.
The products launch is also expected to bring together policymakers, researchers, technical experts, academicians, advocates, and key officials of the DENR, DA, CCC, and DOST in the hope to discuss and create future actions of scaling the project’s gains in a national level.
About PhilCCAP
PhilCCAP is a grant agreement between the Government of the Philippines and the World Bank. The funding, while administered by the Bank, is sourced from the Global Environment Facility, an environment-focused finance mechanism supported by an international partnership consisting of member countries, international institutions, civil society organizations and members of the private sector.
The project operates in three provinces – Cagayan, Iloilo and Surigao del Norte. Activities designed to publicize the products to potential users will be undertaken by the project throughout the year. (PhilCCAP)