REVAMP-ADAPT: Revamping of AgriCaravan, Developing Access to Products

and Technologies for a Climate-Resilient Philippine Agricultural Sector

Despite economic growth fueled by government efforts to promote the Philippines' modernization to
provide job opportunities for Filipinos, the country's agricultural sector faces a staggering drop in its
sector-related economic contribution even as national economic developments continue. From 20% in the
1980s to 9.3% in 2023 (Bajpai, 2023), the steady decline in the Philippines' agricultural sector's GDP
contribution currently overlaps with the constant exacerbation of climate change. With PAGASA anticipating
a 1.8 to 2.2% increase in the nation's mean temperature by the year 2050, crop yields in farming are
expected to decrease as the climate fluctuates and reaches unforeseeable extremes (PAGASA, n.d.). As
the persistent threat of climate change continues to terrorize the economic and environmental stability of
the Philippines, stimulating modernized agricultural development proves to become more challenging.

For this reason, the Philippines has been committed to pushing the boundaries of agriculture for its
progress even against obstacles like climate change. Its most notable example is reflected in its
constitution, stating in Article 2, Section 16 that the people have a right to a “balanced and healthful ecology
in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature” separate from general civil, economic, and political rights.
In line with this, the Philippine government’s main agricultural and environmental conservation avenues are
the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR). Focusing on a more climate-resilient agricultural sector, the Philippine DA along with international
institutions has defined the country’s climate profile and created initiatives accordingly. For one, the use of
climate-smart technologies such as climate-resilient seed varieties and other methods such as sustainable
crop calendars and water conservation technologies have been noted by the DA to have been used by
small-scale farmers (Department of Agriculture, 2020). However, Rosegrant and Sombilla (2018) identified
several key challenges plaguing the Philippine Agriculture Sector, with its biggest opponent being the
aforementioned consequences of climate change exacerbated by the lack of partnerships, inconsistencies
in initiatives, the lack of a more modernized and standardized database, and non-strengthened agricultural
research and development (R&D).

In recognition of the present gaps in the Philippine government's actions toward the development of a
climate-resilient agriculture sector, the proponents suggest establishing an agricultural caravan or
AgriCaravan to acquire relevant and necessary information for formulating timely and effective government
policies on facilitating continuous agricultural productivity and development alongside economic growth.

To achieve this objective, AgriCaravan shall be a one-stop-shop agricultural fair that takes place in
provincial sectors considering each province’s varying agricultural situations. This is where the program's
stakeholders: the nation's farmers, the general public, the government, and the private sector can be
informed on the short- and long-term effects of climate change in the Philippine agricultural sector, how this
can affect their respective groups, and how can these sectors mitigate the continuous effects of climate
change on the agriculture sector through individual and multi-sectoral initiatives. AgriCaravan shall also
promote relevant discussion on innovations and practices of modern farmers and private sectors that can
be utilized to further improve the productivity of the agricultural sector. To incentivize the farmers to attend
the caravan, these farmers can also showcase their products in the form of a trade fair where the general
public can buy their products and give farmers feedback on their products. On a broader scope, the
Philippine government and international agencies can collect extensive risk and climate assessments
around the caravan stop and may utilize the knowledge that they collected to improve policies and
interventions for the caravan’s next iterations.
 REFERENCES:

Bajpai, P. (2023, July 12). Emerging Markets: Analyzing the Philippines's GDP. Investopedia.

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/091815/emerging-markets-analyzing-philippines-gd

p.asp

Department of Agriculture. (2018). Climate-Resilient Agriculture in the Philippines.

https://amia.da.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/CRA_Profile_Philippines.pdf

Department of Agriculture. (2020, February 17). DA pushes for climate-resilient agri-fishery sector. Official

Portal of the Department of Agriculture.

https://www.da.gov.ph/da-pushes-for-climate-resilient-agri-fishery-sector/

Department of Agriculture. (2020, February 20). Memorandum Circular No. 04 Series of 2020.

https://www.da.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/mc04_s2020.pdf

PAGASA. (n.d.). Climate Change in the Philippines.

https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/information/climate-change-in-the-philippines

Philippines: Adapting Philippine agriculture to climate change. (2023, April 4). USDA Foreign Agricultural

Service. https://fas.usda.gov/data/philippines-adapting-philippine-agriculture-climate-change

Rosegrant, M. W., & Sombilla, M. A. (2018). The Future of Philippine Agriculture under a Changing Climate:

Policies, Investments and Scenarios. ISEAS Publishing.

https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/2360#contents