By Mary Grace Padin
PROPONENTS of the Philippine Climate Change Adaptation Project (PhilCCAP), a joint initiative which aims to develop technologies and strategies that will improve the country’s resiliency to climate change, said on Tuesday they are eyeing the possibility of implementing a second phase for the project.
Wilbur Dee, project manager of PhilCCAP, said during the news briefing the agencies involved in the implementation of PhilCCAP are finalizing the concept paper for the second phase.
“We are looking into the possibility of a second phase for PhilCCAP. The World Bank and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR] management is supporting this. They are seeing that there is a need to continue this project,” Dee said.
PhilCCAP is a $4.97-million project funded by the World Bank and is managed by the DENR, together with the departments of Agriculture and Science and Technology, and the Climate Change Commission.
The six-year project seeks to improve the Philippine agriculture and natural resources sectors’ ability to adapt to the effects of climate change. It will end in December.
The involved agencies launched the products they have developed under this project, all of which are designed to promote the climate-resiliency of agriculture and natural-resources management in the country. These products are being pilot-tested in Regions 2, 6 and 13.
Among the products launched 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; a report on climate scenarios; and the updated management plans for protected areas.
Dee said the second phase will seek to address the gaps and limitations seen in the first stage of the project and upscale its coverage to include other regions, as well.
“[The second phase’s focus] can be a combination of more products to be developed, existing products to be enhanced or adjusted and the application of the products in different regions,” Dee said.
Meanwhile, Dee emphasized that once PhilCCAP ends in December, the challenge will be on how the national government agencies will institutionalize the strategies developed during the duration of the project, so that they can be adopted and applied in the field.
Bureau of Soils and Water Management Director Silvino Tejada said the Department of Agriculture (DA) will be drafting an administrative order which will authorize the use of the manual on climate-smart farming in training farmers, fishermen and trainers. This will be implemented under the DA’s Climate Change Adaptation Program, he said.
The Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. also said it is already offering its weather index-based crop insurance for rice in Regions 2 and 6.