Green Climate Fund Board approved the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ USD26.3 million proposal, “Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change (APA).” (Photo credits: GCF)
MANILA – The “Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change (APA)” secured approval for a grant of USD26.3 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to increase the resilience of rural agriculture men and women in climate vulnerable areas and transform the country’s agriculture sector towards climate resilience.
The APA project is a submission by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) as executing entities.
“We welcome the decision of the GCF Board to approve the APA Project, which will be instrumental in building the capacity of our farming communities, as well as of the government and private sector, to understand and manage climate risks and adopt climate resilient agriculture (CRA) practices,” CCC Vice Chair and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje said in a news release on Thursday.
Domestic resources amounting to USD12.98 million will be used to co-finance the project, putting the total project value at USD39.3 million. The project will cater to at least nine provinces in five regions namely Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Northern Mindanao, Soccksargen, and Cordillera).
The project will have three main outcomes: increased institutional capacities for the development and provision of climate information and CRA services; farmers (female/male) adopt CRA through CRA enterprises; and enabling environment for mainstreaming and scaling up CRA.
At least 1.25 million poor farming household members (half of whom are women) are expected to directly benefit as farmers improve awareness of risks and risk reduction measures and incorporate climate-resilient and low emission technologies into agricultural practices. Over 5 million people living in the area will also benefit indirectly from enhanced information systems and strengthened institutional capacity that will create an enabling environment to promote the widespread adoption of CRA.
“High impact, climate-resilient agriculture initiatives such as the APA, have potential to significantly contribute in the country’s socio-economic development, while enhancing adaptive capacities of our agricultural systems to climate change,” Borje said.
APA will be implemented this year until 2030 and is expected to reduce 1.86 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) over 20 years as a result of application of CRA practices and better land use.
“We look forward to the implementation of the APA Project, which will certainly benefit Filipino farming communities living in vulnerable areas in the country. This is one critical project that can further enable our agriculture sector's transformation towards sustainability and resilience,” CCC Commissioner Rachel Anne Herrera, who was former GCF Board Member, said.
The project was approved by the GCF Board at its 35th Meeting in Songdo, Korea from 13 March 2023 and scheduled to end today, 16 March 2023.
The Philippines is currently part of the GCF Board, represented by the Department of Finance (DOF).
“We thank the DOF for pushing our national and global climate agenda forward through its representation and work in the GCF Board," Borje said.
For more information on Green Climate Fund, visit the CCC website at https://www.climate.gov.ph. (PNA)
