Villar Focuses on Effects of Climate Change on Food, Agriculture

The whole world is now paying more attention to climate change and its adverse effects, Nacionalista Party President Senator Manny Villar said focus should be particularly greater on its negative impact on food production and agriculture, in general.

"When we talk of climate change, it is immediately linked to the environment. It creates a chain reaction however and there are areas that get adversely affected. These include the people's health, the agriculture sector, which in turn affects the supply of food. It is crucial to focus on these and act accordingly," said Villar.

To address this, Villar has filed numerous bills and resolutions to tackle the effects of climate change on various aspects of people's lives as well as on various industries or sectors. Among these is the recently filed Senate Resolution 1520 that calls for the institutionalization of crop forecasting, agro-meteorology and similar modern agricultural tools to assist the agriculture sector, ensure food production and to enable the farmers to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Villar added that the next administration should really zero in on health and environmental issues particularly those related to climate change. Villar and his running mate Loren Legarda have been supporting environment-related campaigns and activities. Among the key platforms of their tandem is the mitigation of the risks of climate change and other environmental challenges.

Villar cited on S.B. 1520 that the Philippines is a signatory to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention, aiming to formulate policies and implement realistic programs to contribute in the effort to reduce and stabilize the effects of climate change while ensuring that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.

"The damage brought about by storms "Ondoy," "Pepeng" and "Santi" on the crops and produce of farmers greatly affected the supply of agricultural products nationwide. An innovative way to avoid the effects brought about by violent weather factors such as the storms that had just passed the country is through crop forecasting and other modern agricultural tools," Villar further cited.

Crop forecasting is characterized is the 'art' of predicting crop yields ( in terms of tons/ha) and production before the harvest actually takes place, typically a couple of months in advance. Agro-meteorology is defined as the study and application of relationships between meteorology and agriculture, involving problems such as timing the planting of crops, and examining the effects and impacts of weather and climate on crops, rangeland, livestock, and various agricultural operations.