By Billy Begas
Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan has introduced a measure seeking to institutionalize the use of crop climate calendars tailor-made for each specific locality.
Yamsuan said his proposal would help farmers harness the power of science and technology to better adapt to the challenges posed by climate change.
Under the proposed Climate-Resilient Agriculture Act (House Bill 9129), crop climate calendars must be presented in simple English, Filipino, or the dialect where it will be used to ensure they can be easily understood.
“The traditional crop calendars distributed to farmers should be improved by coming up with crop climate calendars that would equip farmers with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions in helping secure the country’s food production, amid the disruptions brought about by climate change on their planting and harvesting schedules,” Yamsuan said.
To enhance the usefulness of the crop climate calendar, the measure will tap the expertise of the Philippine Space Agency (PSA) to provide satellite data.
“Institutionalizing the use crop climate calendars can reduce the risk of crop losses and also assist farmers in determining how best to maximize the use of water and fertilizers in line with the country’s commitment to sustainable farming,” the solon added.
Crop climate calendars refer to visual tools that present cultivation practices against the timeline of the cropping season and the risks faced by a crop per growing stage in relation to changes in climate and weather conditions.
“The government should be able to catch up with fast-changing technological applications to enable our farmers to harness the power of space and science in developing innovative farming and adapting to the disruptions triggered by climate change,” Yamsuan added.
Yamsuan said his proposal will benefit about 9.7 million farmers, of which around 708,000 are employed in the Bicol Region.
