Climate Change Is Real, William Dar Says, But We Are Not Being Realistic!

In today's column ("The 'New Thinking' And Dealing With Climate Change, 1st of 2 Parts" (29 August 2019, Manila Times, manilatimes.net), William Dar, new Secretary of Agriculture, is waking us up to the need for the public and private sectors to help PH farmers not only survive but thrive amidst climate change. (Above, main image from North Carolina Biotechnology Center, ncbiotech.org; William Dar image from Music Jinni, musicjinni.co)

So, Mr Dar is saying there is the need for the Department of Agriculture, DA, to change PH Agriculture for the better for the DA's clientele of farmers and fishers. Considering:

(1)   Export opportunities

Threats: Farm and food imports are coming into the country.

Opportunities: Imports show counter-intuitively that "There are many export markets that could be supplied with agricultural-based products from the Philippines."

(2)   Assistance to farmers

Vietnam: Assisting rice farmers adjusting planting schedules anticipating drought.

Philippines: DA must be "pro-active in dealing with the effects of… El Niño and La Niña."

(3)   Crop insurance

Crop insurance beforeclimate change: If the farmer thinks he needs it, he will apply.
vs
Crop insurance during climate change: The farmer needs it; help him apply for it!

(4)   Resilience

Very affected farmers and fishers: "We could put in place measures to make them recover and eventually become resilient."

Hardly affected farmers and fishers: "We (could) make them more resilient so they could serve as models and knowledge generators on how to deal more effectively with the effects of climate change."

(5)   Local government units (LGUs)

Mr Dar says that last Tuesday, the DA turned over rice, corn and vegetable seeds worth P18.1 million to farmers in Region 1, in the presence of Senators Imee Marcos and Bong Go. More LGUs will be served likewise.

Previously, the DA in that region released the Survival & Recovery (SURE) Loan Assistance that grants P25,000 per farmer at zero interest rate and payable in 3 years. SURE is a program of the Agricultural Credit & Policy Council, which is under the DA.

(6) Climate Change

Mr Dar says the International Panel for Climate Change, IPCC, reports that the developing countries "are expected to bear more of the brunt of the effects of climate change." The effects are on yields of crops (positive and negative), growth rates of livestock (lower), and occurrences of pests and diseases (increases and decreases).

I am more interested on the IPCC's report about the importance of lands remaining productive, as quoted by Mr Dar, that:

There are limits to the contribution of land to addressing climate change, for instance through the cultivation of energy crops and afforestation. It also takes time for trees and soils to store carbon effectively.

The world sees the need for cultivating more biofuel crops, more agroforest sites, and soils storing more carbon. On the other hand, to reduce global warming immediately, my scientific thinking says:

We can store more carbon by planting horticulturalcrops in bare soils in towns and cities that will almost immediately give us food, beauty and cool air!@517