PRESS RELEASE –Ann Marie P. Susbilla/DA-RAFIS6
Farmers from barangays of Merced, Carmelo, and Libertad in Banate, Iloilo had recently received P10-million worth of climate-smart agricultural projects from the Department of Agriculture (DA).
DA System Wide Climate Change Office director U-Nichols A. Manalo, regional executive
director Remelyn R. Recoter, and regional technical director Dr. Peter Sobrevega turned over income generating projects to farmers in Banate, March 19.
Three barangays in Banate are included in the Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture (AMIA) Project of DA in 2017.
The AMIA Project seeks to develop climate-change vulnerable areas into resilient and sustainable rural communities.
“In any part of the world, climate change is unstoppable. You need to adopt technologies to protect and to continue your livelihood which is farming,” explained Manalo.
Banate town is among the 10 pilot sites of AMIA 2+ Community Based Action Research for Climate Resilient Agriculture project nationwide. This municipality is vulnerable to different climate-related hazards such as flood, drought, landslide, storm surge, and typhoon.
“The P10-million fund was used for the procurement of inputs such as seeds, fertilizer,
pesticides, organic fertilizers as well as the conduct of several production technology
training including goat raising, native swine growing, baboyang walang amoy technology,
pandan, and buri weaving,” said Carmelita Fantilanan, chief of the DA Local Operations
Management Section.
Moreover, the amount was also utilized in the construction of three AMIA’s farmer centers,
squash processing center, an automated weather station, and procurement of farm machinery and equipment.
On the other hand, Recoter urged Banate farmers to get their crops covered and protected by the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation.
According to Director Recoter, the municipality of Banate is prone to saltwater intrusion
because of its proximity to bodies of water based on the vulnerability map.
She added that 803 hectares of agri areas and 657 farmers here are affected by weak El Niño. (AMPSusbilla/DA-RAFIS 6)
