CALLING on farming sectors to escalate their efforts in mitigating global warming's impact, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) promoted climate-mitigation agricultural initiatives during the Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council's (RAFC) Sectoral Committee Meeting on Rice and Other Staples, and Youth in Agriculture and Fisheries at the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 4 (DA-RFO4) in Lipa City, Batangas.
With the meeting serving as a consultative platform for monitoring and evaluating the progress of agricultural programs and activities, the RAFC and the DA can discuss challenges, identify opportunities and formulate resolutions and policy recommendations to improve farmers' livelihoods and address climate-related issues.
One discussion highlighted by Lichelle Dara Carlos, SEARCA's Emerging Innovation for Growth Department program specialist, discussed utilizing agricultural waste such as rice straw to produce biogas.
Carlos also introduced the Web-based Integrated Spatial Engine and Smart Ecosystem Carbon Farming project which seeks to establish standards that would enable the agro-industry to offer carbon credits in the future.
Flordeliza Maleon, RAFC chairperson, urged everyone to "take measures to draft ordinances and intensify efforts to ban the burning of rice straws which practices harm the environment, contribute to global warming and exacerbate climate change."
Maria Ella Cecilia Obligado, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division chief and Rice Action for Climate executive officer, urged members to verify whether municipalities within their jurisdiction have indeed enacted those ordinances.
Maricris Ite, DA Rice Program coordinator, highlighted the objective of the agency's MaSaGaNa (Matatag, Sama-sama, Ganado at Napapanahon) Rice Industry Development Program: "to enhance rice production, increase farmers' income and ensure farming communities' long-term sustainability and resilience, enabling them to better adapt to climate change."
The sectoral meeting was attended by representatives from the DA-RFO4, RAFC Executive Committee from Laguna, Rizal and Quezon provinces, RAFC Sectoral Committee on Rice and Other Food Staples, Provincial Agricultural and Fishery Council, and Highly Urbanized and Fishery Council coordinators.