Pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 1667, series of 2008, the Department of Agriculture (DA) joins the world in a weeklong celebration of the 15th Annual Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week starting November 21, 2022 to November 25, 2022.
This year’s theme: “Sama-Samang Tumutugon sa Hamon ng Nagbabagong Klima” aims to create awareness on global warming and climate change by pursuing broad and intensive public information and education campaigns to secure the collective cooperation of the private and public sector.
Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban, Undersecretary Jane C. Bacayo and DA-Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative for Agriculture (AMIA) Director Alicia A. Ilaga led the opening ceremony, which featured an exhibit of knowledge products of the DA’s Climate Resilient Agriculture Office (DA-CRAO).
In his message, Usec. Panganiban announced that the DA will embark on highlighting the capacity of the Local Government Units (LGUs) in pursuing climate resilience. He added that the strategic roles of the LGus as decision makers, planners, and implementers of resiliency-building initiatives make them effective frontline partners and champions of climate-resilient agriculture.
“Our Regional Field Offices are already equipped with evidence-informed planning through our various initiatives. Now is the time to put LGUs on equal footing on board as we continuously establish, expand, and replicate our adaptation strategy until all our towns, provinces, and regions with farming ad. fishing zones are transformed,” he said.
In support to the national climate-resilience program, DA through the Climate Resilient Agriculture Office (DA-CRAO) launched the C-R-A initiatives pertaining to:
C – CreATE (Climate-Resilient Agriculture Through Evidence-Informed Planning) to capacitate the local executives into science-based tools such as Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessment Maps, National Color-Coded Agricultural Guide Map, Climate Information Services, Participatory Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessment, and Protocol on Establishing Climate-Resilient Villages;
R – Resilience Toolkit for LGU (RTL); and
A – Additional Decision-Support Tools
“Certainly, our calls for enhanced resilience for our farmers and fisherfolk expands beyond the LGU sector. As exemplified in this year’s theme, we remain hopeful na sa ating pagsasama-sama mas marami tayong magagawa sa lalong madaling panahon,” Panganiban said.
The Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week is celebrated simultaneously with all government offices, agencies and instrumentalities including government-owned and controlled corporations under the auspices of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Global Warming and Climate Change.### (Kristel Joyce Merle, DA-AFID)
