QUEZON CITY, (PIA) – In an effort to mitigate the effects of El Niño on the production of agricultural commodities, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has been campaigning for various water management strategies to sustain the productivity of the sector amidst the prevailing challenges brought about by climate change. 

Among these strategies include the harvesting or collection of rainwater for later use which the local food producers can adapt to conserve water resources given that the country has an average rainfall volume of 2,348 millimeters. 

In addition, the agriculture department also oversees the improvement of irrigation canals and the utilization of the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) technology which implements a relatively lesser consumption of irrigation water without compromising the agricultural yields. 

The DA also shared that the replacement of unserviceable pumps and engine sets is already underway aside from the said small-scale water management projects. 

Meanwhile, Chairperson U-Nichols Manalo of DA’s National El Niño Team (DA-NENT) bared that the department is working closely with the concerned operating units to proactively address the possible impacts of the said climate phenomenon. 

"These are just some of the measures that the government has been doing early on to prevent production losses due to the dry spells that El Niño entails,” said Director Manalo.  

“We are constantly coordinating with different bureaus and agencies under DA so we can come up with a unified strategy to help our food producers improve production and increase income even during the possible drought,” he added. 

It can be recalled that the DA is the lead national government agency at the forefront of ensuring the realization of the country’s food security agenda under an interagency task force enjoining the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD), Department of Energy (DOE), and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). 

Also joining this thrust are the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), as well as the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation under the Department of Finance (DOF). 

The DA is considering the likelihood of dry spell or drought in some areas of the country relative to the latest El Niño advisory that projects unusual warming of sea surface temperatures leading to the continuation of abnormal weather conditions, thus the probability of receiving below-normal rainfall. 

With the enhanced Southwest monsoon or ‘Habagat,’ however, the western part of the country may still receive above-normal rainfall in the coming months. 

In a meeting with the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries last July 10, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Public Works and Highways, as well as the Department of Agriculture particularly the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to come up with an integrated El Niño Mitigation Plan towards cushioning the disruptions caused by the said weather phenomenon. (DA/PIA-NCR)