Project Description

Client: Government of the Philippines, ADB, ADB, Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific, and Agence Francaise de Developpement  |   Duration:  July 2023 – March 2024 |   Location: Philippines |   Partners: NIRAS, SEARCA

Climate change is having a detrimental impact on the Philippines, particularly on its agriculture, natural resources, and environment. Between 2010-2020, climate-related disasters resulted insignificant costs, amounting to PhP 506.1 billion (US$10 billion) for the Philippine government. Of this total, the agriculture sector accounted for 68% of the damages. The production of food isnegatively affected due to various factors, including loss of suitable land due to coastal submersion, shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns, changes in water resources, alterations in soil characteristics, and shifts in pest and disease profiles. Additionally, climate change is exacerbating the detrimental impacts of unsustainable resource utilization on both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. This includes alterations in forest cover, biodiversity loss, saltwater intrusion in rivers and estuaries, and the deterioration of mangroves and coral reefs. All of these changes are impairing the ability of ecosystems to provide essential services for sustaining life.

To address these climate-related challenges and implement national climate policies, including the Nationally Determined Contributions of the country, the Philippine government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have initiated the Climate Change Action Program (CCAP). This program focuses on adaptation in highly vulnerable sectors like agriculture, natural resources, and the environment, as well as mitigation in emissions-intensive sectors like energy and transportation. The CCAP program is centered on three key areas:

• i. Strengthening planning, financing, and institutional connections for climate action.
• ii. Enhancing resilience to climate impacts.
• iii. Reinforcing low-carbon development pathways.

The NIRAS-ICEM Joint Venture will support key government agencies, Department of Agriculture (DA) (Climate Resilient Agriculture Office [CRAO], National Organic Agriculture Program [NOAP], and Bureau of Agricultural Research [BAR]), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to gain momentum on the climate resilience reform agenda of the CCAP. The NIRAS-ICEM team will work on preparing and enhancing the project’s implementation readiness, promoting capacity building, and providing valuable policy guidance to the Philippine government. The key outcomes of this Technical Assistance (TA) effort include:

1. Strengthening climate resilience in agriculture through measures such as institutionalizing climate-resilient agriculture, expanding organic agriculture, and developing climate-smart agricultural technologies.
2. Enhancing the climate resilience of natural resources.
3. Improving agricultural insurance for managing climate-related risks.

The TA will produce various deliverables, including roadmaps, digital platforms, policy documents, and training workshops.

Photo credits: Nature landscape background, agriculture in the Philippines. Free public domain.