The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture launched the ASEAN Network on the Promotion of Climate Resilience in Rice and Other Crops Jan. 20 at Nong Nooch Tropical Garden.
The project is funded by the German-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Programme on Climate Change, which aims to support ASEAN in further advancing the implementation of regionally coordinated strategies and policies for food security and climate protection in the agriculture and forestry sectors.
Under the project, a series of regional forums will be undertaken to promote a common understanding of the climate change-related threat to the agriculture sector, focusing on selected rice, maize, and cassava.
In addition, the project will identify successful practices and policies at the ASEAN member-states level for tackling these climate change-related threats that can be promoted and up-scaled.
The project will also identify common concerns and capacity needs, and propose regional support strategies and instruments to address these in a coherent manner.
The involvement of SEARCA, headed by Gil C. Saguiguit Jr., in the project is part of the Center’s efforts to contribute to an enabled environment for rural poverty reduction and food security through building institutional capacities that ensure climate change resiliency in agricultural production and sustainable natural resource management in Southeast Asia.
Myriam Fernando, a GAP-CC senior advisor, provided an overview of the program and project background while Lope B. Santos III, SEARCA program specialist and officer in charge of project development and management, discussed the workshop objective in finalizing the methodology and work plan of the project.
Douglas Black, climate sense director and GAP-CC consultant, facilitated the discussion on “Methodological Approach and Framework on Value Chains, Climate Impacts, Climate Profiling and Adaptation Options.”
Felino P. Lansigan, regional agricultural value chain/climate-resilience expert, expounded on the agreements on sector selection, scope of analyses, current/future climate impacts, production systems, selection criteria, and best practices.
For further information, contact: Leah Lyn Domingo, email: [email protected]
