SEARCA, APAN, and MAFF partner to organize Policy Roundtable on Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation in the Agriculture Sector

4 February 2014

SEARCA, the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN), and the General Directorate of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Cambodia will jointly organize the Tenth Policy Roundtable on Building Capacities for Agricultural Competitiveness of Transition Countries in Southeast Asia with the theme Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation in the Agriculture Sector towards Food Security in Southeast Asia in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 6-7 February 2014.

The roundtable aims to (1) discuss an array of adaptation strategies on coping with the challenges in agriculture and food brought about by climate change; (2) appreciate the requisites for an enabling environment to meet its challenges; (3) understand mainstreaming approaches and challenges; (4) identify appropriate entry points at both policy and implementation levels for integrating climate change adaptation strategies into development plans; (5) identify financial instruments to fund efforts in mainstreaming; and (6) explore possible partnerships between and among APAN, SEARCA, other APAN nodes, governments, and other development organizations to actively collaborate on research, capacity building, and other activities to mainstream adaptation strategies in the agriculture sector.

The Honorable Jose Ma. Clemente Sarte Salceda, Governor of the Province of Albay and Co-chair of the Board of Directors, United Nations Green Climate Fund; and Dr. Juan M. Pulhin, Professor and Dean of the College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños and Coordinating Lead Author, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II, Fifth Assessment Report will serve as resource persons of the 10^th policy roundtable. Gov. Salceda will discuss Financing Mechanisms for Mainstreaming CCA while Dr. Pulhin will talk about Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) in the Agriculture Sector: Approaches and Entry Points, Challenges and Prospects.

Participants will come from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Joining them will be the team from SEARCA composed of Dr. Luis Rey I. Velasco, Senior Fellow; Dr. Bessie M. Burgos and Ms. C. Nyhria G. Rogel, Acting Program Head and Program Specialist, respectively, of the Research and Development Department; and Dr. Maria Celeste H. Cadiz and Dr. Mailiza V. Ticsay, Program Head and Unit Head, respectively, of the Knowledge Management Department and Knowledge Resources Unit of the same Department. Dr. Ticsay is also the Focal Person for the Sub-regional Thematic Node for Agriculture of APAN.

The Policy Roundtable Series is a regular forum that tackles issues of regional importance, particularly in transition economies of Southeast Asia.