PROTECTING FARMERS. Here’s a news item that I hope our elected officials will digest.
The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) recently completed a study-research on the impact of the climate change , “Improving the Corn Insurance Program to Enhance Resilience to Climate Change,”.
The study covered the country’s top three corn-producing provinces – Isabela, Pangasinan, and Bukidnon. During the period 1982-2012, according to the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC), many catastrophic typhoons, floods, droughts, plant diseases and pests wreaked havoc on food crops, resulting in cumulative losses of P7 billion for corn farmers, yes nearly as much as the fund lost to PDAF, or funds used by Malacañang to spur economic development through DAP albeit decreed as illegal.
The SEARCA research said it is not enough to impart good agricultural practices (GAP) to farmers. The methodology should be complemented with the promotion of government’s agricultural insurance program.
The study concluded that only the government’s crop insurance program has evolved into a strong shield protecting farmers from the impact of climate change.
It considered “crop insurance, a risk management tool, a key to the farmers’ financial stability, enabling them to continue production despite severe weather and other challenges that impact their business,” SEARCA found.
SEARCA said researchers interviewed 426 corn farmers, half of them covered by crop insurance.
Next to rice, corn is the country’s most important crop.
PROTECTING FARMERS. Here’s a news item that I hope our elected officials will digest.
The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) recently completed a study-research on the impact of the climate change , “Improving the Corn Insurance Program to Enhance Resilience to Climate Change,”.
The study covered the country’s top three corn-producing provinces – Isabela, Pangasinan, and Bukidnon. During the period 1982-2012, according to the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC), many catastrophic typhoons, floods, droughts, plant diseases and pests wreaked havoc on food crops, resulting in cumulative losses of P7 billion for corn farmers, yes nearly as much as the fund lost to PDAF, or funds used by Malacañang to spur economic development through DAP albeit decreed as illegal.
The SEARCA research said it is not enough to impart good agricultural practices (GAP) to farmers. The methodology should be complemented with the promotion of government’s agricultural insurance program.
The study concluded that only the government’s crop insurance program has evolved into a strong shield protecting farmers from the impact of climate change.
It considered “crop insurance, a risk management tool, a key to the farmers’ financial stability, enabling them to continue production despite severe weather and other challenges that impact their business,” SEARCA found.
SEARCA said researchers interviewed 426 corn farmers, half of them covered by crop insurance.
Next to rice, corn is the country’s most important crop.