Project
The programme helped strengthen agriculture’s climate resilience by reinforcing existing policies and generating essential and actionable knowledge.
Policy reform and capacity building are important steps toward climate resiliency. This was the goal of ‘Accelerating Climate Resilience in Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment,’ a year-long technical assistance programme.
Climate change continues to pose significant threats to the Philippines, with the very sectors that underpin its economy – agriculture, natural resources and the environment – expected to bear the brunt of the crisis’ adverse effects.
The looming impacts are troubling: resources are being used unsustainably, ecosystems are deteriorating at an alarming pace, and farmers are suffering from changes in land, temperature, weather patterns, and pests and diseases.
The Philippines has worked to address this through policies and frameworks, such as the submission of the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) or its climate action plan under the Paris Agreement. However, these efforts require a more coordinated approach.
Implemented by the Philippine Government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the National Climate Change Action Programme (CCAP) seeks to support the country’s implementation of climate-related policies.
CCAP comprises two sub-programmes. The first aimed to support the implementation of the Philippine Government’s NDC, while the second built on the results of the first, focusing on advancing climate resilience in the agriculture, natural resources and environmental sectors through diagnostic and analytical work, policy advice, capacity building and dialogue among stakeholders.
NIRAS, as lead partner, implemented this second sub-programme – Accelerating Climate Resilience in Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment (ANRE) – along with the International Centre for Environmental Management and SEARCA. ANRE will pave the way to the first-ever policy-based loan for climate change.
ANRE produced a variety of studies relevant to the Philippine agriculture sector:
In 2024, drought, typhoons, and animal diseases reduced Philippine agriculture output by 2.2% — a reminder that the sector is extremely susceptible to climate change. As such, one of the priorities under ANRE was to strengthen agriculture’s climate resilience by reinforcing existing policies and generating essential and actionable knowledge.
To mainstream climate resilience into agricultural policies and practices, ANRE pushed for funding and personnel for the Department of Agriculture’s Climate Resilient Agriculture Office. It also rolled out a gender-sensitive action plan, recognising women farmers’ crucial role in agriculture and farming communities. Climate risk vulnerability assessments were implemented in six provinces to disseminate climate- and crop-related information and aid in decision-making. These efforts are expected to help 4 million farmers adapt to climate change effects.
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Abaca sector |
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Livestock feed sector |
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Seaweed sector |
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ANRE also aimed to establish three organic agriculture hubs covering crops, livestock and fisheries with at least 30% participation from women farmers by December 2025. Studies were done on testing, research and development and resiliency planning. For three identified organic agriculture hubs, the programme prepared operational guides, created gender inclusivity plans and adopted digital innovations to streamline certification.
Research and development on climate-smart agricultural technologies was also promoted in the abaca, livestock feed and seaweed industries to help understand needs and unlock potential innovations. Sector-specific research agendas focussed on sustainability, efficiency, economies of scale, the use of by-products and identifying alternative applications to implement five new research projects on promising technologies by the end of 2025.
With risks in agriculture mounting as climate change impacts worsen, a reliable insurance environment will reinforce the resilience of the agriculture sector by protecting farmers against climate risks.
Primarily, ANRE’s third output focussed on enhancing the capabilities of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) by improving its coverage and developing better insurance models, such as index-based insurance, to develop one parametric insurance product by the end of 2025.
To achieve this, five pivotal reports were prepared: a medium-term road map, actuarial and economic analyses, a study on the current insurance for high-value crops and recommendations for seaweed agriculture insurance.
The ANRE team also identified 55 non-life insurers interested in the agriculture sector, advised PCIC to reconnect to the global reinsurance market, and recommended technological advancements to expand uptake and include more players.
More broadly, ANRE strengthened the climate resilience of the country’s natural resources and ecosystems by integrating climate impacts in programme implementation, widening interventions toward climate-vulnerable populations and developing biodiversity management plans for critical ecosystems.
Resiliency Road Maps (RRMs) and Investment Programs for Risk Resilience (IPRRs) were developed for four provinces – Camarines Sur, Negros Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte and Sultan Kudarat – selected based on their vulnerabilities to climate hazards, socioeconomic factors and their location in important watersheds and rivers. Notably, the data was collected into geodatabases, making it easy to create geographic information systems (GIS) maps on hazards, climate vulnerability and resilience.
To this end, the programme focussed on capacity building through a “Training-of-Trainers” approach and on-the-job sessions. Among those tackled were GIS mapping, risk analysis and RRM and IPRR formulation, with further recommendations for continued training.
Through targeted interventions, the programme helped some of the Philippines’ key sectors face threats looming on the horizon. By spurring plans into action and emphasising the value of institutional reform, research and other practical tools, these efforts empower vulnerable sectors against climate-related shocks and, ultimately, to contribute toward a prosperous future for the nation.
Assessing risks
Highlights of the DENR’s analysis of the four provinces:
IPRRs for the provinces can be found here.
