Facing head-on the looming food production shortage due to climate change, Centro Saka Inc., in partnership with the Moro Farmers Association In Zamboanga del Sur and Sebugay (MOFAZS), developed a community-based module for Farmer Field School (FFS) on Climate Change Adaptation (CCA). Dubbed as Agri-Klima FFS, the FFS-CCA module was developed by men and women farmers of 6 barangays in the province of Zamboanga Sebugay. Agri-Klima FFS would serve one of the adaptation strategies of men and women farmers in times of drought, flooding, severe infestation – some of the impacts of climate variability in Zamboanga Sebugay.

Agri-Klima FFS aims to build and strengthen farmers’ resilience and capacities to manage the impacts of climate variability on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, specifically rice. Through the Agri-Klima FFS, CSI and MOFAZS believed that farmers would become more aware and knowledgeable on the different farming technologies and methods that can better adapt to changing climate patterns, i.e. impacts of changing rain fall patterns and increasing temperature to crops. Also, the module covered how farmers can access basic information on weather and climate forecasting, and how these can be applied to farming activities as part of managing risks in agriculture.

During the Validation-workshop on the draft community-based FFS Module held last March 17-18 at Brgy. Muyo, Buug Zamboanga Sibugay, a farmer-leader said that many farmers were using proper rice cultural farming management to improve their productivity but the changing climate patterns have adversely affected their crops. He also said that what is lacking is information and skills on how to use weather forecast to manage risks in their farms.

“We already knew and have been practicing the proper rice planting management. Many of us have also attended the DA’s FFS on IPM before. We just started the Philrice’s Palaycheck-FFS in our area. However, the Philrice FFS module doesn’t include or discuss weather and climate information and forecast, which we think are very important information especially with intense happening in our area. We even told them about our project (Agri-Klima FFS). On our next meeting, we will strongly suggest to Philrice that they integrate our module on weather and climate as what we are doing right now,” said Rene Cañas, President of Barangay Muyo Farmers Association (BMFO).

CSI and MOFAZS also believed that the developed Agri-Klima FFS module as well as the participatory process of its development could be used, replicated and adapted to other communities depending on the farmers’ needs and their agro-climatic conditions. They noted that the significant inputs and participation of men and women farmers helped in coming up with a module that suits the needs of the farming communities and responds to their agro-climatic problems.

According to Rasma Ampuan, Chair of MOFAZS, the participatory consultation-workshop held last November 4-6, 2010 in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay provided venue for them to learn and gain awareness about climate change causes and its impacts on agriculture, livelihood and other sectors and governments’ strategies and program action on CCA.

“We learned from each other the different experiences, observations and coping mechanisms adapt to recent climate and weather aberrations. The DA’s CCA action plan validated that our use and practice of organic farming is very beneficial and will work on climate change adaptation. We assessed the gender-differentiated risks, vulnerabilities and impacts of climate change to our livelihood; and identified and prioritized the solutions and measures based on the strategies mentioned. And we also learned that men and women farmers have different priorities in adaptation measures. We hope that our government would always consider the input and participation of farmers in coming up with plans and programs for us.”

The development of the Agri-Klima FFS module project was funded by the British Embassy Manila.