THE Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said the impact of El Niño needs to be managed by diversifying crops and adjusting production cycles.
Assistant FAO Representative to the Philippines Dulce Carandang said at a briefing that the objective was to achieve a measure of continuity in agricultural production even when El Niño brings dry spells and droughts.
In response to a question about shifting production cycles, Ms. Carandang said that the Department of Agriculture (DA) has been aiding farmers in considering the projected dry spells when scheduling their planting and harvests.
“Farmers are creative and resilient. They can read the weather and they know what needs to be done,” Ms. Carandang said.
She cited the need for farmers to have access to the climate science, in aid of taking informed action.
She also highlighted the risk of not diversifying during droughts, particularly when farmers have no recourse to crops that are resistant to the dry conditions.
“With reliance on mono-cropping, there’s a higher risk that things will be problematic especially with the situation we’re facing with El Niño,” she said.
According to Ms. Carandang, secure levels of groundwater and healthy soil conditions are other factors farmers must consider.
“Drought isn’t just about the lack of rain. We also need to look at the state of our soil, the health of our groundwater,” she added. — Maria Mikaela H. Tormon