PRESS RELEASE
28 August 2009

Farm losses reported due to climate change, uneven weather patterns

Guimba, Nueva Ecija – The rice farmers in Nueva Ecija raised their alarm to the local government officials on the potential losses on farms brought about by the changing climate conditions and aberration in the weather patterns in recent months.

Farmers from Guimba, Muñoz, San Jose, Palayan City and Cabanatuan City reported losses last April due to continuous rains for two weeks at a time when the farmers are harvesting and drying their produce. On the other hand, the rains came in late in June when the farmers said they are getting ready for the planting season.

Lito Tambalo, a farmer from Muñoz, Nueva Ecija and lead convenor of MANDALA Sustainable Agriculture Advocacy Center, presented the farmers’ position on the changing climate conditions during the public hearing held today at the Guimba Municipal Auditorium.

“We need assistance from the government because we are always caught unprepared for these sudden changes in weather patterns endangering our food and livelihood security. Our health is also at stake because of increasing cases of farmers suffering from heat stroke and hypertension when the farmers have to endure intense hot temperature in the field,” Tambalo explained.

Guimba Mayor Jose Francis Stevens Dizon hosted the event attended by around 80 farmers from neighboring rice-producing towns of Nueva Ecija. The mayor also responded to the issues presented by the farmers. First district Rep. Eduardo Nonato Joson failed to come to the public hearing.

Women farmers reported they suffered losses in income during their last harvest in April. Rebecca Miranda, Chairperson of the Nueva Ecija Women Leaders Council (NEWLAC) told the local officials they could have attained better harvest. However, continuous rains flooded some of the crops that are harvest-ready and they were forced to sell their palay at a lower price because they do not have efficient drying facilities.

Early lean season
“Maaga po ang gawat. Dati-rati, meron pa kaming naitatabi para sa gawat ngayong Hunyo hanggang Setyembre pero ngayon, walang wala na po talaga pati panggastos sa eskwela at pang-araw-araw. (The lean months came very early. We used to save enough for the lean months in June to September but we really don’t have anything left now even for our children’s education and daily expenses.),” lamented Miranda.

Most of the farmers got in advance their DSWD subsidy wherein a maximum of four enrolled students in a family will receive P500 each. This is one of the government programs on cash transfer implemented in Nueva Ecija.

NEWLAC received similar reports from their members in Licab, Alliaga, Guimba and Sto. Domingo. The women farmers said they needed money for this planting season because they did not earn enough during the last cropping.

International NGO Oxfam, Philippine NGOs Rice Watch and Action Network (R1) and Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) and the Environmental Management Institute of Central Luzon State University (CLSU) held separate consultations with the men and women rice farmers in Nueva Ecija prior to this public hearing.

Adaptation mechanisms
“We have implemented ways of adapting to this situation but we need policy support from the government to effectively address the problems. We tried to adjust our farm activities according to the weather pattern but this is like laying our family’s food and livelihood stakes under uncertain terms,” said Tambalo.

Miranda asked the national government to invest in scientific studies on the impact of weather aberrations on the agriculture sector and identify adaptation mechanisms appropriate to the farm areas.

She also urged Rep. Joson and the local government executives to implement infrastructure on the sources of water in case of unexpected drought and drying facilities, farm-appropriate inputs such as climate-proof seed varieties, and market support in case of drop in prices because of poor quality of produce due to weather aberrations.
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“High prices of farm inputs have forced farmers in Palayan City and other towns to shift to organic farming. Some farmers who are planting onions alternately with rice were forced to plant corn because they suffered losses in onion and rice. The women children of farmers were forced to work as domestic helpers in Manila or tried their luck as OFW. Men tried carpentry and other odd jobs and hunted for field rats, frogs and other edibles in the fields for their family’s food on the table,” Miranda shared during the public hearing.

Minimize wastes
NEWLAC gathered from their members suggestions to the local government to implement proper waste disposal program particularly in Cabanatuan City. Their members said the city has contributed problems in the environment because of lack of Material Recovery Facility (MRF).

“The LGUs should teach the people about trash segregation to maximize the bio-degradable wastes that may be converted to organic fertilizers and minimize the wastes aggravating global warming,” Miranda said.

The public hearing in Nueva Ecija is one of the activities organized by Oxfam around the Philippines to encourage stakeholders to act on climate issues, towards reducing risks and building the resilience of rural communities and their livelihoods.

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