Republic Act 9729 (An Act Mainstreaming Climate Change Into Government Policy Formulations, Establishing The Framework Strategy And Program On Climate Change, Creating For This Purpose The Climate Change Commission, And For Other Purposes) recognizes "the vulnerability of the Philippine archipelago and its local communities, particularly the poor, women, and children, to potential dangerous consequences of climate change such as rising seas, changing landscapes, increasing frequency and/or severity of droughts, fires, floods and storms, climate-related illnesses and diseases, damage to ecosystems, biodiversity loss that affect the country's environment, culture, and economy, the State shall cooperate with the global community in the resolution of climate change issues, including disaster risk reduction." The Act further stipulates that "it shall be the policy of the State to enjoin the participation of national and local governments, businesses, nongovernment organizations, local communities and the public to prevent and reduce the adverse impacts of climate change and, at the same time, maximize the benefits of climate change."
Section 18 of this Act enjoins "All relevant government agencies and LGUs shall allocate from their annual appropriations adequate funds for the formulation, development and implementation, including training, capacity building and direct intervention, of their respective climate change programs and plans. It shall also include public awareness campaigns on the effects of climate change and energy-saving solutions to mitigate these effects, and initiatives, through educational and training programs and micro-credit schemes, especially for women in rural areas."
Towards this end, DA-BAR has formulated its Research, Development and Extension Program on Climate Change. This program aims to contribute to the country's efforts to combat the impacts of climate change to the agriculture and fisheries sectors through research and development.
To effectively implement this program, DA-BAR, RIARCS and RFU staff shall be equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and tools to mainstream climate change in the agricultural development in the country. Thus, DA-BAR's current initiative on Capability Building on Responding to Climate Change through Research and Development in Agriculture has been sustained.
