Adapting to Climate Change: The Cordillera Experience

The manifestations of climate change are now felt by many, especially by upland farmers whose agricultural production is vulnerable to the increasingly unpredictable weather conditions. Although the local communities in the Cordillera region have been able to maintain a sustainable relationship with the resources through their indigenous knowledge and practices, climate change has severely affected the region’s agriculture sector. As such, climate change adaptation (CCA) measures in agriculture were developed in Benguet and Ifugao provinces in the Cordillera. Using the participatory action research approach, local stakeholders were capacitated as they were able to identify and enhance their own sustainable agricultural practices and combine these with knowledge-based technologies that are adaptive to climate change. Accordingly, expanding and mainstreaming these CCA agricultural measures would help improve the capacity of the country’s farmers in facing the threats of climate change.