FOOD SECURITY AMIDST CLIMATE CHANGE

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FOOD SECURITY AMIDST CLIMATE CHANGE

• SANTIAGO B. UTZURRUM, JR.
• ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
• COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
• SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY

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BENEFITS FROM ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

• Provisioning goods that people derived from
  ecosystems such as food, freshwater, fuel wood,
  timber, fiber, biochemicals, and genetic
  resources.
• Regulating- are the benefits obtained from
  regulation of ecosystem process such as climate
  regulation, disease regulation, food regulation
  and detoxification.
• Cultural- are the non-material benefits such as
  spiritual, recreational, aesthetics,
  inspirational, educational, communal, and
  symbolic
• Supporting- are those that are necessary for the
  production of other ecosystem services such as
  soil formation, primary production and nutrient
  cycling.

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FOREST ECOSYSTEM

• Functions
• Protection of the watershed
• Regulating hydrologic cycles
• Climate regulation
• Carbon Sequestration

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FOREST ECOSYSTEM

• Major Problems
• - improper land uses and land degradation
  cropping and livestock systems
• - widespread degradation and depletion of forest
  resources
• - inefficient and destructive forest utilization
• - predominance of poverty in the uplands
• - poor economic system to meet basic needs of
  local population
• - increasing demand for agricultural area for
  the rural poor
• - peace and order problems in the uplands
• - weak forest management and administration

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FOREST ECOSYSTEM

• Effect of Deforestation
• Loss of biodiversity
• Soil erosion and Sedimentation
• Disruption of the water cycle
• Displacement of upland communities
• Increasing poverty in the uplands
• Global warming

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AGRICULTURAL ECOSYSTEM

• Frame structure of Philippine economy
• Arable farmland is 26 of total land area
• Absorbs 40 of the work force
• Contributes 1/5 of GDP
• Occupied 7.7 M ha. of land in the 1960s to
  around 13 M ha. in 1994 and still increasing

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AGRICULTURAL ECOSYSTEM

• Environmental Concerns, Issues and Threats
• Land degradation/Desertification
• Soil erosion
• Soil mining
• Acidification
• Toxic chemicals/heavy metals
• Drought/Floods
• Water quality deterioration
• Groundwater depletion
• Saltwater intrusion
• Sodic/saline soils
• Waterlogged soils
• Greenhouse Gases

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Think about this

• Earths average temperature has risen by 0.6 as
  a result of human activities
• The soil is alive. One teaspoon of soil contains
  20 M fungi and 5 B bacteria
• Of the Earths land, an area 2/3s the size of
  the Philippines becomes a desert every year.
• In the Philippines alone, we are losing about 80
  tons per ha. of topsoil every single year
• 3/4s of the land area of the Philippines is
  already affected by erosion in varying degrees of
  severity, with some areas approaching the stage
  of desertification
• Half of the 423 Philippines rivers are polluted
  beyond healthy and legal water quality standards.
• Source Oposa, A.A. Jr. 2003.
• The Laws of Nature and Other Stories

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General Influences of ENSO on the Philippine
Climate

• El Niño
• - extended dry season
• - Early end of rainy season
• - Weak monsoon activity
• Less number of tropical cyclones
• Above normal sea level pressure
• Above normal air temperature
• Drier weather condition

• La Niña
• - short dry season
• - early onset of rainy season
• - strong monsoon activity
• - more number of tropical cyclones
• - Below normal sea level pressure
• Wetter weather conditions

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DROUGHT PRONE AREAS

• Major corn and feed grain producing areas located
  within the moisture deficit, rain shadow areas of
  Region XI (SOCSKSARGEN, portions of Davao del
  Sur)
• Region 1 and 2 in the Northern Tip of Luzon (Sand
  dunes of Ilocos region, significant portions of
  Cagayan Valley especially Tuguegarao)
• Provinces in the western portions of the country
  experiencing Type 1 climate

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Production Losses, effected areas and value of
damages due to El Niño (Source PCARRD, 2001)

• El Niño Years Production Value Area
  Affected
• Crops Loss (Tons) (Pesos 000)
  (Has)
• 1997-1998
• Rice 622,106 4,665,795
  314,896
• Corn 1,187,346 7,717,749 646,500

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Percentage Change in Livestock and Poultry
Population in 1997-1998 (Source PCARRD, 2001

• Animal/Ranking of Susceptibility Percent
  change on population between normal
  and El Niño year
• 1997-1998
• Swine -79
• Poultry -67
• Goat -45
• Cattle -30
• Carabao -28
• Horse -24
• Average -45.5

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Summary of Reported and Estimated Losses during
the 1997-1998 El Niño (Source PCARRD, 2001

• Production Losses (Tons) Economic
  Losses (in PhP000)
• Sector
• Reported Estimated
  Reported Estimated
• Marine
• Fisheries 7,142.0 22,293
  319.21 1,071.60
• Aqua-
• Culture 29,687.0 260,375
  1,523.44 6,157.95

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COASTAL ECOSYSTEM

• Population pressure
• Sedimentation (due to deforestation)
• Nutrient run-off (from agricultural activities)
• Pollution (agricultural and industrial discharges
• Destructive fishing methods
• Land conversion (mangrove-fishpond/industrial
  uses)
• Uncontrolled tourism activities

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Causal Factors of Natural Resource Degradation

• Natural Causes
• - topographic variations/problem soil
• Steep slopes
• Poor drainage
• Coarse textures
• Heavy cracking clays
• Severe fertility limitations
• Saline/sodic soil limitations
• - Volcanic eruptions

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Causal Factors of Natural Resource Degradation

• Human Induced
• Increasing population and rural poverty
• Poor land and watershed management
• Extensive use of chemical inputs
• - Accelerated land use conversions
• - urbanization/use of ecological fragile lands
• - upland migration
• - Deforestation with unsustainable land use
  practices

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Causal Factors of Natural Resource Degradation

• Policy-Induced
• Absence of a comprehensive national land use
  policy and updated land use plans.
• non-declaration of lands for agriculture,
  biodiversity, human settlements,
  industries/commercial centers
• Poor enforcement of land use policies and
  monitoring of land use conversions.

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UN Convention to Combat Desertification

• Entered into force in Dec 1996 ratified by 60
  countries as of Jan 1997.
• Objective
• To combat desertification and mitigate the
  effects of drought, especially in Africa
• Areas of concern
• Improved land productivity, land
  rehabilitation, conservation and sustainable use
  of land and water resources, among others

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UN Convention on Biological Diversity

• Entered into force in Dec 1993 ratified by over
  170 countries as of October 1998.
• Goals
• Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity
  and its components fair and equitable sharing of
  benefits arising from the utilization of genetic
  resources
• Areas of concern
• Conservation of biological diversity, regulated
  access to genetic resources, impact assessments,
  education and public awareness, among others.

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UN Framework on Climate Change

• Entered into force in March 1994 reinforced by
  the Kyoto Protocol in Dec. 1997.
• Goals
• To stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations within
  a timeframe sufficient to allow ecosystems to
  adapt, ensure food security and enable
  sustainable economic development.
• Areas of concern
• Inventory of greenhouse gas emissions,
  development of national mitigation and adaptation
  programs, among others.

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Importance of Multi-functionality of Agriculture

• Addresses land degradation, biodiversity loss and
  climate change
• Key to sustainable agriculture
• A platform for linking the 3 conventions