As part of its efforts to advocate for the mainstreaming of climate change in the agri-fishery sector, including in agriculture credit and financing, the DA Climate Resilient Agriculture Office (CRAO) on February 13, 2024, capacitated the officials and staff of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) on the various decision-support tools (DSTs) developed under the Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture (AMIA) Program.

The activity, titled “Climate Risk-based Financing for the Agriculture Sector,” aimed to orient ACPC officials and staff on AMIA DSTs for future use and integration into the agency’s credit programs.

DA CRAO and AMIA Director Alicia G. Ilaga led the capacity-building activity, discussing the effects of the changing climate in the agriculture sector and how to “outsmart climate change” with the help of science-based decision-support tools. She also discussed the AMIA Program and the processes involved in building resiliency in AMIA Villages. Meanwhile, DA CRAO Senior Technical Officer Perla G. Baltazar introduced the Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA). At the same time, Planning and Communications Officer Joy Calvar-Adarayan and Project Development Officer Zelzo M. Dela Cruz presented the Climate Information Services (CIS) and National Color-Coded Agricultural Guide (NCCAG) Map, respectively.
ACPC Program Monitoring and Information System Director Norman William S. Kraft expressed gratitude to DA CRAO for briefing them on the different climate risk-based decision-support tools. He emphasized that the financial sector, where ACPC belongs, is also affected by climate change, causing financial stability risks that significantly affect the coverage and financial interests of banks and other financial institutions.

“We need to increase awareness and learn about the risk mitigation tools developed by DA CRAO and how the use of these tools can be adopted to mitigate the climate-related credit risk in our credit programs. This is so we can finally launch a first-ever climate risk-based approach in farming and fisheries financing in the DA that is aligned with the principles of sustainable finance as well as sustainable development,” he said.

Dir. Kraft also mentioned that under Memorandum Circular No. 4 series of 2020, the ACPC has been tasked to create a suitable credit facility to support the AMIA initiative, specifically, the AMIA-Climate Resilient Agri-fishery and Technology-based Enterprises (CREATE).

ACPC is currently organizing a series of trainings for select ACPC regional offices in March to promote the use of climate risk-based decision support tools by their partners on the ground.#