Linda M. Peñalba

Social and institutional dimensions of climate change adaptation

Purpose – The Philippines is among the countries vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. However, many local government units (LGUs) and the people themselves are not aware of the climate change phenomenon and do not have the capacity to undertake appropriate climate change adaptation measures. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the climate change adaptation strategies of communities and LGUs and the barriers and recommendations to enhance their adaptive capacity.Design/methodology/approach – The study covered five communities vulnerable to climate change impacts. Information on extreme climatic events and their impacts and adaptation strategies undertaken were gathered through focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews. LGU staff members were assisted in the preparation of their climate change adaptation plan (CCAP).Findings – The LGUs and communities have low adaptive capacity and employed temporary adaptation strategies. Strong social cohesion and spontaneous collecti...

Climate and Sustainability

Projected change in climate in the coming decades adds a layer of complexity in the search for sustainability. Warming temperatures, rising sea levels, changing precipitation patterns and their impacts on natural and human systems could threaten the attainment of development goals. Many countries in Asia and the Pacific are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and there is growing recognition that climate change adaptation must be tackled as an integral part of the development process, for example in mainstreaming climate change adaptation into national plans and programmes. The aim of Chap. 6 is to explore linkages between sustainable development and efforts to address climate change in Asia and the Pacific, particularly focussing in two areas of low carbon development (LCD) pathways for the region, and the importance of natural ecosystems in sustaining the delivery of ecosystem services that are essential for climate change adaptation and mitigation. The challenges posed by climate change will be felt in the coming decades in Asia and the Pacific. In parallel, nations in the region will continue to aspire for sustainable development. Policy makers and development workers must find ways to ensure that both these concerns are addressed synergistically while avoiding negative outcomes. One way to mitigate climate change while pursuing sustainable development is through LCD, which will require negotiations across many stakeholders of governments, non-government agencies, industry and broader communities. In Asia and the Pacific natural ecosystems will continue to play a critical role in addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation. Nations in the region will have to find innovative ways to manage and rehabilitate natural ecosystems for a multiplicity of functions and services. This will involve greater collaboration and communication between scientists and policy makers as well as between natural and social scientists. In many developing countries, there is still very limited empirical information and research needs to be ramped up. North-South and South-South partnerships could help fill the gap.

The Role of Agricultural Public Extension in a Private-Led Technological Innovation

This chapter determines the role of the government extension system in a private-led technological innovation by investigating farmer adoption of genetically engineered (GE) corn varieties and reviews policies governing the Philippine agricultural extension system. The data used were gathered through interviews with 1,200 corn farmers and key informant interviews with private and government stakeholders. The following results were obtained from the study: GE corn is widely adopted; farmers consider GE corn varieties safe for humans, animals, environment, and other crops; the promotional campaign of the private companies focus on the economic benefits associated with its use; co-farmers and government extension workers were the major sources of agricultural information; farmers and extension workers lack accurate knowledge about GE corn varieties; and the number of GE corn farmers and GE corn hectarage at the local level is not adequately monitored. The study concludes that orientation about GE corn varieties should be provided for the local extension workers, who serve as the farmers’ direct source of agricultural information, so they can guide farmers to make informed decisions; and local extension workers should take an active role in the monitoring of GE corn adoption within the locality to provide data for policy decision making.

Enhancing Credit Delivery Facilities to Support Farmer’s Use of Technology

An important factor in increasing agricultural productivity and production in developing countries is through the use of modern technology. However, the use of modern technology like biotechnology products is capital intensive. This chapter presents how the informal credit providers enable the small corn farmers to use genetically modified (GM) corn varieties, the credit delivery mechanisms of both formal and informal credit providers, and how effective are the credit policy reforms in improving corn farmers’ access to credit. The study shows that majority of the corn farmers interviewed rely heavily on informal credit sources for corn production and consumption. These credit providers require no collateral but take into consideration the borrower’s credit record and capacity to pay, require farmers to use GM corn seeds, and charge higher interest rate. This chapter concludes with policy recommendations to regulate the terms and conditions of informal credit system and extend microfinance service to farmers to enable them to maximize benefits of modern technology adoption.