Loren paves way for LGU-Donors partnership on climate change adaptation today

Senator Loren Legarda met on Friday with various local government units (LGUs) from six provinces seeking resources for their projects in a dialogue dubbed "LGU-Donor Dialogue on Climate Change Projects" at the West Room of the Manila Golf Club in Forbes Park, Makati.

Legarda, the leading advocate of Climate Change, said the dialogue gave LGUs from Quezon, Laguna, Camarines Sur, Antique, Bukidnon and Sorsogon, a chance to meet members of the diplomatic corps and the representatives of international funding agencies as well as other LGUs to discuss their initiatives and find probable partners and potential donors.

The dialogue is in response to a felt need for assistance to LGUs seeking resources for the implementation of projects for building resilience to the impacts of climate change on food, livelihood, shelter and other basic necessities, according to Legarda.

It was an opportunity for LGUs to discuss their problems and projects with representatives from donor agencies including Embassy of New Zealand, European Union Delegation of the European Commission in the Philippines, USAID Philippines, Japan International Cooperation Agency, AusAid, Asian Development Bank, World Bank and United Nations Development Programme.

LGUs aired their initiatives on reforestation, development of water resources, enhancement of adaptive capabilities, promotion of agro forestry practices and other solutions to reduce and adapt to climate risks among the most vulnerable groups, farmers and fisherfolk.

Global and regional studies show that small farmers in the developing countries are highly vulnerable to climate change. They are very dependent on climate sensitive natural resources and have limited capacity to cope with the impacts of climate change.

With the wide section of the country's population spread all over the 7,100 islands, Legarda said it is but necessary that the government must increase the awareness on climate change of people living in countryside as a sort of early warning system against creeping danger posed by climate change.

Farmers have always been dependent on indigenous way of farming, cultivating, planting - a practice that has long been institutionalized by themselves - and not knowing that there could be more ways to improve their harvest, and Legarda said, they should be properly given awareness.

"For instance, we could provide them information on what crops should be planted to adapt to a changing climate change, or introduce modern mechanism in their craft. Things like these are what they need,' she said.

The dialogue supports the greater role of the LGUs in enhancing competitiveness, accelerating growth, and deepening fiscal stability.