.::. BAR Chronicle .::. A monthly publication of the Bureau of Agricultural Research

Understanding dryland agriculture: How RDE can make most out of Philippine's drylands
by Ellaine Grace L. Nagpala

A year ago, the Ilocos region experienced an extreme drought along with other provinces in Luzon. Only 50% of the total acreage devoted to rice had been planted owing to unfavorable planting conditions. Shortage of water for irrigation was experienced and the scorching heat from the sun dried up almost every farm. Losses amounting to millions of pesos were incurred, leaving most farmers empty handed for the next cropping season, and their farms non-arable.

A drought is an extended period of months, or sometimes years, when a region notes a deficiency in water supply. This may be caused by above average prevalence of high pressure systems, winds carrying continental air masses, i.e. reduced water content, El Niño and other oceanic temperature cycles, and climate change.

Climate change and agriculture
The dramatic change in weather patterns, variable intensity of storms, frequent occurrence of drought, disappearance of glaciers and ice caps, the rising of temperature and sea level—all of these are concrete manifestations of the occurrence of climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) identified the three most important contributors to global warming: fossil fuels, land use, and agriculture. While the country depends on the agriculture sector for food supply and source of livelihood, it is the major driving force in the gas emissions and landuse effect that is thought to be the cause of climate change. Being a significant user of land and fossil fuel, agriculture contributes directly to greenhouse gas emissions through practices such as rice and livestock production.

Climate change poses a major threat to food security, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Changes in the air temperature and rainfall, as well as more frequent floods and droughts will have long-term effects on the viability and productivity of world agro-ecosystems.

Farming in the drylands

Dryland ecosystems are the consequences of the increase in the average temperature of the earth's near-surface air and oceans. Drylands are considered areas with limited water resources because of rainfall variability, recurrent but unpredictable droughts, high temperature, and low soil fertility. These lands are distributed all over the world, accounting for roughly 47.2 percent of the global land mass, where roughly 60-70 percent are said to have undergone some level of desertification.

Despite these conditions, drylands are habitat and source of livelihood to a large fraction of the earth's population, most of whom suffer extreme poverty. In the country alone, an estimated three million hectares of dryland are identified, distributed in Northern Luzon, Central Visayas, and Southern Mindanao. These areas are said to be inhabited by about five million households. Climate change can further aggravate the conditions of these communities.

The challenges of dryland agriculture
Farming in the drylands is quite risky. A farmer dwelling in a dryland community could be living with uncertainty of constant fear of hunger and poverty as he faces the challenges that dryland agriculture imposes.

Negative impact on crop and livestock activities. Changes in average climate conditions and variability will have a significant effect on crop yields in many parts of Asia and Pacific. The country has suffered severely from natural disasters in the past decade such as drought and typhoons. With the changing average climatic conditions, it is expected that more provinces will be prone to drought conditions.

Water-scarcity. Water resources are very sensitive to climate change. In the South and Southeast Asia, region, water resources are particularly sensitive to changes in temperature and precipitation, even with changes in tropical monsoons and cyclones. A large increase in population could further strain water resources. As population in the drylands increase, especially in the urban areas, water scarcity increases in tandem.

Land degradation. Land degradation is defined as the diminution of the productive potential of the land, which can be due to natural process or induced human activity. Widespread land degradation affects production of dryland agricultural and rangeland systems, threatening both livelihoods and biodiversity. Dryland environments are fragile with few vegetative cover, making it more prone to degradation.

Persistent poverty. Since the poor are the most dependent on agriculture in the drylands, land degradation and desertification are increasingly recognized to be a development problem closely linked to poverty. When the soils in the dryland can no longer sustain crops, the poor suffer especially from its consequences because they are highly dependent on the land's productivity for their livelihood. People in the drylands have very low food production and income generation and savings enhancement capacities. In the Philippines, for instance, high poverty level could be observed in Mindanao since it is most vulnerable to drought.

Sustained Livelihood. The challenge is creating new jobs in rural areas and making existing livelihoods stronger and more sustainable. Rural areas tend to rely heavily on climate-sensitive resources (local water supplies and agricultural land); climate sensitive activities (arable farming and livestock husbandry); and natural resources (fuel wood and wild herbs). Climate change can reduce the availability of these local natural resources. Shifts in climate will bring different changes to different regions. Some areas may see greater natural resources because of increased rainfall, but still, the poorest regions are most likely to suffer because they are least able to adjust to new conditions.

Macronutrient malnutrition threats. Continuous degradation would further lower the amount of macro-nutrients in the very near future.

Forest and livelihood management. The Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DENR) reported in 2005 that there were only 6.24 million ha forest in the country since the dynamics of forest resource changed. Deforestation occurred at an annual rate of about 316,000 ha in the 1980s caused by land conversion, shifting cultivation, forest fires, and over-logging; much of the remaining forest is still heavily fragmented. Currently, 55% of the population of the country is located in these environmentally sensitive highlands practicing shifting agriculture. The combination of rapid deforestation, population growth, and uncontrolled expansion of upland agriculture has resulted in massive soil erosion and land degradation, which could further worsen by the emerging drought phenomena.

What RDE can do?
With the decreasing farm lands with limited access to irrigation, a strong research, development and extension (RDE) program must be mapped out to attain food security and reduce poverty in the country.

Potential research areas such as the improvement of the crop and livestock production could be looked upon by developing drought-resistant crops. Cutting edge innovations and new business and funding models on profitable farming that could be grown in marginal, drought-prone areas cereals (corn, sorghum, pearl millet) and legumes (groundnut, chickpea, pigeon pea, soybean, cowpea, mungbean, forage crops) can be developed. Generating/ adapting innovations on the production, processing and utilization of biofuel crops such as sweet sorghum without compromising food security can also be done.

Since water supply and land degradation are also of major concern, developing sustainable watershed-soil-environment management systems with and for small-scale farmers is another opportunity that could be looked upon.

Equally important with doing scientific studies is the implementation of strategic social science and policy research. The formulation and implementation of policies in the context of global change and the market policy support for dryland crops is a significant act. Also, capacity building, social mobilization, and communication must not be forgotten.

With the aide of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a proactive defense for the drylands can be carried out while looking into the changes that can be caused by climate change. More so, the proposed Philippine Dryland Research Institute (PhilDRI), addresses the disadvantaged farmers in the drylands. It will promote the science of growing crops and animals under changing climate to serve the country's increasing populations. Moreover, PhilDRI will promote not only farmer's education and training but also a full understanding in overcoming the burdens and pressures of erratic weather, soil infertility and degraded watersheds, inadequate tools and equipment, insufficient seeds, and uncertainty of prices and income.

The challenges in dryland are complex, hence, they require concerted approaches of learning and experimenting, including multi-actors with different perspective and frameworks, to take up the identified challenges. In such complex situation, the context would not only include technical or technological options, but must also consider the organizational, economic, political, social, and cultural context. The challenge should also be shared by a diversity of actors, and their collective response must generate a social impact, for our farmers and countrymen to benefit, while we face the challenges of climate change.