Resiliency in the time of El Niño

MANILA, Philippines - In a Sarangani village in Central Mindanao, farmers suffer from the lingering dry spell caused by El Niño, an extreme warming weather phenomenon currently affecting the equatorial Pacific region including the Philippines.

For one, the drought has affected the livelihood of Alex Kalabanit, 40, who grows eggplant, okra, cabbage, corn, cucumber, bitter gourd, moringa, lemon grass and tomatoes on about a hectare of land. He typically earns P4,000 after a harvest.

In the last season, however, most of his produce was not sold due to crop damage caused by extreme heat. It was reported that around 2,400 hectares of farmlands in Sarangani were vastly affected by El Niño in March 2015, his plantation included.

Fortunately for Kabanit, his family has other sources of livelihood to count on.

“I grew up being exposed to different sources of livelihood. I started learning farming as a young boy and driven by the need to help my family, I also tried fishing,” he explains. During farming season, he spends most of his time in the vegetable farm while his wife helps sell the harvest. After typhoon season, he paddles his boat to fish.

Fishing presents its own limitations, since he has a paddled boat that doesn’t let him to go very far.

“Aside from its size, rowing the boat also takes too much time and energy. I also can’t go any farther because of the danger the sea poses for small boats.” Fisher folk like Kalabanit can only fish within 15 kilometers of the shore.

In a bid to help poor fisher folk in Sarangani, World Vision distributed bigger boats with engine and fishing equipment in Kabanit’s community last Jan. 14. 

According to Erber Tirado, World Vision program manager, the first 20 to receive boats are expected to share costs, which will be pooled in a revolving fund for the next batch of fisher folk. That way, the program can be sustained. The local government unit also provided fishing gear.

The project was implemented after consulting with community members of Malapatan village. It will be managed by the fisher folk’s association with the support of Sarangani Community Development Foundation Inc., the local government, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

World Vision’s Samuel Ocon says that the initiative will not only increase incomes from P200 to P1,000 per day but will also encourage environment-friendly fishing practices in the area.

Other measures are being considered since El Niño will likely impact the fishing community.

“As early as 2015, we mobilized our economic development specialists to look into ways to better mitigate the impacts of El Niño. We continue to work with local government units, other agencies and the community to see how we can better assist them,” Tirado said.

Cautious of the extent of damage that El Niño has caused and will probably bring, World Vision is more deliberate in raising awareness in its program areas across the country.

Last year, weather bureau PAGASA reported $70.8 million in total damage and production losses in crops, with 65,800 farmers affected in Mindanao. A state of emergency has now been declared in Zamboanga City and in Maguindanao, North Cotabato including Kidapawan City.

Latest reports form the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicate that 85 percent of the Philippines or up to 61 provinces will continue to experience dry conditions that will peak from February to April 2016, affecting agricultural and livelihood activities of up to 12 million Filipinos. The government has allotted $404.1 million to mitigate the effects of El Niño.

El Niño could pose heavy losses from damaged crops and livelihood which can affect the current food supply and aggravate food insecurity for families and malnutrition among children living in vulnerable areas.

(Editor’s note: The author is emergency communications specialist of World Vision, an international Christian humanitarian, relief, and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities to reach their full potential by tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision has been working with local government units, community people, and stakeholders to mitigate the effects of El Niño.)