The long-term project Improving Bohol Farmers' Capacity to Respond to Disasters and Climate Change, which started in 2018, is designed so that farmers, who are the backbone of agriculture and the most vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, can be trained and empowered to respond to the challenges facing the sector. It is implemented by Farmers Development Center, Inc. (FARDEC), Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP)-Bohol and Camillian Disaster Services (CADIS) International.
Bohol, Philippines, was hit by a destructive 7.2 magnitude earthquake in October 2013. It came at a time when the population in Bohol was unprepared for an event of this magnitude and with little knowledge of disaster response and rehabilitation.
Two weeks after the earthquake, another catastrophe struck the province in the form of the super typhoon ‘Yolanda’, as Bohol is located close to the Visayas region.
Agriculture has not fully recovered. Rice and maize fields were damaged, leaving several broken irrigation systems, while coconut palms, which were supposed to increase farmers' income, were also affected. The long dry season that followed limited the small farmers who were trying to recover.
The project has four objectives and expected results, namely
1. Increased agricultural income for 300 farming families;
2. Increased access to basic health services;
3. Establishment of the OP (people's organisations) DRRM committee;
4. POs are able to engage with the local government to raise community concerns.
To achieve the expected results, the project has the following components, namely,
1. Formation of organisations as headquarters of units and enterprises in the barangays and communities;
2. Capacity building on land rights, sustainable agriculture and community health in relation to climate change and disaster response;
3. Community-based disaster risk reduction and management (CBDRRM); and
4. Lobbying and networking.
However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, in March 2020, the Philippines went into a health freeze that put almost all social and economic life on hold.
FARDEC implementation staff were prevented from visiting our areas freely, and were forced to temporarily halt operations in Bohol and Negros Oriental throughout the year 2020, including our planned interventions with our funding partner CADIS International in the island-province of Bohol.
Finally, in January 2021, the FARDEC and CADIS project in Bohol resumed, taking off again with the valuable assistance and resources of a new project staff. Despite severe travel restrictions, it was possible to hold a series of consultations with stakeholders and partner organisations.
Despite the lack of agricultural support, the farmers' organisations found strength in each other, allowing expansion among their members in the midst of harassment and militarisation in their communities, such as those in the Bayongan, San Francisco, Catoogan, and La Suerte barangays.
Even during the pandemic and immediately after being hit by Typhoon Odette (international name Rai) in December 2021, FARDEC's relief efforts also helped reach out and formally contact partner organisations, monitor areas, and assess the situation and needs of these communities. More importantly, three new farmers' organisations were created from the four ad hoc groups developed during the last reporting period.
Particularly relevant in a global pandemic, FARDEC provided health workshops and discussions to four POs, one in each municipality, and community risk management planning to eight partner organisations. These efforts, including participatory hazard mapping and risk assessment, helped greatly in containing the effects of Typhoon Odette in the last month of 2021.
