India-based International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) has urged the Philippine government to beef up its soil rejuvenation program to mitigate effects of climate change to the country’s agriculture sector.

William Dar, Icrisat director general, said that they are working for a possible agreement with the Department of Agriculture for the development of the country’s soil fertility map, which would allow local farmers to withstand and adapt to the new environment brought about by rising global temperatures.

“The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. We must implement a new paradigm of resilience, or face 30 [percent] to 40 percent reduction in yields,” Dar said.

To address the problem, Dar said that government should include programs that would focus on the development of soil analysis to optimize production—particularly in dry land agriculture areas.

“Soil analysis has been taken for granted in Philippine agriculture. We have been mining away our soils, which prevent us from maximizing production,” the top Icrisat official said.

“We must bring back the health of the soil for us to optimize productivity,” Dar added.

Five-year program
Based on initial talks with the Department of Agriculture, Dar said that Icrisat would help the government to conduct of a five-year soil rejuvenation program.

The proposed program, which is expected to be carried out this year, consists of the conduct of soil mapping, soil analysis, upgrade of existing soil laboratories, and training of farmers in at least three provinces nationwide—one each in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

For each pilot testing area, at least 15,000 hectares a province is expected to participate in the program, Dar said.

Pending the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Agriculture department’s and the India-based research institute, an initial budget of P100 million has been earmarked for this year.

“Technical assistance will be provided by Icrisat,” Dar said, noting that the National Rice Program and the Bureau of Agriculture Research will work with the India-based agency on the soil rejuvenation program.

A team of three scientists from Icrisat will participate in the five-year soil rejuvenation program.

In February, the lead scientist from India will visit the country to coordinate with the Agriculture department’s regional field units on the implementation of the program.

“If the mapping of the pilot areas are completed according to schedule, the program would be carried out in April or May 2013,” Dar said.

He said that the conduct of the soil rejuvenation program can potentially increase the yield in most food staples like rice and corn by at least 20 percent.

Earlier, Dante Delima, DA assistant secretary and National Rice Program coordinator, directed all regional agriculture officers to fast track the creation of their respective Soil Fertility Mapping (SFM), which aims to reduce wastage in the use of inputs and maximize logistical support to rice farmers nationwide.

The maps will also help farmers to check soil fertility in their rice fields without resorting to expensive soil analysis, Delima said, adding that the nationwide SFM will complement the government’s rice-self sufficiency roadmap. To date, only Region 2 has a complete mapping of rice lands—including irrigated, non-irrigated areas and rain-fed areas.