Background

The Philippines is highly susceptible and vulnerable to natural disasters. With some 20 active volcanoes, the country is prone to earthquakes and eruptions, in addition to frequent typhoons and other severe storms. Typhoons, in particular, can hit the country with such frequency that rural communities often lack the time to recover losses before their agricultural crops and fishing farms are struck yet again.  The Philippines faces an average of 20 typhoons per year, of which five are expected to cause significant damage.

The agriculture and fisheries sectors constitute the mainstay of the country’s rural economy. Consecutive typhoons generate landslides, flash floods, mudslides and widespread flooding. For many families, damages are irrecoverable, such as the loss of or damage to life and property. There is an urgent need to build the resilience of vulnerable communities in the Philippines to future shocks and to assist them in maintaining a means to production and income, thereby empowering them to provide for their families in the light of such hardships.

FAO’s emergency role in the Philippines

FAO interventions in the Philippines are geared to foster sustainable recovery in the agriculture and fisheries sectors by providing affected communities with the tools and skills they need to resume their livelihoods and better prepare for future crises. Many of the country’s rural poor depend on the production of staple crops (namely rice and corn), high value crops (vegetables and fruit trees) as well as fisheries and livestock products in order to feed their families and generate income. 

FAO’s activities in the Philippines contribute to replacing lost or damaged assets urgently needed by vulnerable communities – such as seeds, tools, fertilizers, small animals and fishery inputs – while working closely with local authorities to build capacity at the institutional level. 

The main objectives of FAO’s emergency and relief activities in the Philippines are to:

• enhance collaboration and coordination with national and regional governments on damages and needs assessment and food security
• provide vegetable seed, fruit trees, fertilizer and tools most suitable to the prevailing conditions of crisis-struck areas
• provide small ruminants – such as goats and poultry – to pastoralists who have lost, sold or consumed their livestock
• support the resumption of inland fishing activities through the provision of fish seed and fertilizer
• strengthen agricultural livelihoods through enhanced production methods and facilities, training in best agricultural practices and promoting the use of improved and labour-saving technologies.

With support from the donor community, FAO will continue to conduct damage and needs assessments in the Philippines to ensure that the most beneficial and appropriate inputs reach the communities most in need. FAO interventions work to enhance the availability and affordability of food in calamity-prone areas through the establishment of sustainable production systems, while enhancing the capability of local authorities, farmers’ organizations and rural communities to better cope with natural disasters.