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Restoring production on Filipino farmers' fields buried by volcanic eruption
Relief and rehabilitation efforts were initially concentrated on provision of new homesteads and livelihood opportunities for displaced families and on repairing essential infrastructure. In this context, an FAO mission helped to assess rehabilitation needs and identified three projects for creating livelihood opportunities - in agriculture, livestock and aquaculture - which were subsequently funded by the Organization. The aquaculture project helped to restore and increase production from fish ponds. Farmers were shown how to make their fish ponds economically viable with modern feed and management techniques. Removal of the large deposits of ash and mud from agricultural land was time consuming, and the risk of secondary mud flows and flooding continued for some years after the eruption. With the return to normal conditions, in April 1997 FAO mounted an investment programming mission which identified programmes and projects for irrigation rehabilitation and watershed management, land rehabilitation and farming systems development, and income generation and livelihood support as priorities for sustainable recovery in the affected areas. These proposals are now being studied by potential financing institutions.
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The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in June
1991 spewed out an estimated 6 600 million cubic metres of volcanic debris,
hurling ash up to heights of 20 000 m. Even more destructive than the ash were
the mud flows. Together, ash and mud devastated large agricultural areas around the
volcano. Roads, bridges and irrigation systems were destroyed, and 40 000 families
lost their homes.