The DIPECHO funded project “Enhancing Capacities for Disaster Risk Reduction in Agriculture in Cambodia and the Philippines” (OSRO/ RAS/ 201/ EC) is jointly implemented by FAO and the Department of Agriculture (DA RFU5) of Bicol Region Philippines. It makes an edge in enhancing disaster risk prevention and preparedness in selected agriculture and fishing communities in Bicol and CARAGA. A crucial component of the integrated project is to support local level planning for DRR/M in line with Republic Act 10121 and based on the lessons and outcomes derived from other project components such as the location-specific DRR good practices identification and validation, weather and climate forecasting, and PNDA. DA RFU V and Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) are taking the lead in facilitating the interactive consultation processes with communities for the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into the development planning of local government units and barangays. A specific objective is to better address and includes the concerns of highly vulnerable people whose livelihoods depend on agriculture and fisheries. The project targets 12 municipalities and 30 barangays in Bicol and CARAGA regions including Albay, Sorsogon, and Catanduanes provinces in Bicol, and Surigao del Norte in CARAGA.

Since November 2012, the DA RFU V and CBSUA project team has been facilitating stakeholder consultation processes and capacity development actions with local officials and farmers to enhance their knowledge and understanding of climate change and disaster risks, covering the whole continuum of disaster risk management. Local Government Officials, academe and line agency project partners were previously engaged in 2-day training workshops (using an e-learning tool) in planning for community based adaptation to climate change and disaster risk management. The classroom trainings were complemented by practice workshops with municipalities applying PRA methodologies such as hazard mapping, vulnerability and capacity assessments, plotting of cropping and hazard calendars, institutional analyses (Venn diagram), livelihoods analyses using the asset pentagon, gender roles analysis in DRM and CCA, assessment of existing disaster preparedness projects/activities, and gap analysis.

Trainings and outcomes of the participatory consultation workshops informed the preparation of location specific community plans of action (POA) for DRM and CCA, which are considered as part of overall community development planning  The planning template used for the DRR/CCA PoAs corresponds to the key result areas in the Hyogo Framework for Action, with high emphasis on specific risk reduction needs in agriculture—including  for instance the  promotion of climate smart technologies, risk transfer mechanisms, and the development of a new software for a web-based PDNA tool.

All PoAs were validated with barangay and municipal officials and appreciation workshops were conducted at the barangay and municipal levels, with barangay and municipal officials taking the lead in the presentation. These appreciation workshops were attended by almost all farmers and fisherfolks in the project sites. The implementation of the community plans was launched immediately after the appreciation workshops. Horizontal upscaling of the DRR/M to other barangays will be carried out after the next barangay elections with trained farmers and local leaders taking the lead, according to the Municipal Agriculturists in the project sites.