Civil society groups push for agroecology at COP27

More than 50 civil society organizations have called on the country’s delegation to the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to prioritize agroecology as an adaptive strategy in the face of extreme events due to climate change.

“As we welcome the inclusion of agriculture and climate adaptation as amongst the five key issues indicated in this year’s COP, we hereby call on our policymakers to help put agroecology, an approach to guarantee the universal right to food, on the agenda,” the groups wrote in an open letter to the delegation dated Nov. 7.

As the world’s most disaster-prone country, according to the World Risk Index 2022, the groups said the country’s vulnerabilities to climate change were “also threatening the basic human right to food security.”

“This, along with the accumulated loss and damage from past disasters and the pandemic, and interrelated issues on health, transport, energy and market affordability, continue to make living situations worse for most Filipinos,” the groups wrote in their letter. During the last decade alone, 317 extreme weather events in the country led to disasters that incurred damages worth P515 billion, according to government data.

Among all these climate-related disasters, Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in 2013 was the costliest, with loss and damage reaching P95.48 billion, according to government data.

Citing a report by the International Food Policy Research Institute, the Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC) Philippines said that the country stands to lose around P26 billion annually through 2050 if the situation continues.

The groups believe that agroecological farming practices, including the use of organic fertilizers and increasing the capacities of small-scale farmers, can help in creating “food systems that emit less carbon and preserve biodiversity.”

Among those who signed the letter were the CEC Philippines, Advocates of Science and Technology for the People, Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines, Good Food Community and Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), one of the signatories, said that agroecology “will foster the creation of food systems that emit less carbon and preserve biodiversity.”

The KMP and other farmers and food security advocacy groups will march to Bantayog ng mga Bayani on Saturday to join the Global Climate Strike, in time for the closing activity of COP27 in Sharm, Egypt. INQ

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