13 October is International Disaster Risk Reduction Day.
In the Philippines, an association of nine local coastal communities is adapting to the slow changes caused by climate change. In future, development plans will take into account the results of climate risk analyses, because hardly any other country is more affected by the impacts of climate change and regular disasters.
The more abstract and temporally distant disaster scenarios are, the more difficult it is to take collective action. In the Philippines, there is limited research, analysis or understanding of so-called slow onset events, that means gradual changes with catastrophic impacts. The island nation is particularly affected by rising sea levels and increasing storms or droughts. Affectedness depends primarily on the vulnerability of people, families and entire communities. Poverty is a fundamental factor.
Since November 2019, Johanniter and its partner HIPPE have been supporting an alliance of coastal communities in Surigao del Norte province. The Hinatuan Passage Development Alliance (HIPADA) plans integrated climate protection measures based on existing knowledge and financial resources. Poor communities are empowered to manage climate, disaster and environmental risks and to embark on a sustainable development plan. This is because the impacts of poverty and climate risks have increasingly rendered traditional livelihoods obsolete. New and sustainable livelihood options are needed.
Today, around 1600 farming or fishing families are working on alternative and adaptable livelihoods. They use other plant species, use less water or completely switch to new and innovative sources of income. It was crucial beforehand that climate risk analyses were evaluated and understood so that the results could be incorporated into local development plans. This transforms abstract risks into concrete measures that endure over the project period.
Read here what income measures have been implemented by some municipalities:
While many people struggle to make a living due to lack of land, the Amoslog Fisherman's Association (AFA) has a lot of unused land available in their community. The community mainly relies on agriculture for its livelihood, so the members of AFA planned to use the idle land to grow crops, vegetables and other valuable products. However, it turned out that the land has a high salt content due to rising sea levels and is not suitable. When the concept of Environment-Based Livelihoods (EBA) was introduced to the organisation, they abandoned their previous plans and made a change of mind, considering climate change adaptation. They started the construction and management of a mud crab pond. The work started in 2020 and mainly involved the construction of the mud crab pond, worth the equivalent of 27,000 euros, and the rearing of the first mud crabs. Today, the members monitor and maintain the facility on a voluntary basis. For the upcoming annual Surigao City Festival, the organisation expects an increasing demand for delicacies such as crabs and prawns. 95% of their current harvest will be harvested then and by the end of 2021, more than 100,000 pesos (about 1800 euros) are expected to be collected. The income is collected, saved and divided equally among the members at the end of the year.
According to Elli Padilla, the president of the organisation, the community benefits from additional income and now has an alternative livelihood using the previously fallow land in their community. In addition, it helps to ensure that the local marine species are not further endangered.
Conchita Salasperal heads the Campo Bacuag Rice and Corn Association (CAMRICOFA), an organisation that works to secure the livelihoods of farmers in the Bacuag district. Due to climate change, many of the members complain of an alarming increase in the intensity and duration of dry spells and heat waves, droughts and floods, or the sudden intrusion of salt water into some of their water sources. In order to continue to secure livelihoods, the organisation started producing oyster mushrooms in April 2020, as well as vermi-cast. While both are quite novel farming methods across the province, they are perfectly suited to achieve the two goals set by providing local farmers with natural fertiliser alternatives and improving the food situation in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. As a result, the organisation was already able to harvest 139 kilograms of oyster mushrooms by August 2021, bringing in a total of 20,850 pesos. For the next harvest, it expects to earn more than 57,000 pesos (about 1,000 euros).
Since the method was new, the members first had to be introduced to it through workshops. With success: According to Conchita Salasperal, the community has developed better eating habits and has been able to improve its financial situation. The members are motivated to continue the work and encourage other people to try new alternatives as well. For example, the Hinatigan Farmers Development Association (HIFADA) has also started growing oyster mushrooms and producing vermi-cast. They are able to make the best use of their members' technical skills in organic farming, and the conversion enables them to learn new approaches and innovations. The activities have eased members' income especially during the restricted corona period and given them a routine in their lives. Salasperal is confident that they will survive the challenges of climate change: "With mushrooms sprouts not only a food, but also hope."
For people whose livelihoods depend on natural resources, the ecological balance of local ecosystems is immensely important. They must be monitored and maintained at all times so that the resources will continue to exist in the years to come. This is the mission of the San Isidro Coastal Dwellers Association (SICDAI), the fishermen's organisation of the village of San Isidro. The inhabitants of the village are proud of the variety of fish, shellfish, lobsters, crustaceans as well as seaweed that can be found in their waters all year round. But increasing overfishing by migratory fishermen is putting a strain on the stocks. Although the community has taken initiatives to keep them out of their waters, the question of the continued existence of their main source of income could not be answered for a long time. Based on the existing knowledge of the locals, an ideal, environmentally oriented livelihood measure was quickly found: floating fish cages. With mariculture, residents can reduce their dependence on the dwindling marine population in their area and allow the ecosystem to recover from overfishing. The members of the organisation help on a voluntary basis to manage and maintain the floating fish cages. For them, the project has already helped to improve relationships within the organisation and increase its productive output after a short period of time.
