DA’s educational radio program to focus on climate change, ASEAN integration

TACLOBAN CITY, June 3 (PNA) –- The Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office here will focus on climate change and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economic integration in its 29th broadcast course university-on-the-air.

DA assistant regional director Elvira C. Torres said the broadcast aims to impart to farmers the strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change to rice planting. Also, it will also capacitate farmers to enhance their output to compete with those of other ASEAN countries.

The month-long broadcast course, launched on May 25, will be aired over DYVL Aksyon Radyo from Monday to Thursday, including Saturday.

On-air discussion will focus on the ASEAN economic community, global warming and climate change, impacts of climate change to rice production, climate change management options in rice farming, the role of stress-tolerant rice varieties to climate change, mitigating impacts of El Niño and La Niña, climate-smart agri-infrastructure and machinery, and good agricultural practices.

“We have experienced El Niño this year, and now La Niña is on its way, and more storms are expected to hit the region. And we know for a fact that the farmers are the ones who are most vulnerable to these adversities,” Torres explained.

“We have to equip ourselves with the knowledge on mitigation strategies to shield our farm production so that we can secure sufficiency and good quality products that can compete in the ASEAN Community.”

The integration aims to "implement economic integration initiatives" to create a single market across ASEAN nations. (PNA)
LAP/SARWELL Q. MENIANO