Food Sovereignty: A Framework for Assessing Agrarian Responses to Climate Change in the Philippines

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONThe Philippines is one of the foremost countries affected by climate change, with increasing incidence of super typhoons, droughts, floods, and changing rain patterns - all of which exacerbate existing food insecurity, poverty, and ecological degradation (United Nations University & Alliance Development Works, 2014; Yumal et al., 2011). In response to these challenges, the development and diffusion of adaptation and mitigation strategies are necessary to enhance agrarian resiliency. Our ongoing research involves the assessment of food sovereignty pathways in Ecuador, Brazil, Canada, and the Philippines. Here, we report on our progress in using food sovereignty principles to develop an assessment framework for climate resiliency and food security among a network of smallholder agrarian systems in the Philippines. The objective of this research project is to analyze how and to what extent these smallholder farmers are enhancing their livelihoods; responding to loss and damage incurred due to climate change; and serving as catalysts for climate change adaptation, mitigation, and overall resiliency through farmer-led agricultural development initiatives.The Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-Unlad ng Agrikultura (Farmer-Scientist Partnership for Agricultural Development, MASIPAG) is a national Filipino farmer-led network engaging in agroecological strategies to promote the sustainable use and management of biodiversity through farmers' control of genetic and biological resources, agricultural production, and associated knowledge (Medina, 2009). Since MASIPAG's establishment in the 1980s, the network has grown from 50 farmers to an estimated 35,000 farmers today. Our team is working with MASIPAG to assess the degree and scope of their effectiveness in facilitating livelihood resilience, especially in the context of climate change.The challenge with this research lies in capturing the range of complex and interrelated dimensions encompassed in agrarian systems. Another challenge is developing new methodological approaches to empirically measure the outcomes of dynamic agroecological strategies and their overall impact on climate resiliency and food security. In response, we propose a systems-based approach built on the principles of 'food sovereignty' as a framework for investigating these dynamics and assessing their impact on both food security and climate resiliency.In the Philippines, an estimated 17 percent (16.4 million) of Filipinos do not meet their nutritional requirements and basic needs (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2012). A quarter of the population (24.2 million) lives in poverty (World Bank Group, 2012) and poverty is most severe and widespread among indigenous peoples and small-scale farmers (International Fund for Agricultural Development, 2009). Contributors to poverty and food insecurity include land reform policies dating back to 1988 that have been ineffective at breaking up and redistributing privately owned lands acquired during Spanish colonialism (Bello, 2001); multinational agricultural companies that are expanding industrial palm oil, banana, and pineapple plantations (Franco & Borras, 2007); and large-scale gold and copper mining operations that are destroying landscapes and watersheds (CEC-Philippines, 2012). These factors perpetuate a cycle of landlessness and poverty among farmers and contribute to the ongoing concentration of wealth and power in the Philippines (Ballesteros & de la Cruz, 2006; Borras, 2007).Major reports (De Schutter, 2010; McIntyre et al., 2009; United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2013), high profile case studies (Altieri & Koohafkan, 2008; Bachmann, Cruzada, & Wright, 2009; Holt-Gimenez, 2002), and reviews (Altieri, Funes-Monzote, & Petersen, 2012; Lin et al., 2011) suggest that in order to address worsening inequalities, limited resources, and degrading ecological conditions while improving climate resiliency, agrarian systems should facilitate effective social processes for community empowerment as well as exhibit high levels of diversity, synergy, recycling, and integration. …