Bridging policy and practice for inclusive climate adaptation in the Philippines: Insights from Quezon and Batangas

By Hom Gartaula, Jon Hellin, Chona Echavez, Jeny Raviz, Susan Bacud, Alice Laborte, Magnolia Rosimo, Rodmyr Datoon, and Julian Gonsalves

Organizations: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI); Research Institute for Mindanao Culture (RIMCU), Xavier University, Ateneo de Cagayan, Philippines; Institute of Weed Science, University of the Philippines Los Banos, Philippines; International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, Cavite, Philippines; Agricultural Systems Institute, University of the Philippines Los Banos, Philippines

Introduction

The agricultural sector in the Philippines stands at the frontline of climate change, where farmers and communities face increasingly severe hazards such as typhoons, floods, droughts, and rising sea levels. These shocks not only threaten productivity and livelihoods but also deepen long standing inequalities tied to gender, age, ethnicity, and poverty. Smallholder farmers, Indigenous Peoples, women, and landless rural workers bear the brunt of climate risks, with limited resources and decision-making power to adapt (Hellin et al., 2022; Petesch et al., 2023).

While national frameworks like the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) and the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) highlight resilience goals, they often fall short of incorporating the lived realities of marginalized communities. Top-down strategies risk overlooking the knowledge, skills, specific needs, and priorities of those most vulnerable, and identification of the most appropriate climate adaptation pathways.

More recently, scholars and practitioners argue for a transformative adaptation approach—one that goes beyond technocratic, incremental solutions. This approach demands addressing not just biophysical threats but also structural inequities in governance and access (IPCC, 2022). In this context, Participatory Action Learning Strategy (PALS) emerges as a pathway to ensure equity, justice, and sustainability in climate adaptation. Building on the climate resilience projects in the Philippines supported by CGIAR (under the Climate Action Science Program) and ACIAR (under Small Research Activity, SRA), this brief highlights how participatory action learning can be a tool to assess climate risks and offer inclusive solutions so that the outcomes would be more meaningful, equitable, and sustainable. These highlights are drawn from our ongoing work in Guinayangan, Quezon and San Pascual, Batangas in the Philippines.