THE first casualty of the recent Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines that comes to mind on hearing about incident was the likelihood of the damages on agriculture.
Agriculture is a science with a broad multidisciplinary field that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture, The multidisciplinary aspect of agriculture cuts across the science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock and in varying degrees, the preparation and marketing of the resulting products, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
It was not surprising that soon after, the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) came out lamenting the livelihoods and food security at risk following the effect of typhoon Haiyan as well as calling for $24 million, about N3,807,601,877 billion, for immediate interventions.
This marked the commencement of the mobilizing support for the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, which tore through the country causing severe damage to the fisheries and agriculture sectors in addition to massive loss of life.
“I want to express the solidarity of FAO and myself personally with the people and the Government of the Philippines,” says FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, noting that the super typhoon Haiyan has left a trail of destruction and thousands of lives have been lost.
He said that the devastation caused in the country, including in the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, puts the lives and livelihoods of many more at risk and can have a wider effect on the food supply chain and food security.”
FAO, Graziano da Silva said, will do everything it could to support the government of the Philippines in the reconstruction process and to build resilience. Just as he called for $24 million for immediate interventions, in fisheries and agriculture as part of the United Nations (UN)-coordinated humanitarian Flash Appeal launched on November 12, 2013.
He disclosed that FAO has already mobilized more than $1 million from its own resources.
Untold damage:
Reacting to the typhoon Haiyan, Director of FAO’s Emergency and Rehabilitation Division, Dominique Burgeon, declared to NaijaAgroNet, “Although there is not a clear picture yet of the impact on the agriculture sector, it is evident that the damage is extensive.”
Recalling that the typhoon hit just at the beginning of the main rice-planting season, and FAO estimates that over one million farmers have been affected and hundreds of thousands of hectares of rice destroyed.
Severe impacts on coconut production in affected areas are expected, and there has also been wide-scale destruction to storage facilities and rural infrastructure.
Along the coast, NaijaAgroNet gathered, the storm surge wiped out many fishing communities, demolishing boats and gear.
Remedy efforts:
As part of FAO’s immediate response to the crisis, the Organization has deployed emergency response staff and will use the $1 million already mobilized to cover immediate needs such as seeds and fertilizers.
An initial total of $24 million will be needed for emergency and rehabilitation efforts including rehabilitation of storage and irrigation facilities and support to fishing communities.
Also, the organization says it will carry out a full assessment of the damage caused to the agriculture and fisheries sectors as soon as the situation on the ground allows. Claiming that on the first account, some 9.5 million people have been affected by the typhoon, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
One-third of rice produce affected:
In furtherance of FAO’s calls for assistance for the region’s most severely affected by the recent Typhoon Haiyan which accounts for one-third of the total rice production in the country of Philippines, some hundreds of thousands of farmers in the Philippines whose crops were destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan need urgent assistance to sow new seeds before the end of the current planting season, otherwise they may be hit by food insecurity.
FAO also warned that the typhoon caused damage in the central part of the country to the 2013 main season rice crop, harvesting of which was well advanced. “It also badly disrupted planting of the current 2013-2014 secondary season, which ends in late December,” FAO declared in a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet by Fiona Winward, stressing concern that many storage facilities may have been destroyed, along with their contents.
For instance, FAO informed NaijaAgroNet that damage to the main season paddy crop both by Typhoon Haiyan and by Typhoon Nari, which hit northern parts of the country in October, as well as disruption to the planting of the second season is expected to result in lower rice production than anticipated for 2013.
Downgrading global forecast for 2013:
FAO, it was gathered has downgraded its forecast for the 2013 rice production in the country to 18 million tonnes from the expectation of a bumper crop of 18.9 million tonnes at the beginning of the season, FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS).
The rice production shortfall of 900,000 tonnes will be felt disproportionally in the five most affected regions. While rice production at the national level is likely to remain close to last year’s level, the damage at the regional level is more severe. FAO warned that farmers in areas hit by the typhoon could face severe food security and livelihood problems if they do not succeed in planting the next crop in the weeks ahead.
The five regions most severely affected by the typhoon in terms of cereal crop losses accounted for one-third of the total rice production in 2012.
Playing for Philippinos:
As efforts are advanced to assist Philippines, it is also important to consider greatly the management of relief support in order to save more lives and encourage sustainability of the aid from the international community.
NaijaAgroNet observed that the proceeds from last Monday’s Italy-Nigeria friendly in London was to be used in assisting victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
The Italian Federation announced, in conjunction with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), that the proceeds from the game will be donated to help the recovery process in the Philippines.
However, how well the relief among others is managed will go a long way in alleviating the suffering of the people of Philippines, especially the farmers.
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