P175-M upgrade of weather stations to be undertaken

MANILA, Philippines - With the effects of climate change threatening the agriculture sector, the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) is proposing a P175 million program to upgrade and increase the number of agro-meteorological (agromet) stations in highly vulnerable agricultural areas.

 According to BSWM executive director Dr. Silvino Tejada, the project would provide farming communities a tool for climate change adaptation, and the development of a local early warning system for weather disturbances.

The three-year project would cost P175 million.

It would involve the Regional Field Units (RFUs) of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the National Agricultural and Fishery Council, concerned local government units (LGUs), Agricultural State Colleges and Universities (ASCUs), the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA), the Advanced Science and Technology Institute and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

“While PAGASA already has weather stations in many parts of the country, there is a need to establish agromet stations in highly vulnerable agricultural areas which are not saturated by the domestic weather agency,” Tejada said.

In a report to Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, the BSWM plans to upgrade its 16 agromet stations to automatic weather stations (AWS) and to establish an additional 84 AWS nationwide using the latest weather tracking technology.

The new AWS would have the following sensors: wind speed and direction, air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, rainfall intensity, solar radiation, solar duration/day length, soil moisture, soil temperature and evapotranspiration.

Moreover, 53 existing PAGASA agromet shall be upgraded to include sensors for solar duration, solar radiation, soil moisture, soil temperature and evapotranspiration

The program has been approved and was funded under the US PL-480 program.

The project would result in the country having 153 AWS in highly vulnerable agricultural areas, like those located in the uplands. 

The new AWS would be located in the research stations of the DA, the campuses of selected ASCUs and LGUs that have highly vulnerable agricultural areas, among others. 

Each of the new AWS and upgraded agromets would have one climatic data observer/encoder and one alternate who both would be trained in the operation of the weather instruments and the upkeep of the stations. 

The weather data generated would be sent to the central server in the BSWM on real time basis through GSM, and can be accessed by the stations, DA-RFU’S and PAGASA through coded password.

The objectives of the program are:

1.Develop a national base of agro-meteorological data that would cater to the needs on the design, development and management of water resources projects for the agricultural sector as a tool for mitigation and adaptation for climate change.

2.Develop an enabling environment in the rural areas by engaging the services of DA-RFUs, ASCUs and LGUs to operate and maintain the 100 AWS/Agromets by 2012 and another 53 AWS out of the upgraded PAGASA AWS in 2013.

3.Develop a strategy on the awareness and preparedness on disaster risk reduction management at the local community influenced by the station through trainings.

4.Develop the agro-ecological cell/zone in the influenced area of the weather stations by updating the soil map in the areas as database for crop planting and management in preparation for the adaptation to climate change.

 “This project is expected to help make communities in highly vulnerable agriculture area adapt to climate change based on hard data.  Naturally, the BSWM, DA-RFUs, ASCUs and LGUs will take the lead in helping vulnerable farming communities take the necessary steps in adapting to climate change based on the data gathered or processed from the weather stations,” Tejada said. 

In the second or third year of the program, one climate field schools would be established for each weather station, where members of irrigators associations and cooperatives would be trained on weather and climatic elements in relation to plant growth and disaster risk reduction management. 

“What this program also intends to do is make the small farmers more aware of the effects of climate change on agriculture, and for him or her to be proactive in dealing with the effects of climate change,” Tejada added.