Typhoon recovery needs 'financially stable' farmers

Future typhoon recovery in Philippines needs 'financially stable' farmers

Who has the capacity to recover from typhoons is a question of wealth, according to one young Filipino speaking at the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) in Warsaw yesterday.

“Typhoons do not discriminate between farmers and non-farmers, but they can divide the rich and the poor,” says Karen Tuason.

“When the storm surge and the direct relief stage subside, we have to question who has what capacities for recovery.”

Karen was one of 10 young speakers chosen to open the international UN-backed Forum this weekend, to showcase their efforts to achieve sustainable landscapes.

The GLF is a side event to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change’s 19th Conference of Parties, currently ongoing in Poland.

Her speech, about helping young landless Filipinos improve their access to farms and farming skills, was more poignant following last week’s devatstaing Typhoon Haiyan.

Karen is a member of a peasant organisation called Task Force Mapalad that works to improve land tenure opportunities for young farmers, farm workers and indigenous communities across 11 provinces.

The agrarian reform group supports farmers in Visayas and Mindanao, in the Philippines where the history of feudalism is still prevalent.

Owning your own piece of land, she says, can make a big difference.

“I’ve witnessed how the transformation of socio-economic roles – from mere landless farm workers to new land owners and managers – has enabled young farmers to address and improve food security of their communities, raise their household income, gain access to education and healthcare.”

“But having your own piece of land is not quite enough to improve your livelihood. We also have to raise the business capacity of farmers.”

Karen hopes that her talk will encourage more investment in programs that can educate landless peasants and farmers across the Philippines to help them build their resilience in the face of future extreme weather events.

ENDS

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