Coping Strategies Against El Nino: The Case of Selected Communities in Talugtug, Nueva Ecija, Philippines

The occurrence of El Nino causes tremendous havoc to economies. Recognizing this problem, the Philippine government has been introducing measures to mitigate the impact of the El Nino phenomenon. One of the measures to lessen the vulnerability of the farmers on El Nino related risk is the Small Water Impounding Projects (SWIPs). Furthermore, farmers have their own initiatives and coping mechanisms to mitigate the effects of El Nino. This research was undertaken to document the coping mechanisms, which would be useful in policy formulation. This study aims to: a) Determine the impacts of El Nino-related abnormal weather changes on agricultural production and farmers' income; b) Document the existing farming systems, resources, infrastructure, institutions, and other socio-economic characteristics of selected El Nino vulnerable areas; c) Determine the strategies employed by the farmers and communities to cope with El Nino induced agricultural risk; d) Draw up specific recommendations for the stabilization of rainfed agricultural production. The study focuses on agricultural communities that have been implementing SWIPs. The four villages in the municipality of Talugtug, Nueva Ecija, selected for the study were Buted, Maasin, Alula-Sampaloc and Villa Boado. The selected sites are predominantly under rainfed agricultural production systems. The topography is generally rolling to hilly with small areas of flat to gently sloping. The climate in the area is characterized by two distinct seasons, wet and dry.