philippine seaweed farming flourishes after typhoon … · philippine seaweed farming flourishes...
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Philippine seaweed farmingflourishes after Typhoon Haiyan PH
ILIPPINES
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C oron Island, Philippines – For 31-year-oldJessica Paguia, from the Tagbanua indigenous
group on the Philippine island of Coron, farmingseaweed is a family affair and has been their mainsource of income for this small coastal community forthe past 20 years.
When Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda)struck in November 2013, it severely damaged ordestroyed many seaweed facilities, crippling theincome of Filipino coastal farmers who relied on thisas their main source of livelihood. The Philippines isone of the world’s largest producers of seaweed andinitial assessments after the typhoon showed thatUS$12.2 million was lost in aquaculture and seaweedproduction alone.
“When the typhoon came, our house and all ourfarming materials were washed away,” said Paguia,looking out at the water. “We didn’t know where tostart, because we lost everything and have relied onseaweed farming for so many years. Everyone wasaffected – not only our family.”
“With so many seaweed farmers affected, it wascritical to re-establish their assets in order for them torecommence their seaweed culture operations,” saidGodardo Juanich, FAO Senior Aquaculture andMariculture consultant.
The assistance provided by FAO in close coordinationwith The Philippines Bureau of Fisheries and AquaticResources included seaweed farming packageswith nylon lines, floats and planting materials, andhome-based seaweed drying facilities. FAO also set upseaweed nurseries, enabling diversification andculturing of seaweed species.
While the damage to seaweed farming was extensive,it also presented an opportunity during the recoveryand rehabilitation to introduce better farmingpractices. Training was provided that covered how toselect more suitable farming sites, the preparation ofseedlings, seaweed farm maintenance and how togain access to markets.
“We learned things like proper cutting, transferring tonursery grounds, and the period it takes for seaweedto reproduce,” Paguia says. “Prior to this, we were justharvesting the seaweed and drying it which causedthe seaweed to shrink. We didn’t know that we had totransfer it before drying, so the training helped us cutour losses.”
In the aftermath of the typhoon, loan sharksvictimized many of the farmers as they borrowedmoney at very high interest rates in order to buyseedlings and other things needed to re-establishtheir farms.
“The inputs and training that we have providedmeans they will no longer need to get loans fromthese middlemen,” Juanich explains. “We’re showingfarmers how to directly access the markets, andthey now know how to produce their own seedlings,thereby allowing them to not be too dependent onother sources for inputs.”
“We didn’t know where to start, because we losteverything and have relied on seaweed farming
for so many years. Everyone was affected.” –Jessica Paguia, Filipina seaweed farmer
© FAO – Miskelly
PHILIPPINES Philippine seaweed farmingflourishes after Typhoon Haiyan
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“Without this support we wouldn’t havea source of livelihood. We can now expand ourseaweed farms through a variety of techniques
that we’ve learned and adapt our strategiesaccording to climate conditions.” – Jessica Paguia,
Filipina seaweed farmer
Contacts
Allan DowRegional Communication Officer (Asia-Pacific)Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, ThailandTel: +662 697 4126 Mobile: +6681 899 7354Email: [email protected] Website: www.fao.org/asiapacific
With the kits, materials and trainingthey’ve received, seaweed far merslike Paguia and her family are slowlyrecovering and reestablishing moreproductive and resilient seaweed farms.
“Without this support we wouldn’thave a source of livelihood,” she says.“We can now expand our seaweed farmsthrough a variety of techniques thatwe’ve learned and adapt our strategiesaccording to climate conditions.”
Paguia doesn’t know what the futureholds, but she is sure about one thing:“We are now able to meet our basicneeds every day and the materialsprovided are also sufficient for us torecover from our losses.”
Support to seaweed farming was partof FAO’s US$8.2 million Haiyan Recoveryand Rehabilitation Programme for thefisheries sector, assisting 19 000 fishingfamilies across three regions of thePhilippines: Eastern Visayas, WesternVisayas and MIMAROPA.
ACHIEVING FAO’S STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
Increasing the resilience of livelihoods to disasters and enabling inclusive and efficient agricultural and foodsystems are two of FAO’s strategic objectives in achieving a food-secure world.
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