AGRICULTURE Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. says there is a pressing need for the country to adopt sustainable farming practices amid such challenges as climate change, a growing population, and decreasing farmlands.

"These challenges are not distant threats," he stressed in a speech last week at the 2025 Sustainable Agriculture Forum organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines. "They are here now, testing the resilience of our food systems and urging us to act with urgency and vision — more creative and adaptive than ever... "

The Philippines' geographical location is prone to unpredictable and extreme weather conditions, not to mention threats of earthquakes in the Pacific Ring of Fire, Tiu Laurel said, noting that a resilient agricultural sector will help achieve food security, economic stability and inclusive job growth.

The effects of climate change are no longer unfamiliar, Tiu Laurel said, explaining that they manifest in destroyed crops and dried-out fields caused by typhoons, droughts and unpredictable seasons.

He added that changes in agricultural practices are now necessary rather than optional.

The Department of Agriculture, he said, has started adaptive, climate-smart inventions that increase productivity.

Examples are revised cropping calendars, greenhouse farming with fertigation systems, and water-saving alternate wetting and drying technologies.

The DA is also deploying mobile soil laboratories to maximize land utilization and boost production.

Tiu Laurel said the shift in methods also includes the promotion of precision and regenerative agriculture, which help farmers minimize losses through the use of fewer resources while increasing output.

Advanced tools like artificial intelligence-powered analytics and digital farm management systems give way to smarter, data-driven decisions.

Investing in people

However, technical solutions alone would not suffice. "Building resilience also means investing in the people who feed us," he said.

The DA is expanding crop insurance coverage, enhancing early warning systems, and providing localized climate advisories to empower farmers by helping them make timely, well-informed decisions, Tiu Laurel said.

Public-private partnerships are necessary in scaling up development efforts. These partnerships are directed at developing inclusive value chains, expanding access to capital, and introducing modern technologies to smallholder farms, he added.

The DA's Agri-Puhunan at Pantawid Program, currently a pilot project for rice farmers, will soon expand to other agricultural sectors, he said.

Encouraging younger generations to get into farming is equally important, since the average age of local farmers is now over 55, Tiu Laurel pointed out, saying there are programs that would help make agriculture "aspirational" — such as startup incubators, digital mentorships, and scholarship opportunities.

The future of Philippine agriculture will be determined by decisions made today, he concluded.