As a response to climate change and variability, which has put the agriculture sector in a vulnerable state, SEARCA is currently holding a five-day international training course designed to equip participants with a better understanding of climatic risk analysis.

Dr. Lansigan orients the participants on the training course.

"We have much less understanding of what works best for developing countries especially at the ground level [where there is] low investment in education, lack of infrastructure, and no access to safety nets," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Dr. Felino P. Lansigan of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and course coordinator of the training said that in analyzing the whole agricultural production systems, many interrelated factors need to be considered. He emphasized the need for systems approach in dealing with agricultural production while integrating environmental factors, i.e., climate.

Resource persons from the academe and various R&D institutions will be sharing their technical expertise and experiences on risk analysis, economic valuation, risks in aquaculture and agriculture, and community-based disaster and risk management. The training course is a mixture of lectures, discussions, and open forum.

Titled Responding to Climate Change: Knowledge Based Strategies for Managing Risks in Agricultural Production, the training is organized in cooperation with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The said event will last until September 12, 2008. A total of 15 participants (14 Filipinos, and 1 Vietnamese) are attending the course.