LOS BAÑOS, Philippines — Strengthening climate resilience and improving smallholder farm profitability require stronger support for high-value crops, diversified production systems, and science-based crop improvement, experts emphasized during the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS) held on 28 July 2026.
The seminar, themed “Resilient and Profitable Crops under Climate Change: What Works for Smallholder Farmers?,” highlighted practical ways to help farmers respond to stronger typhoons, prolonged droughts, floods, El Niño, pest outbreaks, and rising production uncertainty.
Mr. Joseph Manicad, Director of the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA), said high-value crops contribute not only to farm productivity but also to household nutrition, rural employment, enterprise development, and export competitiveness.
He noted that climate-related hazards reduce yields, increase production costs, and threaten rural livelihoods. To address these challenges, he presented the HVCDP framework anchored on productive, resilient, and profitable agriculture.
Manicad emphasized circular agriculture and diversification as practical strategies for smallholder farmers. Circular agriculture returns agricultural byproducts to the production cycle, reducing waste and environmental impact, while diversification lowers risk by creating multiple sources of food, income, and value within the same farming system.
He also presented DA initiatives that support climate-resilient and profitable farming, including the Gulayan sa Bayan Program, Project SAFE or Sustainable Agroforestry Farm Enterprise, post-harvest innovations, and processed and value-added agri-products. These programs promote food security, improved nutrition, climate-smart technologies, environmental conservation, diversified livelihoods, and stronger multisectoral partnerships.
Manicad said farmers can capture greater value by processing crops into higher-value products such as mung bean noodles, instant munggo mix, jackfruit chips, tomato chewies, ube powder, and bignay juice concentrate.
He also discussed the DA’s national response to prolonged El Niño conditions, which includes drought-tolerant planting materials, improved water management, climate-smart technologies, access to credit and crop insurance, and stronger extension and climate advisory services.
“By integrating production support, risk management, financing, and climate information, the DA aims not only to reduce the impacts of El Niño on agricultural production but also to strengthen the long-term resilience of farming communities across the country,” he said.
The seminar also highlighted the potential of Philippine ube to support farmer income, agro-enterprise development, and export growth.
Dr. Antonio Lalusin, Professor at the Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños, presented his team’s research on using genetic diversity and genomics to accelerate the development of superior Philippine ube varieties.
Lalusin said demand for ube remains strong, with exports reaching USD 3.06 million in 2025. Processed products such as powder, puree, and halaya continue to drive export demand.
However, he noted that the industry faces a major supply-demand gap, with domestic production estimated at 13,535 metric tons in 2022 against a demand of 49,000 metric tons. Low yield, seasonality, dormancy, and limited planting materials continue to constrain production.
To help address these gaps, Lalusin’s team collected 188 greater yam accessions from various locations in the Philippines and conducted morphological and molecular characterization, genetic diversity analysis, field performance evaluation, sensory evaluation, and anthocyanin profiling.
Field trials of 30 selected purple-fleshed greater yam accessions at the IRRI Central Experiment Station showed that Villasis 2 was the highest-yielding accession, producing an average yield of 60.32 tons per hectare.
Sensory evaluation of 10 selected purple-fleshed ubi genotypes identified Kinampay as the most aromatic and genetically conserved, while Mabitac 2 received consistent ratings across appearance, aroma, taste, texture, and general acceptability.
Lalusin identified eight promising Dioscorea alata accessions based on agromorphological, sensory, and pigment attributes: Villasis 2, Villasis 1, San Felipe, Carigar (Leyte), LA63, Mabitac 2, Batangas, and Kinampay.
He also showed the profitability potential of ube production. During the regular season, a yield of 30 tons per hectare at PHP 60 per kilogram could generate a net income of approximately PHP 1.432 million over 10 to 12 months. During the off-season, a yield of 20 tons per hectare at the same price could generate about PHP 832,000 in net income.
The discussions underscored the need to link climate adaptation, crop improvement, value-adding, and market development to build more resilient and profitable farming systems for smallholder farmers.
The SEARCA ADSS is a regular forum for exchanging ideas on agricultural and rural development. It supports knowledge exchange within and beyond the Los Baños Science Community.