MANILA – The Department of Agriculture is strengthening its science-based approach to climate risk planning through a new data-sharing partnership between the Philippine Rice Research Institute and PAGASA.
DA-PhilRice and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration signed a memorandum of agreement on Thursday to exchange weather, climate and agricultural data aimed at improving decision-making and building resilience in the rice sector.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the partnership would support a more modern, productive and climate-resilient agriculture sector while helping strengthen food security.
Under the agreement, PAGASA will provide PhilRice with weather and climate datasets, including ClimGridPh and access to its Ten-Day Weather Forecast API.
The data will cover rainfall, temperature, wind speed and direction, cloud cover and humidity, along with geospatial and hazard information such as tropical cyclone tracks, drought and dry spell assessments, soil moisture maps and rainfall forecasts.
PhilRice, in turn, will share rice-area and planting-date maps from the Philippine Rice Information System, as well as rice growth-phase data and other agricultural geospatial information.
It will also provide rice-risk assessments, historical provincial rice production and yield data, and information on rice varieties.
Tiu Laurel said combining weather and climate information with agricultural data would help government agencies and farmers make better-informed decisions and respond more effectively to climate risks.
The agreement will remain in effect until December 2028, subject to renewal, amendment or early termination under specified conditions.