Empowering poor rural Filipinos to nurture equitable climate adaptation

Jon Hellin, Alice Laborte, Magnolia Rosimo, Chona Echavez, Patti Petesch, and Eleanor Fisher (2025). Empowering poor rural Filipinos to nurture equitable climate adaptation. Policy Brief. International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Philippines. 8 p.

The Philippines’s agricultural sector, which plays a crucial role in the country’s food security, is particularly vulnerable to climate-related risks such as cyclones, flooding, drought, and high temperatures. Within this context, there is a pressing need for effective local climate adaptation programs that are informed by and of benefit to vulnerable groups, particularly— although not exclusively—low-income women. Here, a participatory methodology centered around social equity offers vital tools for engaging poor communities who are coping with climate change.