The Department of Agriculture (DA) allocated roughly P300 million this year to enhance climate-smart farming for high-value vegetables such as tomatoes, chili and bell peppers.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said this move aims to reduce recurring price spikes caused by extreme weather conditions.

“These crops face sharp price swings almost every year,” Tiu Laurel explained. “Sometimes chili peppers are very expensive, sometimes there is no supply at all; the same goes for bell peppers and tomatoes. What we want is continuous production, year-round, whether it’s dry or rainy.”

The funding will support basic greenhouses, rainshelters, drip irrigation, and water-impounding systems, helping farmers manage crops more efficiently while reducing exposure to unpredictable weather.

Simpler structures

Rather than investing in expensive high-tech facilities, the DA will focus on simpler structures that are easier to replicate across farming communities.

The program, internally called the White Revolution, takes inspiration from South Korea and Cambodia’s protected cultivation systems. It emphasizes working with cooperatives and farmer associations instead of individual growers.

Local seed and seedling production will be organized at the community level, with training for women and youth to ensure planting materials are readily available in a coordinated, decentralized way.

By generating stable volumes, the initiative aims to reliably supply urban markets while reducing the boom-and-bust cycles that hurt both farmers and consumers.

Rainshelters and greenhouses, combined with irrigation systems, will be set up near but outside major consumption centers such as Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao to shorten delivery times and minimize post-harvest losses.