In the Philippines, irrigation infrastructure is being expanded and the country’s Congress has also pushed agencies towards a unified national preparedness framework covering farmers, fisheries, food security and water before drought worsens.
Thailand’s Cabinet has ordered agencies to prepare specifically for a severe event, focusing on water for households, agriculture and industry, agricultural planning and emergency reserves.
But experts and farmers like Surachai have questioned whether preparedness on the ground is sufficient. As the manager of a community enterprise group, he said he is highly aware that the farming community around him in Thailand’s agricultural heartland is not braced.
“Sometimes I have to sit down and talk clearly with them, telling them to believe that a drought is coming. Farmers rarely believe it because government information isn’t clear. Inconsistent information makes farmers lose trust in everyone. So they gamble (on planting crops),” he said.
“Farmers don’t lack knowledge; they have inherent wisdom. They just need a spark on how to use their resources to sustain their families, and the government needs to facilitate that vision,” he added.
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