07/05/2026
ADB and DA CRAO Unite Regional AMIA Teams, Planners, and Operations Experts to Standardize Climate Resilience Nationwide
QUEZON CITY, Philippines (May 6, 2026) โ The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in collaboration with the Department of Agricultureโs Climate-Resilient Agriculture Office (DA CRAO), kicked off a three-day workshop today to finalize the national framework for the Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture (AMIA) program.
The event, titled the Refinement Workshop and Writeshop on the AMIA Program Development Pathway and Operations Manual, is led by the ADB through its Technical Assistance (TA) project, TA-10009 REG: Accelerating Climate Resilience in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and the Environment (ANRE).
In a strategic move to bridge the gap between policy design and field reality, the activity brought together participants, including the AMIA Regional Teams, the Regional Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Divisions (PMED), and the Field Operations Divisions (FOD).
The active participation of these three groups ensures that the new national standards are not just theoretically sound but are also highly executable and audit-compliant. While the AMIA Regional Teams provide the ground-level experience of managing climate-resilient villages, PMED representatives ensure that the updated AMIA Operations Manual aligns with planning and results-based monitoring standards, making future projects highly fundable and audit-compliant. Meanwhile, FOD representatives bring invaluable, hands-on field experience, ensuring that the standardized procedural guidelines are highly practical for implementation in farming and fishing communities.
The workshopโs first day focused on validating the "AMIA Development Pathway" and "Theory of Change." Supported by technical experts from EcoSecurities and implementing partners, UPLBFI, the participants worked to refine the phases a community must go through to become a "Climate-Resilient Village."
In her keynote address, DA CRAO Director Agnes Catherine Miranda emphasized that the goal is to move "from progress to clarity." She noted that while individual regions have seen great success, the program must now be institutionalized so that it becomes a permanent part of the DA's operations.
"Our response to climate change must be science-based, data-driven, and thoroughly institutionalized," Director Miranda emphasized. "By having our planning, operations, and AMIA teams in one room, we are building a manual that is not only strategically sound but also seamlessly executable on the ground."
Following todayโs successful validation of the development pathway, the participants will transition into intensive writeshops over the next two days. They will focus on finalizing procedural guidelines, integrating Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) standards, and refining the results-based monitoring systems.
By the end of the workshop on May 8, the ADB TA aims to provide the Department of Agriculture with a finalized Operations Manual that will serve as the definitive blueprint for climate-resilient agriculture nationwide. # #
About the ADB TA:
Technical Assistance (TA) 10009-REG is a collaborative project funded by the Asian Development Bank, the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia, and the Pacific. It provides the essential technical coordination and policy support required to mainstream and scale climate-resilient agricultural practices throughout the Philippines.