Calling on Mindanao Leaders! Let’s Manage Water Resources Prevent Disasters, Sustain Agri

Starting tomorrow, Aug. 17, and every week thereafter, Israel’s water management and irrigation experts will conduct 2-hour sessions to share with leaders of Mindanao their country’s highly-successful program to manage their water resources.

The program sponsored by the Israeli Embassy in the Philippines and the Mashav Agricultural Training Center based in Tel Aviv will be conducted on-line.

It was I as Chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) who proposed this course to Ambassador Rafael Harpaz of Israel before he left the Philippines for a new assignment.

This may sound ironic but Israel, a country with a land area of only 2.1-million hectares, which is just about the size of the provinces of Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur, with only four or five major rivers and a rainfall of only 365 millimeter compared to the Philippines which has hundreds of rivers and a rainfall of up to 4,000 millimeters, exports agricultural product while our country relies heavily on imports.

Israel’s secret is their advanced technology in managing, conserving and recycling their water resources while we in the Philippines just allow runoff water during the rainy season to flow to the ocean.

It is because of this that Israel has a steady water supply for their agriculture and household needs while Philippine Agricultural Production suffers every time there is a long dry spell or El Niño.

The on-line course on “Water Management and Conservation: The Israel Model” is intended to enlighten Mindanao’s leaders – Governors and Mayors, including their Agriculture Officers – on the importance of managing and conserving our water resources.

Governors and Mayors who will complete the course will receive Certificates of Completion and will be invited to visit of the water facilities of Israel before the end of the year.

It is my hope that after the course and the visit to Israel, Mindanao’s leaders will have a deeper understanding of the importance of managing and conserving our water resources for sustainable agriculture.

It is also our way of preparing for challenges resulting from Climate Change, including droughts and El Niño.

I am calling on Mindanao’s Governors and Mayors not to squander this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of discovering Israel’s secrets in water management which made them a top agricultural producer in the region.

#KungGustoMaramingParaan!

#PreparingForTheUnknown!

(Photos were downloaded from public websites.)