Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay โ In the quiet rhythm of the tides, fishermen in this coastal town steer their boats through the mangrove-lined waters, hauling in oysters and red grouperโlife teeming where once there was none.
Just a few decades ago, these waters were empty, devastated by rampant mangrove deforestation. With their livelihoods vanishing, a group of local fishermen decided they couldnโt wait for help that never came.
โWe decided to just act on our own,โ said Roberto โKa Dodoyโ Ballon, a veteran fisherman who led a grassroots effort to restore Kabasalanโs mangrove forests. โWe started planting trees, hoping the government would notice and eventually support us.โ
Their perseverance paid off. Marine life returned, the mangroves thickened, and a community found new hope. Ballonโs work would later earn him the 2021 Ramon Magsaysay Award for environmental leadership.
But even as Kabasalanโs coastlines recover, Ballonโs story underscores a deeper issue: In a country ranked among the most vulnerable to climate change, smallholder farmers and fisherfolkโthe very people on the frontlines of adaptationโare still left behind by climate finance systems designed without them in mind.
A Broken System
Globally, climate finance is supposed to be a lifeline for those facing the worst of the crisis. Trillions are being mobilized to help nations adapt and build resilience. But those funds rarely trickle down to small producers who need it most.
โSmall fisherfolk and farmers rely on their own efforts because they do not get sufficient supportโeither from the government or from climate funders,โ said Esther Penunia, secretary-general of the Asian Farmersโ Association (AFA), based in Manila.
The numbers are telling. According to a 2023 report by the Climate Policy Initiative, only $5.53 billion, or less than a tenthย of total global climate finance, went directly to smallholder farmers between 2019 and 2020. Even within climate funds for the agrifood sector, small producers received only 19%.
Most climate finance is channeled through national governments or large organizations. For small farming and fishing communities, accessing these funds is a labyrinth of red tape: detailed proposals, costly feasibility studies, and monthsโif not yearsโof technical requirements.
โSmall farmer groups like us cannot afford this,โ Penunia said. โWe sometimes partner with bigger organizations, but they take management fees.โ
The Price of Being Overlooked
In a country where over 10 million people depend on agriculture and fisheries for their livelihoods, this exclusion has far-reaching consequences.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, smallholder farmers produce a third of the worldโs food. In the Philippines, they are the backbone of food security. Yet, they are expected to fund their own adaptation effortsโfrom building irrigation systems to shifting crop varieties to coping with ever-changing weather patterns.
โIt is so difficult to get funding,โ Ballon said. โWe are all at the losing end.โ
As the climate crisis accelerates, so does the urgency. Ballon, now preparing to run for a Senate seat in the 2025 midterm elections, is calling for systemic reforms to ensure that climate finance reaches those who need it mostโdirectly and sustainably.
Band-Aid Solutions Wonโt Do
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), one of the regionโs main climate finance managers, says it supports the Philippine governmentโs initiatives for climate-smart agricultureโsuch as weather outlooks and early warning systems.
But advocates say these measures, while helpful, are not enough.
โA majority of farmers have no access to climate financing,โ said agricultural advocate Sarmiento. โSome financing options even have high interest rates. Who can we turn to now?โ
Fishermen: Fighting for the Future
Back in Kabasalan, fishermen continue to care for the mangroves they replanted with bare hands. Farmers adjust planting calendars and diversify crops on their own. They are not just adaptingโthey are leading. Yet they do so with little recognition and even less support.
They are stewards of land and sea, guardians of biodiversity, and providers of the nation’s food. They are also among the most climate-exposed sectors in the countryโand unless the climate finance system changes, they will remain its most neglected.
Still, like the mangroves they once revived, they hold the lineโrooted, resilient, and still hoping that someday, the world will finally invest in those who nourish it.
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