Landbank sets up Southeast Asia's first animal waste mgm't program

MANILA, Philippines - The Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) leads the country and the region in pushing for the implementation of technologies that help reduce the negative impacts of animal waste on the environment and ultimately address climate change.

Landbank’s Program of Activity (PoA) for methane recovery from waste management project, the first of its kind in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia, was recently registered by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This allows pig farms across the Philippines to generate carbon credits by investing in proper waste management systems to reduce the emission of methane, a potent greenhouse gas (GHG).

“As we remain committed to providing financial assistance to our priority sectors, we likewise strive to foster environmental awareness and promote sustainable development among our assisted clients. Climate change should be everyone’s concern because its dangers are very real and initiatives like these are a good start,” said Landbank president and CEO Gilda E. Pico.

Landbank, being the coordinating and managing entity of the PoA, is helping pig farmers manage animal waste through its Carbon Finance Support Facility (CFSF) by providing financing and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) services for projects such as the installation of anaerobic wastewater treatment systems that capture methane which could be used to generate renewable electricity.

Pig farmers could, in turn, earn carbon credits for each ton of methane captured. The Spanish Carbon Fund, administered by the World Bank, buys the carbon credits, providing these piggeries with an additional source of revenue. The World Bank estimates that once fully implemented, the program will produce over 100,000 carbon credits per year from dozens of pig farms across the country.

The Marcela Farms owned by Marlito Uy in Cortes, Bohol is the first Landbank-financed project included in the PoA while also soon to be included in the PoA is the Biotech Farms in Banga, South Cotabato. Qualified piggeries under the project are those with pig population of at least 300 sow level, among others.

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is one of the cooperative mechanisms designed to implement the Kyoto Protocol in reducing the GHG emissions of developed countries by carbon sequestration in the territory of a developing country. Landbank’s CFSF assists clients in every step of the CDM project cycle including financing with the end-view of generating and monetizing carbon credits to serve as an additional revenue stream.

Interested pig farmers may download the CFSF reply form from the Landbank website www.Landbank.com or contact its Environmental Program and Management Department at (02) 405-7735 or 405-7646.