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Two extreme weather events – Super Typhoon Goni and Typhoon Vamco – hit the Philippines in early to mid-November 2020, quickly following Typhoon Molave that hit in late October. All three typhoons took roughly the same destructive path across southern and central Luzon. Strong winds and heavy rains inundated farmlands and communities and overflowed rivers, inland fishponds and dams. Furthermore, the Cagayan River overflowed and caused widespread floods in Cagayan and Isabela provinces.
The typhoons wrought massive damage to agriculture and fisheries in southern, central and northern Luzon, destroying high value crops, including rice and corn, agricultural equipment, boats, fishing gear and other livelihood assets and resources. Super Typhoon Goni destroyed large areas planted with perennial and long-gestation coconut and abaca in Catanduanes.
The combined effects of both typhoons are expected to have severe negative impacts on families who depend on farming and fishing for their primary or secondary source of livelihood — their productive capacities will decrease, and their incomes will be disrupted. Affected smallholder farmers and fisherfolk’s food security and nutrition will also suffer; the typhoons damaged backyard gardens and fishponds, which contribute to families’ daily nutritional intake, promote crop diversification, serve as alternative sources of cash and, in some cases, articulate the role of women and children in household food production and security.
Lack of food diversity and access to low-cost nutritious food is a chronic problem in the Philippines and has contributed to high levels of undernutrition, particularly in Catanduanes Province and Cagayan Valley where there is a high level of malnutrition. The typhoons have only exacerbated these vulnerabilities.