AGRI-PINOY

http://www.da.gov.ph/index.php/component/content/article?id=20

Agrikulturang Pilipino or Agri-Pinoy is the over-all strategic framework of the Department of

Agriculture that guide the various services and programs of the DA from 2011-2016 and beyond.

Agri-Pinoy incorporates principles and practices that optimize the development of Philippine
resources, natural and human, to achieve Philippine goals in agriculture and fisheries, and
contribute to national development.

We rely mainly on lessons drawn from Philippine experience, but we also learn from others,
according to the principle: “Learn from others. Think for ourselves.” While we focus on our
Philippine goals, we also contribute what we can toward the goals of the global community, in
the spirit of interdependence.

This executive summary of Agri-Pinoy has three sections:

 The four guiding principles of Agri-Pinoy

 The Agri-Pinoy checklist
 The challenges to the DA family

Four Guiding Principles of Agri-Pinoy

 Food security and self-sufficiency

 Sustainable agriculture and fisheries
 Natural resource management
 Local development

Food security and self-sufficiency. Agri-Pinoy seeks to meet the food needs of the Philippines,
particularly staple food, and make them accessible, affordable, safe and nutritious. Sapat, ligtas,
at abot-kayang pagkain sa lahat.

In the pursuit of food security, Agri-Pinoy seeks to minimize our dependence on food imports,
especially of staple food, by optimizing the development of the natural and human resources of
the Philippines, toward increased productivity and increased incomes especially of primary
producers.

Agri-Pinoy promotes the principle of food self-sufficiency with full awareness of our global
interdependence, and our various commitments international trade agreements. Our trade policies
and practices are integral to our efforts to achieve food security and self-sufficiency.

Sustainable agriculture and fisheries. To meet the ever growing needs of a growing Philippine
population, we need to continually increase productivity. But in doing so, we must also insure
sustainability, both ecologically and economically.
Agri-Pinoy’s emphasis on sustainable agricultural and fisheries principles and practices takes
into account the limited bio-physical carrying capacity of the Philippines, while investing to
expand the capacity of our human resources.

We must insure that producers and other stakeholders in the whole value chain “from farm to
table” receive economic benefits that enable them to sustain their participation.

Natural resource management. In line with our goals of self-reliance and sustainability, Agri-
Pinoy focuses on the natural resource endowments of the Philippines, and how to manage them
so that they are not exhausted, while enhancing their competitive advantage.

We seek to optimize rather than merely maximize the development of our natural resources.

Local development. The devolution of governance and the recognition of an eco-system

framework of development reinforce the Agri-Pinoy guiding principle of local development.

While all outputs can be aggregated to calculate the total contribution of agriculture and fisheries
to national development, Agri-Pinoy gives due emphasis to the contribution of agriculture and
fisheries to local development.

These four guiding principles of Agri-Pinoy are interrelated and overlap. Together, they also
provide agriculture and fisheries in the Philippines a better chance to face the two major
challenges of climate change and changes in the global market.

The Agri-Pinoy Check List

 Broad-based
 From Farm to Table
 Sustainable systems
 Resilience
 Partnership

Broad-based. At the heart of Agri-Pinoy is a commitment to a broad-based strategy for the

growth and development of agriculture and fisheries.

Why is a broad-based strategy needed? Agricultural and rural development must start from the
reality that through agrarian reform, majority of our farms are family-sized or even smaller.

This need not be a disadvantage since there are enough evidence that small farm systems can be
as productive as large farms.

In fact, at their current level of productivity, the small producers still contribute the biggest
percentage of production in agriculture and fisheries.

A broad-based strategy calls for equitable and proportional allocation of DA services and
resources to small, medium, and big players. From the 30-35 per cent who have been
traditionally reached by DA services, we need to reach out to the majority who are small
producers.

The other implication is that we need to take account of the different stakeholders in the whole
value chain, and adopt specific and appropriate interventions to different stakeholders

Broad-based refers not only to size but also to diversity of crops and production systems. This is
important for flexibility and resilience in the face of climate change and changes in global
trading system. There are many downsides to large-scale monoculture, not just because of the
impact on biodiversity but also because of disproportionate risks.

From Farm to Table. Agri-Pinoy addresses the whole system, from production to consumption.
Both supply-side management and demand-side management are needed.

Instead of looking mainly into production, we need to pay attention to the whole value chain.
This includes good soil and water management, and improved seeds. The community seed-
banking program seeks to encourage local seed growers to produce certified seeds and farmers to
use them. The extension system needs to be revitalized through the massive retraining of
technicians and farmers themselves.

The policy of the DA is to devote public resources to those items that the farmers cannot take
care of, like irrigation systems, infrastructure, post-harvest facilities, and other public goods.

But the DA also has responsibility to insure food safety and quality, primarily through our
regulatory function. We also need to promote responsible consumption.

Sustainable farming and fisheries systems. The need to integrate sustainability into efforts to
increase productivity is well established. The challenge is to provide our primary producers
information and assistance so that they can adopt and develop innovative technologies and
management systems.

As mentioned earlier, the requirements of sustainability are both ecological and economic. But
there is a third element that is even more challenging – insuring the successor generation to our
aging farming and fishing population.

The Gulayan sa Paaralan project with the Department of Education seeks to develop an
appreciation for agriculture from an early age. We also need to review and draw lessons from
programs like the 4-H clubs and Future Farmers Clubs.

But to enhance the appeal of farming and fishing, we must also communicate well their income
prospects, as well as promote a social appreciation of the role of farmers and fishers. We need to
develop role models of farmer-technicians, farmer-scientists, and farmer-entrepreneurs.

Resilience. Although implicit in the concept of sustainability, we give resilience a distinct

emphasis because of the increased impacts of climate change and changes in the global market.
These actual and potential impacts have to be integrated into any agricultural and fisheries
development plan. We also need to combine satellite mapping of vulnerabilities with soil
suitability and market analysis.

One key strategy is the empowerment of farmers and fishers, including provision of timely and
useful information about climate change and market change. This can help them shift back from
a situation of uncertainty to calculable risks.

In addition, they must be assisted to diversify options and introduced to adaptive technologies.

Partnerships. The promotion and development of Agri-Pinoy calls for partnerships at various
levels.

 Partnerships with national agencies. Our starting partnership is with the members of
the National Convergence Initiative which is chaired by the DA – the Department of
Agrarian Reform and the department of Environment and Natural Resources. However,
other national agencies may come into this partnership.

The NCI has adopted an ecosystem approach to rural development and governance: From
ridge, through river, to reef. We bring to it our commitment to a broad-based approach
favoring small producers and farms, but using information and organization to achieve
the needed scale in planning and marketing, “from farm to table.”

 Partnerships with local governments. Devolution demands this. We need to work with
the DILG to assist LGUs to integrate agriculture and fisheries into their local
development plans. This calls for technical assistance and capacity building, and strategic
project partnerships.
 Partnerships with NGOs and people’s organizations. The two or more million farmers
and fishers are the backbone of the production system. They need to be organized and
also developed to become farmer-technicians, farmer-scientists, and farmer-
entrepreneurs. To accomplish this, we need to partner with rural development NGOs who
are willing to work within a shared Agri-Pinoy framework.

 Partnerships with the private sector. Our Agri-Pinoy framework of “farm to table”
requires that we partner with many stakeholders, and the private sector play crucial roles
across the whole value chain. In addition, it is government policy to promote public-
private partnerships especially in larger projects.

In forging partnerships, we follow the principle of diversity. We are open to work with
different organizations and even different political persuasions, so long as they are
willing to enter into principled partnerships, based on the principles of Agri-Pinoy.

Challenges to the DA Family

Agri-Pinoy represents both continuity and change. It affirms the DA’s mandate and mission, and
the various laws that we are tasked to implement.

But Agri-Pinoy also requires change.

Convergence within the DA family. First of all, we need to achieve convergence within the DA
family. Convergence means alignment to the principles of Agri-Pinoy and the goals of the DA.

This convergence within the DA has to happen at the national level, and at the regional level. I
reiterate my earlier call for the regional directors to lead the RMCs in developing their respective
regional Agri-Pinoy frameworks, and aligning their programs to this framework.

Professionalism within the DA family. While we talk of cooperating as a family and community,
we need to hold one another to agreed upon professional and ethical standards for mutual
accountability to one another, and to the general public.

Good Governance. In line with President Aquino’s call for good governance, we must insure
transparency and accountability in the DA. But also synergy, using all forms of participation that
will optimize the use of our resources to achieve our goals.

Bridge the gap. Touch the heart.

Let me end by reiterating the initial call of Agri-Pinoy to “bridge the gap and touch the heart.”

Our stakeholders, especially the grassroots, must experience our sincerity and concern, so that
they will trust us and respond to our call to actively participate in Agri-Pinoy. # # #