Philippines to Implement Geofencing for Farmland Protection by December

The Department of Agriculture (DA) expects to finalize policy guidelines governing the geofencing of around 3 million hectares of farmland by December. Pampanga Rep. Anna York P. Bondoc, sponsor of the DA’s proposed 2027 budget, said the DA needs more time to validate its data, noting that many sites are still underwater due to flooding caused by recent tropical cyclones and the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat). “There’s actually a lot of validation that cannot go on at this point because of natural disasters, so we’re waiting for things to settle down,” Ms. Bondoc said during the sponsorship and plenary deliberations for the DA’s 2027 budget at the House of Representatives. Ms. Bondoc said preserving agricultural land is one of the DA’s main concerns, and local government units (LGUs) will be tapped to impose measures against farmland conversion. “We hope that through the reduction of post-harvest losses, proper irrigation, support for fertilizers and pesticides, and fair farmgate prices farmers will be able to make a living and will not be tempted to sell their land to speculators and developers,” Ms. Bondoc said. “There also needs to be a (component of the policy involving) developers. The DA can discuss conversion with the LGUs. There should be, if necessary, conversion moratoriums, so that developers are not able to just convert and destroy irrigated land, which has happened very frequently,” she added. The DA plans to digitally map and establish geographic boundaries around priority agricultural areas, to guide energy developers on where to locate solar energy projects. Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. has met with Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin to discuss ways to expand solar energy capacity without losing land deemed vital for agricultural production. A memorandum of agreement between the DA and the Department of Energy designed to formalize the partnership is set for signing in October. — Marron Joshua F. Mendoza