Guidelines on the Implementation of Pagkain Para sa Masa (PPSM) Program Urban Agriculture Section in the National Capital Region

March 29, 2017

DA MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 18-17

 

SECTION 1. Basic Policy. —

This is consistent with the goal of the Department of Agriculture to ensure sufficient, nutritious, and affordable food to urban poor families. It is the policy of the state to empower its constituency by enhancing their capability to produce their own food through adoption of various means of vegetable and other alternative staple crop production.

SECTION 2. Objective. —

General:

This program aims to encourage urban poor families to integrate urban farming into their lifestyle. The program likewise intends to complement with the existing feeding program of the government. This will be achieved thru the cooperation of the Barangay Local Government Unit, Community Organizations and different government line agencies.

Specific:

1. To enhance knowledge, skills and attitudes of urban poor families in the establishment of barangay and household gardens;

2. To mitigate hunger and provide additional income for urban dwellers through food production;

3. To increase production of vegetable and other alternate crops and promote the improvement of family nutrition and food security.

4. To organize urban poor families to sustain livelihood activities,

5. Provide initial production inputs necessary for food production,

6. Capacitate urban poor families on alternative livelihood, basic entrepreneurship as well as health and nutrition and,

7. Provide market linkages for their products/produce.

SECTION 3. Project Description and Duration. —

The Pagkain Para Sa Masa Urban Agriculture (PPSMUA) Program has identified the Local Government of Quezon City, being the urban center in the country closest in proximity to the Department of Agriculture, as the pilot site of the program. The urban gardens will be established in 6 barangays of the city and will be implemented from April 2017 to December 2017.

SECTION 4. Strategies of Implementation. —

1. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and the Mayor of Quezon City shall be crafted for this purpose.

2. Project Management Team (PMT) within the DA headed by the DA-Office of the Undersecretary for Special Concerns will be created to help the implementation of the program.

3. An Urban Agriculture (UA) team shall be created in each project site composed of 2-4 members to lead the operation and management of the farm. Members of the UA team shall come from organized groups within the target barangay. CAIHTE

4. Site will be identified by the UA team based on the criteria set by the program. Validation of sites will be conducted by both the Project Management Team and UA team.

5. Each Model Farm shall showcase the three different modules namely Container Gardening, Greenhouse Farming and Hydroponics/Aquaponics.

6. Orientation and social preparation shall be conducted by the Project Management Team on the identified organized groups.

7. Identified organized groups members will undergo training on basic agriculture-specialized training. Topics will depend on the specific needs of the identified sites. Members who will attend the training will be provided with non-monetary incentives such as planting materials, gourmix (ready-mixed food) etc.

8. Initial inputs by DA for the Model Farms will include assorted seeds of preferred vegetables (Open Pollinated Varieties), planting materials of indigenous vegetables, fruit trees and tools, among others.

9. Members of the organizations are encouraged to establish their own household backyard farms. In return, their produce will be bought by Model Farms. The DA will assist these Model Farms to market-these products.

10. Sustainability scheme shall include the following:

9a. Income generated by the Model Farms will be used as revolving fund for seeds production and plant propagation.

9b. Competition on best Model Farms will be launched and incentives will be awarded.

9c. Other Peoples' Organization (PO), NGOs, Churches and Youth Groups will also be encouraged to visit the Model Farms and learn Urban Farming. These organizations, on their own terms, may further increase the beneficiaries of the program and explore other marketing opportunities.

9d. Information drive and advocacy campaign in partnership with the different districts will be conducted through IEC materials distribution, quad media promotion and market day/harvest festival.

SECTION 5. Criteria for the Selection of Urban Garden. —

• At least 500 sq. m. vacant lot (or in its absence, container gardening equivalent to about 200 sq. m.);

• Availability of water and power supply

• Accessibility to urban dwellers

• Willingness of the host BLGU/District to participate in the program and capability to provide the required counterpart

• Should not be flood prone area

• Peace and order situation

SECTION 6. Roles and Responsibilities. —

The following are the roles and responsibilities of key players and stakeholders.

A. Department of Agriculture shall:

1. Create a Project Management Team (PMT) which will implement the project in Quezon City. This will be spearheaded by the Office of the Undersecretary for Special Concerns. The members of the PMT shall include:

a. ATI — To conduct and facilitate orientation, social preparation as well as technology training and entrepreneurships;

b. BPI — Provide initial inputs for these Model Farms, which will include assorted seeds of preferred vegetables (Open Pollinated Varieties), planting materials of indigenous vegetables and fruit trees;

c. BFAR — To provide fingerlings MISSING WORD/S Aquaponics

d. BSWM — To provide soil mix MISSING WORD/S

e. AFID — Information drive and advocacy campaign in partnership with the different districts will be conducted through IEC materials distribution, quad media promotion and market day/harvest festival

f. FOS — To conduct project Monitoring and Evaluation

2. Validate the eligible organization as beneficiaries for the Model Farms as identified by DSWD and LGU;

3. Validate the identified sites in coordination with LGU;

4. Partner with NGO/Private Sector for financial and other support

B. Barangay Local Government shall:

1. Identify the composition of the Urban Agriculture (UA) team and target sites; DETACa

2. Provide area for the urban garden, manpower, water and electricity;

3. Provide farm inputs for the succeeding cycle and shall sustain the program by providing needed resources of the gardens;

4. Replicate/establish additional urban gardens in other barangays; and,

5. Submit monthly accomplishment report to the DA-Office of Special Concern.

C. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) shall:

1. Provide the area the manpower and beneficiaries of the project;

2. Purchase farm produce from the barangay urban farm for the Departments community feeding program;

3. Coordinate and assist the DA in the feeding program part of the project.

D. City Local Government Unit (Quezon City)

1. The City Local Government Unit (CLGU) of Quezon City through the Office of the Vice Mayor will play an important role in site selection using the prescribed criteria and distinguish whether this program will indeed be feasible to adopt in their respective localities. Identifying the organized beneficiaries and communities that are suitable for training for its urban gardening will be done jointly by the Quezon City CLGU, BLGU of the target sites together with the DSWD. It will be jointly validated by DA, DSWD and the CLGU with the cooperation of the BLGU.

SECTION 7. Documentation, Monitoring & Evaluation. —

a. Existing Monitoring and Evaluation schemes of the Department shall be adopted to track problems, accomplishments, results, lessons learned as well as impacts. Baseline data will be collected as basis for established targets on specific objective that will be evaluated three years after project implementation.

SECTION 8. Funding. —

All expenses incurred in the implementation of this project, except those which may be shouldered by the private sectors and attached agencies, shall be charged against DA OSEC-FUND.

SECTION 9. Effectivity. —

This Order shall take effect immediately and supersedes other issuances inconsistent herewith.

RECOMMENDED BY:

(SGD.) ATTY. RANIBAI D. DILANGALENUndersecretary

APPROVED/DISAPPROVED:

(SGD.) EMMANUEL F. PIÑOLSecretary