DA taps local governments for food security

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is enlisting the help of local governments to enhance food security as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, now on its second week, is threatening food supply here and abroad.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar has pitched a 10-point agenda that local governments can adopt to boost the productivity of their respective farming and fishing communities and increase the incomes of small farmers and fisherfolk.

These include adopting a food security plan to ensure production and supply of accessible, affordable and nutritious food to their constituents. The DA also recommended farm and fishery consolidation and clustering to attain economies of scale and the improved management of production costs so that all players in the food value chain will earn more.

Dar also proposed implementing risk assessment, surveillance and monitoring to contain the spread of plant and animal diseases.

Local governments can connect village-based activities to large-scale factories, processing and marketing centers; partner with farmer-cooperatives and associations and private investors and identify champion commodities and enhance the industries where they have a comparative advantage.

Aside from investing in climate-proof infrastructure facilities, he said local governments can use a combination of inorganic, organic fertilizers and bio-stimulants to sustain productivity and produce what is highly marketable and promote crop diversification for export.

Dar also encouraged more farmers and fishers to register in the Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and promote the use of e-commerce/digital platforms linking farmers and fishers with direct and institutional buyers.

Likewise, he suggested crafting a well-defined strategy as a guide in crafting local policies and anchoring these on the food value system.