ORGANIC FARMING

IN THE PHILIPPINES
And how it affects Philippine Agriculture

Sarah Monique Nicole Antoinette P. Golez

11592151 | Agrarian Law and Social Legislation Paper

A. History of Organic Agriculture

Since the ancient times, organic agriculture has been a method of farming done by our ancestors for
the production of agricultural products as well as the farming of animals such as chickens and cattle.
Historically, this method of farming has been considered as traditional farming. Today, organic
farming or traditional farming, has been defined as farming which does not use any inorganic method
or product.1

During the rise of the industrial revolution, but prior to World War II, inorganic methods such as
the use of farming machineries, became a widely popular process in farming as it causes an increase
in the produce. Because of these advancements, fields for farming became bigger, new crops were
planted and there were new breeds of products that were created thanks to the advancements in
biochemistry. Because of these advancements in technology and biochemistry, farming became more
efficient and commercialized.2

It was during this period that organic agriculture also continued to flourish. One of the principal
figures in Organic agriculture in modern times is Albert Howard, an English botanist who worked
as an agricultural adviser in India and was in charge of the British Government’s research farm in
Indore, India.3 It was during his stay in India that he began to support traditional Indian farming
practice over the growing conventional agricultural science that was being done by most farmers in
the western world at the time. One of the important aspects he learned while in India was that there
was an indivisible connection between the health of the soil, the plants, and the animals that were
being farmed. Because of his refinement of the traditional Indian method of composting system
called the Indore Method, which uses organic wastes in order to naturally enrich the soil for farming,
he is known as the father of modern composting.4

In 1924, Austrian Rudolf Steiner developed biodynamic agriculture which increased the soil’s fertility
without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This became known as the first comprehensive
system for organic farming.5

In 1939, a certain Lady Eve Belfour and Alice Debenham began the Haughley experiment which
compared organic farming and conventional chemical-based farming on two adjacent farms located
in Haughley Green Suffolk, England.6 This experiment sought to prove that farmers have become
too reliant on chemical fertilizers, that livestock, crops, and the soil should be treated as a whole
when it comes to farming, and that in some ways, food or produce derived from natural farming
methods are more wholesome that those produced by conventional farming methods.7

1
Douglas John McConnell (2003). The Forest Farms of Kandy: And Other Gardens of Complete Design. p. 1. ISBN 9780754609582.
2
Trevor Illtyd Williams; Thomas Kingston Derry (1982). A short history of twentieth-century technology c. 1900-c. 1950. Oxford University Press. pp. 134–135.
3
Solomon, Steve. "Sir Albert Howard's Indore Method". Organic Gardener's Composting. Soil And Health Library. Archived from the original on 24 May 2008. Retrieved 25
September 2019.
4
Stinner, D.H (2007), "The Science of Organic Farming", in William Lockeretz (ed.), Organic Farming: An International History, Oxfordshire, UK & Cambridge, Massachusetts: CAB
International (CABI), pp. 40–72, ISBN 978-0-85199-833-6, retrieved 25 September 2019 ebook ISBN 978-1-84593-289-3
5
Paull John (2011). "Attending the First Organic Agriculture Course: Rudolf Steiner's Agriculture Course at Koberwitz, 1924" (PDF). European Journal of Social Sciences. 21 (1): 64–
70.
6
White, Kim Kennedy; Duram, Leslie A (2013). America Goes Green: An Encyclopedia of Eco-friendly Culture in the United States. California: ABC-CLIO. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-59884-
657-7.
7
Gordon, Ian (2004). Reproductive Technologies in Farm Animals. CABI. pp. 10–. ISBN 978-0-85199-049-1.
 B. Organic agriculture in the Philippines

Modern agricultural movement in the Philippines began sometime in 1980 when a rural Non-
Governmental Organization (NGO) named the Farmers Assistance Board published a film entitled
“Profits for Poison” which showcased the negative effects of chemical-based farming on rice farmers
while multinational businesses benefitted from them due to the Green Revolution. Sometime in the
Mid-80’s, the Agency for Community Education and Services published a work entitled “The Miracle
that Never Was” which showed that farmers were in a better condition before they shifted to
intensive monoculture of High-yielding crops.

In May 1986, a farmer-scientist partnership established for agricultural development known as the
Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Ikauunlad ng Agham Pan gAgrikultura (MASIPAG) which pioneered
educating rice farmers how to rice breed in order to allow the farmers to select the parent materials
based on the plant’s characters without the use of chemical fertlizers or pesticides.

Also in 1986, the Department of Trade and Industry’s Center for International Trade Expositions
and Missions (DTI-CITEM) participated at the Biofach World Organic Trade Fair at Nuremburg,
Germany where the Philippines showcased several organic produce as well as organic household
supplies. The Philippine Government then realized the potential of the organic sector as another
export product of the Philippines. Because of this potential for trade and export, the Philippine
National Government began to push for Filipino organic traders and producers to gain entry to the
global organic market.8

II. Statement of the Problem

With the growing trend of healthier food options and a healthier lifestyle, organic goods have grown
in popularity not only in the Philippines but also all over the world. Being an agricultural country,
organic agriculture has slowly been making its mark within agricultural farmers however, will this trend
be a sustainable avenue for farmers to take given that consumers in the Philippines have not really
been educated on the benefits of organic food products? This research paper aims to understand how
the growing trend of organic goods affect the agricultural industry in the Philippines as well as the
possible sustainability of organic food trend.

III. Objective

A. Impact of Organic Agriculture in the Philippines’ agricultural industry

a. Benefits of Organic Agriculture to farmers

Organic Farming benefits farmers because it conditions and enriches soil fertility thus increasing
farming productivity. Because of the lack of chemical inputs used in the farming process, organic
farming contributes to the reduction of pollution and environmental degradation, it prevents the
depletion of natural resources, organic farming also becomes more affordable to the farmers
because it requires less farm inputs due to the non-use of synthetic or chemical fertilizers or

8
Carating, R., and Tejada, S., Sustainable organic farming in the Philippines: history and success stories, pp. 2-3.
 pesticides which in turn also protects the health of the farmers, the consumers, and the general
public due to the absence of harmful chemicals in the production of the farming produce.9

b. Support of the government to sustain Organic agriculture

With the growing potential of organic farming and agriculture as an export commodity as well as a
healthier lifestyle for Filipinos, the government enacted republic act republic act no. 10068, also
known as the Organic Agricultural Act of 2010. Under this law, the government defined and
classified what is considered as organic, what makes an agricultural product organic and why
organic agriculture is being promoted by the Philippine government.

Further, this law also establishes the creation of the National Organic Agricultural Program, the
National Organic Agricultural Board, and strengthens the role of The Bureau of Agriculture and
Fisheries Product Standards (BAFPS) of the Department of Agriculture when it comes to organic
agriculture.

B. Are there programs to educate and/or train farmers to start organic farming?

Yes. The National Organic Agricultural Board (NOAB) is the policy-making body established by the
Organic Agriculture Act and shall provide direction and general guidelines for the implementation of
the National Organic Agricultural Program. The NOAB is composed of various stakeholders of the
organic industry, relevant national government agencies, non-government organizations, civil society
and people's organizations, is mandated to encourage and inform farmers of the benefits of organic
farming.10

Under the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010, the National Organic Agricultural Program establishes a
comprehensive organic agricultural program through the promotion and commercialization of organic
farming practices, cultivation and adoption of production and processing methods which have already
been developed, or to be developed, continuing research and upgrading thereof, the capacity building
of farmers and the education of consumers thereon, the extension of assistance to local government
units (LGU's), peoples' organizations (POs), nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and other
stakeholders including individuals and groups who are practicing and promoting these methods as
well as those who are willing to do other pertinent activities, and documentation and evaluation of the
program.11

Through the NOAB, the National Organic Agricultural Program 2012-2016 was crafted which
envisioned the organic industry as a sector that contributes to the country’s agricultural growth and
development and in terms of sustainability, competitiveness and food security, where at least five
percent (5%) of the Philippine agricultural land practice organic farming; and, where consumers both
national and international increasingly support Philippine organic food products.

Through this program, the NOAP aims to essentially promote, propagate, further develop and
implement the practice of organic agriculture in the Philippines as an industry that contributes to:

9
Tacio, H. D. (2018, February 18). Organic Farming: Benefits and limitations. Retrieved from https://philippinesgraphic.net/organic-farming-benefits-and-limitations/
10
Section 6, R. A. 10068
11
Section 5, R. A. 10068
a. Better farm incomes and sustainable livelihood. Increased farm productivity, reduced expenses
on external farm inputs, better incomes for farmers and reduction of poverty in the rural sector;

b. Improved health. Protected health of farmers, consumers and the public in general;

c. Environmental protection. Enhanced soil fertility and farm biodiversity, reduced pollution and
destruction of the environment as well as prevention of further depletion of natural resources;

d. Disaster risk reduction and resilience to Climate Change. Improved resiliency to disaster risks
and climate change vulnerabilities caused by human interventions and naturally induced hazards; and

e. Social justice. Meeting the basic material needs and improving standard of living for all, upholding
human rights, gender equality, labor standards, and the right to self-determination.12

C. What are the issues and/or challenges that organic agriculture face in the Philippines?

Organic Agriculture in the Philippines face many challenges such as policy gaps in the implementation
of the organic agriculture act of 2010, lack of production support, promotion and awareness activities;
fragmented and inadequate research and development, extension and capability building activities; and
poor market systems. One of the main challenges in organic agriculture is to be competitive with
conventional farming systems.13

D. Do landowners play a role in the organic farming of ARB’s?

Yes. Landowners whose agricultural lands are subject to the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Program of the government, play a similar role in organic farming in the same way they do in
conventional farming.

Section 2 of the CARP law, as amended by R. A. 9700 provides that: "The State shall provide
incentives to landowners to invest the proceeds of the agrarian reform program to promote
industrialization, employment and privatization of public sector enterprises. Financial instruments
used as payment for lands shall contain features that shall enhance negotiability and acceptability in
the marketplace.”14

Under section 3815 of the CARP law as amended by R. A. 9700 further states that:

xxxx

“A landowner who invests in rural-based industries shall be entitled to the incentives granted to a
registered enterprise engaged in a pioneer or preferred area of investment as provided for in the
Omnibus Investment Code of 1987,or to such other incentives as the PARC, the LBP, or other
government financial institutions shall provide.

12
NOAP- http://organic.da.gov.ph/index.php/2016-12-02-07-54-56/about-national-organic-agriculture-program
13
National Organic Agriculture Program 2012-2016, http://organic.da.gov.ph/images/Documents/NOAPDocument.pdf
14
Section 1, RA 9700
15
Section 16, RA 9700
"The LBP shall redeem a landowner's agrarian reform bonds at face value as an incentive: Provided,
That at least fifty percent (50%) of the proceeds thereof shall be invested in a Board of Investments
(BOI)-registered company or in any agri-business or agro-industrial enterprise in the region where the
CARP-covered landholding is located. An additional incentive of two percent (2%) in cash shall be
paid to a landowner who maintains his/her enterprise as a going concern for five (5) years or keeps
his/her investments in a BOI- registered firm for the same period: Provided, further, That the rights of
the agrarian reform beneficiaries are not, in any way, prejudiced or impaired thereby.

xxxx

Thus, just like in conventional farming, landowners whose lands are subject to the CARP law and
have been distributed to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries are encouraged to support the ARB’s in their
farming endeavor, whether it be organic or conventional agriculture. Such support however seems to
be dependent on what the ARB and the landowner will agree upon.

IV. Conclusion

While organic agriculture has become more prominent in the Philippines due to the recent wave of
the promotion of healthier lifestyles and the creation of the Organic Agricultural Act of 2010 is a big
step in promoting organic agriculture, there are still many hindrances and issues in the promotion of
organic agriculture and its benefits to local farmers. The establishment of the NOAB and the
enforcement of the NOAP does not seem to provide enough support to promote or encourage the
LGU’s, local farmers, landowners and other interested investors or beneficiaries to look at and invest
in organic agriculture.

Thus there are must be laws or policies that must be created to supplement the Organic Agricultural
Act, its IRR, or other laws related to it that encourage a relationship between the land owner and the
farmers that would assist the farmers or encourage the land owners to invest or support the farmers
to start organic farming instead of the conventional farming system.