An Act Providing For The Development And Promotion Of Organic Agriculture In The Philippines And For Other Purposes

Fourteenth Congress Third Regular Session

Section 2: The State shall promote, propagate, develop further and implement the practice of organic agriculture in the Philippines that will:

• cumulatively condition and enrich the fertility of the soil
• increase farm productivity
• reduce pollution and destruction of the environment
• prevent the depletion of natural resources
• protect the health of farmers, consumers, and the general public
• save on imported farm inputs.

Towards this end, a comprehensive program for the promotion of community-based organic agriculture systems which include, among others, farmer-produced purely organic fertilizers such as compost, pesticides and other farm inputs, together with a nationwide educational and promotional campaign for their use and processing as well as adoption of organic agriculture system as a viable alternative shall be undertaken.

The State recognizes and supports the central role of the farmers, indigenous people and other stakeholders at the grassroots in this program.

Section 3 Definitions

(a) Organic refers to the particular farming and processing system, described in the standards and not in the classical chemical sense. The term “organic” is synonymous in other languages to “biological” or “ecological”. It is also a labeling term that denotes products considered organic based on the Philippine National Standards for organic agriculture.

(b) Organic agriculture includes all agricultural systems that promote the ecologically sound, socially acceptable, economically viable and technically feasible production of food and fibers. Organic agricultural dramatically reduces external inputs by refraining from the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. It also covers areas such as, but not limited to, soil fertility management, varietal breeding and selection under chemical and pesticide-free conditions, the use of biotechnology and other cultural practices that are consistent with the principles and policies of this Act, and enhance productivity without destroying the soil and harming farmers, consumers and the environment as defined by the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movement (IFOAM): Provided, That the biotechnology herein to shall not include genetically modified organisms of GMOs.

(c) Organic production system is a system designed to:

(1) enhance biological diversity within the whole system;

(2) increase soil biological activity;

(3) maintain long-term soil fertility;

(4) recycle wastes of plant and animal origin in order to return nutrients to the land, thus minimizing the use of nonrenewable resources;

(5) rely on renewable resources in locally organized agricultural system;

(6) promote the healthy use of soil, water and air as well as minimize all forms of pollution thereto that may result from agricultural practices;

(7) develop and promote the use of biotechnology in agriculture;

(8) handle agricultural products with emphasis on careful processing methods in order to maintain the organic integrity and vital qualities of the product at all stages; and

(9) become established on any existing farm through a period of convention, the appropriate length of which is determined by site-specific factors such as the history of the land, and type of crops and livestock to be produced.

(d)Conversion period refers to the time between the start of the organic management and the certification of crops, animal husbandry or a aquaculture products as organic.

(e) Biodegradable wastes refer to organic matter for compost/ organic fertilizer for the organic cultivation, farming of food crops and includes discards segregated farm nonbiodegradable wastes coming from the kitchen/household (leftovers, vegetables and fruit peelings and trims, fish/fowl cleanings, seeds, bones, soft paper used as food wrap and the like), yard or garden (leaves, grasses, weeds and twigs), market (wilted, decayed or rotten vegetables and fruits, fish/fowl cleanings, bones) and farm wastes (grass clippings, dead or decayed plants, leaves, fruits, vegetables, branches, twigs and the like).

(f) Ecologically-sound refers to a state, quality or condition of a product, practice, system, development mode, culture, environment and the like, in accord with the 1987 Philippine Constitution, and as expounded in the above definition of organic agriculture.

(g) Commercialization is process of including a new agricultural and fishery technology either as product, process or service that has undergone the intensive innovative activities of assessment, promotion and transfer for economic benefit.

(h) Certification is the procedure by which official certification bodies or officially recognized certification bodies provide written or equivalent assurance that foods or food control systems conform to requirements.

(i) Accreditation is the procedure by which a government agency having jurisdiction formally recognizes the competence of an inspection and/or certification body to provide inspection and certification services.

(j) First party certification is defined as when the certification criteria and rules are set and monitor/enforced by the producer or company itself.

(k) Second party certification is defined as when the certification criteria and rules are set by buyers or industry organizations.

(l) Third party certification or independent certification is defined as when the firm requires that its supplies meet a certain standard and requests an independent organization that is not involved in the business relationship to control the compliance of the suppliers.

(m) Organic food establishment refers to an entity, whether local or foreign, that produces inputs acceptable for organic agriculture.

Section 4 Coverage

The provisions of this Act shall apply to the development and promotion of organic agriculture and shall include, but not limited to, the following:

(a) Policy formulation on regulation, registration, accreditation, certification and labeling on organic agriculture;

(b) Research, development and extension of appropriate, sustainable environment and gender-friendly organic agriculture;

(c) Promotion and encouragement of the establishment of facilities, equipment and processing plants that would accelerate the production and commercialization of organic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other commercialization of organic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other appropriate farm inputs; and

(d) Implementation of organic agricultural programs, projects and activities, including the provision and delivery of support services with focus on the farmers and other stakeholders.

Section 5 National Organic Agricultural Program

This 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.