The present Philippine Development Plan endeavours to empower the poor and marginalized, push for improved transparency and accountability in governance, and fuel the economy. Specifically, growth shall be more inclusive by lowering poverty incidence in the rural areas, more jobs shall be created, making individuals and communities more resilient, driving innovation, and building greater trust in government and in society. “AmBisyon Natin 2040” represents the collective long-term vision and aspirations of the Filipino people for themselves and for the country in the next 25 years. It is a Vision, not a plan. A Vision presents a picture of the future, a set of personal life goals as well as ideals for the country; a plan, on the other hand, consists of a set of strategies to achieve the goals. Plans are contingent on various factors and circumstances, just as routes to a given destination can vary depending on weather or road conditions. A vision, like a goal or a destination, remains fixed, at least for the given time horizon. Ambisyon Natin 2040 provides the anchor for the country’s development plans until 2040. The present Plan seeks, inter alia, to expand economic opportunities in the agriculture, forestries and fisheries sector (AFF). In particular, chapter 8 deals with this aspect. It consists of 3 main Parts: Assessment and challenges; Targets and strategies; Legislative agenda. In the medium-term, AFF will seek to: a) expand economic opportunities for those who are currently engaged in producing AFF products; and b) increase access to economic opportunities for small farmers and fisherfolk who are typically subsistence producers and have limited market participation. These will be beneficial to existing producers and marginalized farmers and fisherfolk, including women, elderly and indigenous peoples. Strategies to expand economic opportunities in AFF fall under “Pagbabago” or reducing inequality. The goal is to improve productivity and increase access. To achieve these targets, the following strategies will be implemented: Develop an integrated color-coded agricultural map to identify the comparative advantage of specific areas; Accelerate construction of disaster- and climate-resilient, small-scale irrigation systems and retrofit existing ones; Facilitate the use of appropriate farm and fishery machinery and equipment; Strengthen the AFF extension system; Pursue an ecosystems approach to fisheries management; Strengthen community-based enterprises in upland areas; Access to value chains increased; Organize small farmers and fisherfolk into formal groups and farms into clusters to create economies of scale; Access to technology increased; Access to innovative financing increased; Provide small farmers and fisherfolk easy access to affordable formal credit; Enhance capacity of small farmers and fisherfolk to adopt better and new technologies; Access of small farmers and fisherfolk to land and water resources increased and protected; Complement strategic efforts with environmental and governance strategies. To expand economic opportunities for existing AFF producers: a) productivity must be improved sustainably; and b) the number and capacity of AFF-based enterprises must increase. Productivity enhancements will be attained within the ecological limit by striking a balance between utilization and regeneration of land and water resources to ensure sustained benefits. New AFF-based enterprises will be developed, while existing ones will be encouraged to increase production and to go beyond producing merely raw materials through increased value-adding of products with higher market value. The resulting rise in potential incomes will attract more people, including the youth, to venture into the sector. With the lifting of quantitative restrictions on rice, the government will pay close. The text consists of 7 Parts as follows: Introduction (1); Enhancing the social fabric (2); Inequality reducing transformation (3); Increasing growth potential (4); Enabling and supportive economic environment (5); Foundations for sustainable development (6); From Plan to actions (7).
Philippines · 2017-01-01