Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____________________ 
Introduced by HON. CHRISTOPHERSON “COCO” M. YAP 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, a barangay is considered urban if it has: 
a) a population size of five thousand or more; b) if it has at least one establishment with a
minimum of 100 employees; or c) if it has five or more establishments with a minimum of
10 to 99 employees, and five or more facilities within the two-kilometer radius from the
barangay hall.
Urban population increased by 7.2 Million in just five years this accounts for the 2.8 
percentage point increase in the total number of people living in urban areas which is now 
at 54% according to the 2020 Census on Population and Household. As farmers and 
farm-workers leave the rural areas to switch from agricultural to other jobs, leaving their 
farm lands in the process, our food security hangs in the balance. 
This bill, which was approved on third reading in the House of Representatives the 18th 
July 22, 2022
9:14 am
2236


 
 
Congress but failed to become law, aims to institutionalize urban food production as a 
means to increase food production with the end goal of attaining food security for the 
years to come. 
 
Under this measure, idle lots suitable for growing crops and raising poultry which may 
belong to the government or private entities shall be used as community gardens or 
vertical farms. It mandates at least thirteen (13) agencies and instrumentalities of 
government to support and implement the program. I also provides incentives to 
compliant condominium owners and developers and requires local government units to 
incorporate urban agriculture programs in their Annual Development and Investment 
Plans. The integration of urban agriculture in the elementary and secondary curriculum is 
also mandated under this bill. 
 
This measure will expand the public’s concept of sustainable agriculture to include not 
only organic agriculture but other modern and safe ways of growing food which includes, 
among others: hydroponics, geoponics, and aquaponics. 
 
Although urban agricultural methodologies are primarily designed for urban areas, more 
and more rural farms are adopting the concepts to maximize their crop yield. Thus, this 
measure will not only benefit urban dwellers but also communities in rural areas. 
 
Thus, passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
 
 
 
 
CHRISTOPHERSON “COCO” M. YAP 
Representative, Second District of Southern Leyte 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _________________________ 
Introduced by HON. CHRISTOPHERSON “COCO” M. YAP 
AN ACT 
PROMOTING INTEGRATED URBAN AGRICULTURE IN URBAN AREAS 
NATIONWIDE TO ADDRESS FOOD SECURITY AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1.  Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “Integrated Urban Agriculture 
1 
Act”. 
2 
SEC. 2. 
 Declaration of Policy. The State shall promote and protect the fundamental 
3 
right of every person to adequate food and freedom from hunger. 
4 
Recognizing the challenges to food security and ecological balance in urban 
5 
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areas, the State shall optimize the use and productivity of urban land 
6 
resources and spaces to support sufficient and sustainable food production. 
7 
Towards this end, the State shall promote the development of modern, cost-
8 
effective, space-efficient, and environmentally-safe agriculture technologies 
9 
in urban areas to contribute in achieving sustainable food production and 
10 
food security, ensure adequate nutrition and public health, and improve the 
11 
quality of life of urban populations. Accordingly, the State shall ensure the 
12 
integration of principles, strategies and technologies on urban agriculture in 
13 
urban planning. 
14 
 
SEC. 3.  
Definition of Terms. As used in this Act: 
15 
 
(a) Community gardens refer to any piece of land cultivated by a group 
16 
of people using either individual or shared plots on public or private 
17 
land with the consent of the owner, to produce edibles, such as 
18 
herbs, vegetables, fruits or ornamentals. Community gardens may be 
19 
found in neighborhoods and schools, or connected to institutions 
20 
such as hospitals or located on the grounds or roofs of shared 
21 
housing, such as, but not limited to, tenements and apartment 
22 
complexes; 
23 
 
(b) Food security refers to a situation wherein all people have access to 
24 
sufficient, safe, nutritious food, at all times, to maintain a healthy 
25 
and active life; 
26 
 
(c) Food system refers to a complex web of activities involving the 
27 
production, processing, transport, and consumption of food. Issues 
28 
concerning the food system include the governance and economics of 
29 
food production, its sustainability, the degree to which we waste 
30 


 
 
food, how food production affects the natural environment and the 
31 
impact of food on individual and population health; 
32 
 
(d) Idle lands refer to non-agricultural lands in urban and urbanizable 
33 
areas on which no improvements have been made by the owner, as 
34 
certified by the city, municipal or provincial assessor. Idle 
35 
government lands refer to lands owned by any government entity 
36 
that have been idle and have not been used for the purpose for which 
37 
they have been reserved for the past 10 years; 
38 
 
(e) Integrated urban agriculture refers to the development paradigm 
39 
that encompasses principles, management technologies, and the 
40 
policies relating to the practice and application of agricultural 
41 
production of food and goods in urban areas; 
42 
 
(f) Peri-urban areas refer to areas where urban and rural features and 
43 
processes meet, interact and intertwine, usually located between city 
44 
and countryside. Peri-urban areas are semi-dense clusters with a 
45 
density of at least 300 inhabitants per square kilometer and a 
46 
population of 5,000 or more but are neither contiguous with nor 
47 
within two (2) kilometers of an urban area; 
48 
 
(g) Social preparation refers to the series of activities designed to 
49 
prepare the underprivileged and homeless families to cope with the 
50 
changes brought about by government development projects; 
51 
 
(h) Urban areas shall refer to any of the following, per PSA Resolution 
52 
No. 01, Series of 2017-098: 
53 
- 
If a barangay has a population size of 5,000 or more; 
54 


 
 
- 
If a barangay has at least one establishment with a minimum of 
55 
100 employees; 
56 
- 
If a barangay has 5 or more establishments with a minimum of 
57 
10 to 99 employees, and 5 or more facilities within the two-
58 
kilometer radius from the barangay hall; 
59 
 
(i) Urban planning refers to multi-disciplinary art and science of 
60 
analyzing, specifying, clarifying, harmonizing, managing and 
61 
regulating the use and development of land and water resources, in 
62 
relation to their environs, for the development of sustainable 
63 
communities and ecosystems in urban and urbanizable areas; 
64 
 
(j) Urbanizable areas refer to sites and lands which, considering the 
65 
present characteristics and prevailing conditions, display marked and 
66 
great potential of becoming urban areas within the period of five (5) 
67 
years; and 
68 
 
(k) Vertical farming refers to the method or practice of indoor 
69 
agriculture, or growing produce in vertically stacked layers in 
70 
skyscrapers and modern buildings using geoponic, hydroponic or 
71 
aeroponic growing methods.  
72 
 
SEC. 4.  
Coverage. This Act shall cover idle or abandoned government or private 
73 
lands, subdivisions/villages, public housing, open spaces in all urban, peri-
74 
urban and urbanizable areas in the country; and all available and 
75 
appropriate land resources in state or private universities and colleges, and 
76 
military camps suitable for growing crops and raising poultry, livestock and 
77 
aquaculture. 
78 
 
SEC. 5.  
Community Gardening and Vertical Farming. Local government units shall 
79 


 
 
identify and develop idle government and/or private lands, without 
80 
prejudice to the rights of owners of private lands, and open spaces, 
81 
including roofs of buildings, within their jurisdiction, for full or partial 
82 
conversion to community gardens and/or vertical farms to support food 
83 
security and nutrition; Provided, That, spaces allocated for urban 
84 
agriculture shall not be prime lots. LGUs, in coordination with the 
85 
Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Cooperative Development 
86 
Authority, shall capacitate neighborhood associations and people’s 
87 
organizations, and/or facilitate the organization and registration of 
88 
community-based cooperatives, to undertake community gardening. 
89 
 
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) 
90 
shall ensure the provision of adequate spaces for community gardens and/or 
91 
vertical farms in the design and development of subdivision, condominium 
92 
and public housing projects. Towards this end, the DHSUD, in coordination 
93 
with the DA, shall capacitate homeowners’ association to undertake 
94 
community gardening and/or vertical farming.  
95 
 
The DA shall provide the necessary technical assistance and support 
96 
services, including the provision of seeds and seedlings and gardening tools, 
97 
access to loans from government financial institutions, and agricultural 
98 
training, to ensure the full productivity of community gardens and vertical 
99 
farms. 
100 
 
The DA, in coordination with the Department of Science and Technology, 
101 
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Department of 
102 
Energy, shall also undertake the establishment of rainwater harvesting 
103 
facilities, renewable energy systems and solid waste management systems, 
104 
including waste-to-energy facilities, to provide sustainable supply of water, 
105 
energy and compost to community gardens and vertical farms. 
106 


 
 
 
SEC. 6. 
 Urban Agriculture in Urban Planning. The DHSUD, in coordination with 
107 
the DA, shall ensure the integration of concepts and principles of urban 
108 
agriculture and its relationship to other processes in the food system in 
109 
urban planning. Accordingly, the DHSUD and DA shall promote 
110 
sustainable, smart and organic food production systems that harness the 
111 
benefits of new technologies and methods in soil, nutrient, water and energy 
112 
management, such as composting, rainwater harvesting and utilization of 
113 
renewable energy. The DHSUD shall also ensure the rational use of land 
114 
resources in urban planning to promote sustainable peri-urban interface, as 
115 
well as for the spatial requirements of supply chain management and 
116 
logistics to strengthen urban-rural foodshed linkages. 
117 
 
Towards these ends, the DHSUD shall promulgate guidelines for the 
118 
harmonization of Comprehensive Land Use Plans and zoning ordinances of 
119 
local government units with urban agriculture policies, frameworks, 
120 
strategies and standards. 
121 
 
LGUs are hereby mandated to incorporate urban agricultural development 
122 
in their respective Annual Development Plans, Annual Investment Plans, 
123 
Physical Framework Plans, and Development Master Plans. 
124 
 
LGUs, with the assistance of the DA, Department of Interior and Local 
125 
Government and the Department of Information and Communications 
126 
Technology, shall establish and maintain a digital information system to 
127 
facilitate the efficient collection, management and analysis of urban food 
128 
system, agriculture and nutrition data, as well as monitoring and evaluation 
129 
of LGU performance vis-à-vis food system, agriculture and nutrition targets, 
130 
to inform local planning, policy-making and programming, and to ensure 
131 
open public access to data. 
132 


 
 
 
SEC. 7.  
Urban Agriculture Education. Urban agriculture shall be integrated in the 
133 
academic curriculum for elementary, secondary and tertiary level students of 
134 
both public and private academic institutions offering courses in 
135 
Agriculture, Practical Arts, Home Economics and/or other subjects related 
136 
to agriculture. A course curriculum on gardening shall be developed and 
137 
included in the regular curriculum of elementary and secondary education. 
138 
Instructional materials shall likewise be developed. 
139 
 
The Department of Education shall strengthen the implementation of 
140 
Gulayan sa Paaralan Program in elementary and secondary schools, 
141 
establishing school gardens to ensure continuous supply of vegetables for 
142 
school feeding, in accordance with Republic Act No. 11037, entitled ‘An 
143 
Act Institutionalizing a National Feeding Program for Undernourished 
144 
Children in Public Day Care, Kindergarten and Elementary Schools to 
145 
Combat Hunger and Undernutrition among Filipino Children and 
146 
Appropriating Funds Therefor’. 
147 
 
For universities and colleges, urban agriculture shall form part of the 
148 
required period of time spent by students in the National Service Training 
149 
Program or the Citizens' Military Training.  A plan for the utilization or 
150 
maximization of space occupied by schools shall be formulated specifically 
151 
for urban agriculture purposes. 
152 
 
SEC. 8.  
Research and Development. The DA and the Department of Science and 
153 
Technology, as well as relevant state universities, government research and 
154 
development institutions, and the private sector, shall intensify research on 
155 
methods and technologies to support urban agriculture, including the 
156 
development and operation of demonstration urban community gardens 
157 
and vertical farms. 
158 


 
 
 
SEC. 9.  
Incentives. Compliance by subdivision and condominium developers and/or 
159 
owners with Section 5 of this Act may qualify them for incentives provided 
160 
for under Republic Act No. 10771, entitled ‘An Act Promoting the Creation 
161 
of Green Jobs, Granting Incentives and Appropriating Funds Therefor’, 
162 
subject to rules and regulations promulgated by the Department of Finance 
163 
and the DHSUD. 
164 
 
The commitment and performance of LGUs in the implementation of 
165 
this Act shall be included in the criteria for the awarding of the Seal of 
166 
Good Local Governance and the provision of incentives, provided for under 
167 
Republic 
Act 
No. 
11292, 
entitled 
‘An 
Act 
Establishing 
and 
168 
Institutionalizing the Seal of Good Local Governance for Local Government 
169 
Units, and Allocating for this Purpose the Seal of Good Local Governance 
170 
Fund’. 
171 
 
Loans extended by government and private banks to participating 
172 
individuals, corporations and partnerships shall be treated as compliance to 
173 
Republic Act No. 10000, entitled An Act Providing for an Agriculture and 
174 
Agrarian Reform Credit and Financing System through Banking 
175 
Institutions’.   
176 
 
SEC. 10.  
Inter-Agency Coordination. There is hereby established a National 
177 
Convergence Program on Urban Agriculture. The Department of 
178 
Agriculture is hereby designated as the Lead Implementing Agency and the 
179 
Secretariat of the Convergence Program. The following agencies shall 
180 
perform duties and responsibilities in order to develop and sustain 
181 
concerted action to promote urban agriculture: 
182 
 


 
 
a) 
The Department of Agriculture shall provide technical assistance and 
183 
support services to local government units, community-based 
184 
cooperatives, homeowners’ associations, neighborhood associations 
185 
and people’s organizations to ensure the viability and cost-
186 
effectiveness of urban agriculture projects; 
187 
 
b) 
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development 
188 
shall ensure the integration of urban agriculture principles, policies, 
189 
strategies, frameworks and standards in the design and development 
190 
of subdivision, condominium and public housing projects, and in the 
191 
preparation or updating of development and investment plans, 
192 
CLUPs and zoning ordinances of LGUs, promulgate rules thereof 
193 
and monitor their compliance therewith. The DHSUD shall provide 
194 
assistance to homeowners’ associations to strengthen their capacity 
195 
to undertake urban agriculture projects in their neighborhoods and 
196 
communities; 
197 
 
c) 
The Department of Interior and Local Government shall monitor the 
198 
compliance of LGUs with the provisions of this Act in order to 
199 
determine their qualification for incentives provided for under 
200 
Republic Act No. 11292; 
201 
 
d) 
The Department of Education (DepEd) shall integrate the principles 
202 
and practice of urban agriculture into primary and secondary 
203 
education curricula, including the establishment of school gardens 
204 
under the Gulayan sa Paaralan Program. DepEd shall ensure the 
205 
adequate training of teachers and the development of appropriate 
206 
instructional materials for this purpose; 
207 
 


 
 
e) 
Department of Science and Technology shall conduct research on 
208 
modern, cost-effective methods and technologies to support urban 
209 
agricultural production, as well as post-harvest handling of surplus 
210 
produce from urban agriculture projects; 
211 
 
f) 
Department of Trade and Industry shall provide technical assistance 
212 
in processing and packaging of surplus produce from urban 
213 
agriculture projects and ensure access of local government units, 
214 
cooperatives, homeowners’ associations, and people’s organizations 
215 
to markets; 
216 
 
g) 
Department of Finance shall administer the grant of incentives under 
217 
Section 9 of this Act to qualified persons based on their compliance 
218 
to Section 5 of this Act; 
219 
 
h) 
Department of Budget and Management shall ensure adequate 
220 
funding for the functions and programs provided for by under this 
221 
Act; 
222 
 
i) 
The Commission on Higher Education shall develop and implement 
223 
curriculum and related standards and instructional materials in 
224 
support of urban agriculture; 
225 
 
226 
j) 
The Cooperative Development Authority shall provide guidance and 
227 
assistance to LGUs in the development of cooperatives within their 
228 
jurisdiction; 
229 
 
k) 
The Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor shall undertake 
230 
social preparation activities to encourage participation and empower 
231 
poor and underprivileged communities from the preparation and 
232 


 
 
planning to implementation and evaluation of urban development 
233 
projects; and, 
234 
 
l) 
 Philippine Information Agency shall undertake a nationwide 
235 
information campaign, utilizing all forms of media, to raise 
236 
awareness and encourage participation of the public in the 
237 
implementation of this Act. 
238 
 
SEC. 11.  
Periodic report to Congress. The Department of Agriculture and partner 
239 
agencies in the National Convergence Program on Urban Agriculture shall 
240 
submit annual performance reports to Congress.  
241 
 
SEC. 12.  
Appropriations. The funds necessary to carry out the initial implementation 
242 
of this Act shall be charged against the respective budgets of concerned 
243 
agencies for the current year. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for 
244 
the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual 
245 
General Appropriations Act. 
246 
 
SEC. 13.  
Implementing Rules and Regulations. Within six (6) months from the 
247 
effectivity of this Act, the agencies under the National Convergence 
248 
Program on Urban Agriculture shall promulgate the necessary implementing 
249 
rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Act. 
250 
 
SEC. 14.  
Separability Clause. If any part or provision of this Act is held 
251 
unconstitutional or invalid, other parts or provisions hereof which are not 
252 
affected shall continue to remain in full force and effect. 
253 
 
SEC. 15.  
Repealing Clause. All laws, executive orders, issuances, rules and 
254 
regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby amended, repealed or 
255 
modified accordingly. 
256 


 
 
 
SEC. 16.  
Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
257 
a newspaper of general circulation. 
258 
 
Approved,