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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 699
Introduced by REP. JAVIER MIGUEL “JAVI” L. BENITEZ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution provides for the protection and promotion of the right to health of 
the people (Article II, Section 15), as well as proper nutrition, especially of children 
(Art. XV, Sec. 3). As such, the Philippines has adopted the 2030 Agenda for 
Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Under 
Sustainable Development Goal 2, the Philippines has committed to end hunger, 
ensure food security, 
improve 
nutrition, 
increase 
agricultural 
productivity 
and promote sustainable, resilient food production systems. 
The Government has instituted programs towards these ends. However, the country 
is still far from achieving food security. According to the Expanded National 
Nutrition Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, 53.9 
percent of Filipino households are food insecure. 
Meanwhile, based on the First Quarter 2022 Survey of the Social Weather Station, 
hunger has worsened from 11.8 percent in December 2021 to 12.2 percent. This 
translates to 3.1 million families experiencing involuntary hunger at least once in the 
past three months prior to the survey.  
To address this, it is imperative to introduce game-changing solutions, increasing food 
production by maximizing available spaces and utilizing emerging agricultural 
technologies and methods, particularly in urban areas where hunger incidence is 
prevalent.  
The promotion of household-, community- and school-based urban agriculture will 
contribute to food security and poverty reduction, strengthen community-building, 
support the National Greening Program, and instill among citizens, especially the 
youth, environmental consciousness. Urban agriculture also puts value in otherwise 
idle urban spaces, maximizing limited land resources that are increasingly shrinking 
due to rapid urbanization and unsustainable urban development. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate approval of this measure is earnestly sought. 
July 1, 2025
8:04 am
JAVIER MIGUEL L. BENITEZ


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 699 
Introduced by REP. JAVIER MIGUEL “JAVI” L. BENITEZ 
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 House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the ‘Integrated 
Urban Agriculture Act’. 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – The State shall promote and protect the 
fundamental right of every person to adequate food and freedom from hunger. 
Recognizing the challenges to food security and ecological balance in urban 
areas, the State shall optimize the use and productivity of urban land resources 
and spaces to support sufficient and sustainable food production. Towards this 
end, the State shall promote the development of modern, cost-effective, space-
efficient, and environmentally-safe agriculture technologies in urban areas to 
contribute in achieving sustainable food production and food security, 
promoting agro-ecology, ensuring public and mental health and thus 
improving the quality of life of urban populations. In doing so, the State shall 
prioritize the conservation of the country's genetic biodiversity, and endemic 
and heirloom flora and fauna as a strategy for climate change adaptation, 
mitigation and resiliency. 
Accordingly, the State shall ensure the integration of principles, strategies and 
technologies on urban agriculture in urban planning, and instill a love of 
farming among urban dwellers most especially the youth. 


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SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act: 
(a) Agro-ecology refers to a scientific discipline and set of practices that
studies how different components of the agroecosystem interact, and
seeks sustainable farming systems that optimize and stabilize yields. It
applies ecological concepts and principles to manage interactions
among plants, animals, humans and the environment for food security
and nutrition;
(b) Community Gardens refer to any piece of land cultivated by group of
people using either individual or shared plots on public or private land
with the consent of the owner, to produce edibles, such as herbs,
vegetables, fruits or ornamentals, as a form of sustainable land use
system for economic and societal development. community gardens
may be found in neighborhoods and schools, or connected to institutions
such as hospitals or located on the grounds or roofs of shared housing,
such as tenements and apartment complexes;
(c) Food Forest Gardening refers to multi-layered crop farming or a low
maintenance and sustainable method of food production that is based
on woodland ecosystems, incorporating fruit and nut trees, shrubs,
herbs, vines, and perennial vegetables which yields are directly useful
to humans. It also refers to a system of agro-forestry that creates diverse,
productive, healthy, ecologically-sound and sustainable system of land
use;
(d) Food security refers to a situation wherein all people have access to
sufficient, safe, nutritious food, at all times, to maintain a healthy and
active life;
(e) Food system refers to a complex web of activities involving the
production, processing, transport, and consumption of food. Issues
concerning the food system include the governance and economics of
food production, its sustainability, the degree to which we waste food,
how food production affects the natural environment and the impact of
food on individual and population health;
(f) Good Agricultural Practices refer to the practices that address
environmental, economic, and social sustainability for on-farm
processes, and which result in safe and quality food and non-food
agricultural products;


 
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(g) Idle lands refer to non-agricultural lands in urban and urbanizable areas 
on which no improvements have been made by the owner, as certified 
by the city, municipal or provincial assessor. Idle government lands 
refer to lands owned by any government entity that have been idle and 
have not been used for the purpose for which they have been reserved 
for the past ten (10) years; 
 
(h) Indoor farming refers to controlled environment agriculture which aims 
to optimize plant growth to house vertical farming techniques in 
greenhouses, warehouses, abandoned buildings, shipping containers, 
tunnels, skyscrapers and modern buildings using soilless farming 
techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics; 
 
(i) Integrated urban agriculture refers to the development paradigm that 
encompasses principles, management technologies, and the policies 
relating to the practice and application of agricultural and fisheries 
production of food and goods in urban areas; 
 
(j) Peri-urban areas refer to areas where urban and rural features and 
processes meet, interact and intertwine, usually located between city 
and countryside. Peri-urban areas are semi-dense clusters with a density 
of at least three hundred (300) inhabitants per square kilometer and a 
population of five thousand (5,000) or more, but are neither contiguous 
with nor within two (2) kilometers of an urban area; 
 
(k) Protected agriculture refers to the use of technologies that enclose crops 
to harvest higher yields, safer, cleaner and of better quality even out of 
season by modifying the natural environment and protect crop against 
the elements which include high temperature, excessive rainfall, 
humidity, wind, birds, insects; 
 
(l) Social preparation refers to the series of activities designed to prepare 
the underprivileged and homeless families to cope with the changes 
brought about by government development projects; 
 
(m) 
Soilless agriculture refers to the method of growing plants that do 
not rely on the soil as a source of nutrients and water; common methods 
are hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics; 
(n) Urban areas refer to classification as may be made by the Philippines 
Statistics Authority (PSA) which under PSA Resolution No. 01, Series of 
2017-098, covers any of the following: 
 
(1) If a barangay has a population size of five thousand (5,000) or 
more; 


 
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(2) If a barangay has at least one establishment with a minimum of 
one hundred (100) employees; 
(3) If a barangay has five (5) or more establishments with a minimum 
of zero (0) employee, and five (5) or more facilities within the two 
(2)-kilometer radius from the barangay hall; 
 
(o) Urban planning refers to multi-disciplinary art and science of analyzing, 
specifying, clarifying, harmonizing, managing and regulating the use 
and development of land and water resources, in relation to their 
environs, for the development of sustainable communities and 
ecosystems in urban and urbanizable areas; 
 
(p) Urbanizable areas refer to sites and lands which, considering the present 
characteristics and prevailing conditions, display marked and great 
potential of becoming urban areas within the period of five (5) years; 
and  
 
(q) Vertical farming refers to the methods or practices of increasing the 
number of plants grown in an area by growing crops in vertically 
stacked layers; such as generally done in greenhouses, warehouses, 
abandoned buildings, shipping containers, tunnels, skyscrapers and 
modern buildings using soilless farming techniques such as 
hydroponics, aquaponics or aeroponics. 
 
SEC. 4. Coverage. – This Act shall cover idle or abandoned government 
or private lands, buildings, shipping containers, subdivisions or villages, 
public housing, open spaces in all urban, peri-urban and urbanizable areas in 
the country; and all available land resources and buildings in schools, state or 
private universities and colleges, military camps suitable for growing crops 
and raising poultry, livestock and aquaculture: Provided, That, the utilization 
of idle lands for urban agriculture purposes shall not be used as grounds for 
the eviction, of informal settler families occupying the lands; Provided further, 
That, the raising of poultry and livestock shall be limited to urbanizable areas 
and all livestock raising shall be subject to health and safety standards and 
regulations issued by the Department of Health (DOH), Department of 
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Human 
Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and other relevant government 
agencies. 
 
SEC. 5. Urban Farming. – Local government units (LGUs) shall identify 
and develop idle government and private lands and buildings, without 
prejudice to the rights of owners of private lands, buildings and open spaces, 
within their jurisdiction, for full or partial conversion solely to community 
gardens, food forest gardens, indoor farms and/or vertical farms to support 
food security and community nutrition; Provided, That food forest gardens and 


 
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urban farms adopting agro-ecological principles shall be the priority form of 
urban agriculture wherever applicable and feasible; Provided further, That, 
spaces allocated for urban agriculture and aquaculture shall not be prime lots. 
All LGUs, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the 
Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), shall capacitate neighborhood 
associations and people's organizations, and facilitate the organization and 
registration of community-based cooperatives, to undertake community 
gardening and establish community farmers' markets. 
 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit or extinguish the rights of 
owners to their private lands and spaces without their consent or without their 
receipt of just compensation, in case of expropriation. 
 
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development 
(DHSUD) shall ensure that the design and development of subdivision, 
condominium and public housing projects have provisions for adequate spaces 
for community gardens, food forest gardens, greenhouse agriculture, roof 
gardens, indoor farms and vertical farms. Towards this end, the DHSUD, in 
coordination with the DA, shall capacitate homeowners' associations to 
undertake community gardening and vertical farming. 
 
The DA shall provide the necessary technical assistance and support 
services, including the provision of seeds and seedlings and gardening tools, 
access to loans from government financial institutions, and training workshops 
that shall capacitate various stakeholders. It may assist in the design, 
establishment, promotion and regulation of indoor and vertical farming 
machineries and facilities to ensure the full productivity of community 
gardens, school gardens, food forest gardens, greenhouse farms, roof gardens, 
and indoor and vertical farms. 
 
The DA shall ensure that the technical assistance it provides is consistent 
with Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PHILGAP) or a set of standards 
and regulations ensuring food quality and safety, facilitation of market access, 
establishment of community farmers' markets and reduction in non-
compliance with issuances regarding permitted pesticides and other 
contamination hazards, as provided under Republic Act No. 10611, otherwise 
known as the "Food Safety Act of 2013", and relevant laws. 
 
The DA, in coordination with the Department of Science and Technology 
(DOST), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the 
Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of Public Works And 
Highways (DPWH) shall also undertake the establishment of rainwater 
harvesting facilities in compliance with Republic Act No. 6716, entitled "An Act 
Providing for the Construction of Water Wells, Rainwater Collectors, 
Development of Spring and Rehabilitation of Existing Water Wells in All 


 
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Barangays in the Philippines", renewable energy systems and solid waste 
management systems, including waste-to-energy facilities, to provide 
sustainable supply of water, energy and compost to community gardens, food 
forest gardens and urban farms. 
 
SEC. 6. Urban Agriculture and Aquaculture in Urban Planning. – The 
DHSUD, in coordination with the DA, shall ensure the integration of concepts 
and principles of urban agriculture and its relationship to other processes in 
the food system in urban planning. Accordingly, the DHSUD and DA shall 
promote sustainable, smart and organic food production systems that harness 
the benefits of new technologies and methods in soil, nutrient, water and 
energy management, such as composting, rainwater harvesting and utilization 
of renewable energy. The DHSUD shall also ensure the rational use of land 
resources in urban planning to promote sustainable peri-urban interface, as 
well as for the spatial requirements of supply chain management and logistics 
to strengthen urban-rural foodshed linkages.  
 
Towards these ends, the DHSUD shall promulgate guidelines for the 
harmonization of the comprehensive land use plans and zoning ordinances of 
LGUs with urban agriculture policies, frameworks, strategies and standards. 
 
All LGUs are hereby mandated to incorporate urban agricultural 
development in their respective Annual Development Plans, Annual 
Investment Plans, Physical Framework Plans, and Development Master Plans 
including the hiring of agriculturists and agricultural and biosystems engineers 
to carry out urban agriculture program. 
 
Likewise, LGUs, with the assistance of the DA, Department of Interior 
and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Information and 
Communications Technology  (DICT), shall establish and maintain a digital 
information system to facilitate the efficient collection, management and 
analysis of urban food systems, agriculture and nutrition data, as well as the 
monitoring and evaluation of LGU performance vis-à-vis the food system 
agriculture and nutrition targets, to inform local planning, policy-making and 
programming bodies, and to ensure open public access to data. 
 
SEC. 7. Urban Agriculture/Aquaculture Education. – The Department of 
Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Educations (CHED), with 
the technical assistance of the DA, shall integrate urban agriculture in the 
academic curriculum for elementary, secondary and tertiary level students of 
both public and private academic institutions offering courses in Agriculture, 
Practical Arts, Home Economics and other subjects related to agriculture. A 
course curriculum on gardening shall be developed and included in the regular 
curriculum of elementary and secondary education. Instructional materials 
shall likewise be developed utilizing advanced techniques of crop and food 


 
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animal production, urban agriculture and farming, and cultivating awareness 
and appreciation of genetic biodiversity, heirloom and endemic flora and 
fauna, and agro-ecological principles. 
 
The DepEd, with the assistance of the DA, shall strengthen the 
implementation of its Gulayan sa Paaralan Program in elementary and 
secondary schools. The establishment of school gardens shall be encouraged to 
ensure continuous supply of vegetables for school feeding, in accordance with 
Republic Act No. 11037, otherwise known as the "Masustansyang Pagkain Para 
sa Batang Filipino Act." 
 
For universities and colleges, urban agriculture shall form part of the 
required period of time spent by students in the National Service Training 
Program. A plan for the utilization or maximization of space occupied by 
schools shall be formulated specifically for urban agriculture purposes. 
 
SEC. 8. Urban Agriculture Awareness Campaign. – The DILG, National 
Nutrition Council, and LGUs are mandated to formulate policies on urban 
farming in consonance with the provisions of this Act and be at the forefront of 
community-based education and awareness campaigns. For this purpose, 
LGUs shall mobilize existing structures and local bodies such as the provincial, 
city and municipal agricultural offices, the provincial, city, municipal and 
barangay agriculture and fishery councils, the provincial, city, municipal, and 
barangay federation of Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) and the youth sector 
represented in any local special body under LGUs. 
 
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) shall 
integrate urban agriculture and community nutrition in the seminar-
workshops and training programs to educate qualified household-beneficiaries 
of the Pantawid Pamilyang Filipino Program (4Ps). 
 
SEC. 9. Research and Development. – The DA and the DOST, as well as 
relevant state universities, government research and development institutions, 
and the private sector, shall intensify research on methods and technologies to 
support urban agriculture, including the development and operation of 
sustainable demonstration urban community gardens, food forest gardens, 
greenhouse, indoor, roof and vertical farms. 
 
SEC. 10. Incentives. – Compliance by subdivision and condominium 
developers and owners with Section 5 of this Act may qualify them for 
incentives provided for under Republic Act No. 10771, otherwise known as the 
"Philippine Green Jobs Act of 2016", subject to the rules and regulations 
promulgated by the Department of Finance and the DHSUD. 
 


 
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The commitment and performance of LGUs in the implementation of this 
Act shall be included in the criteria for the awarding of the Seal of Good Local 
Governance and the provision of incentives, provided for under Republic Act 
No. 11292, otherwise known as "The Seal of Good Local Governance Act of 
2019." 
 
Loans extended by government and private banks to participating 
individuals, corporations and partnerships shall be treated as compliance with 
Republic Act No. 10000, otherwise known as "The Agri-Agra Reform Credit 
Act of 2009." 
 
SEC. 11. Inter-Agency Coordination. – There is hereby established a 
National Convergence Program on Urban Agriculture and Aquaculture. The 
DA is hereby designated as the Lead Implementing Agency and the Secretariat 
of the Convergence Program. The following agencies shall perform duties and 
responsibilities in order to develop and sustain concerted action to promote 
urban agriculture: 
 
(a) The DA shall provide technical assistance and support services to LGUs, 
community-based 
cooperatives, 
homeowners' 
associations, 
neighborhood associations and people's organizations to ensure the 
viability and cost-effectiveness of urban agriculture projects and 
through its Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering, shall 
provide the design, specifications, establishment strategies, promotion, 
regulation and technical assistance in the fabrication of production 
models of indoor farming, vertical farming and other urban agriculture 
machineries, equipment and facilities; 
 
(b) The DHSUD shall encourage the integration of urban agriculture 
principles, policies, strategies, frameworks and standards in the design 
and development of subdivisions and condominium projects. The 
DHSUD shall ensure such integration in public housing projects and in 
the preparation or updating of development and investment plans, 
CLUPs and zoning ordinances of LGUs. The DHSUD shall also 
promulgate the necessary rules and monitor compliance therewith. The 
DHSUD shall provide assistance to homeowners' associations to 
strengthen their capacity to undertake urban agriculture or aquaculture 
projects in their neighborhoods and communities; 
 
(c) The DILG shall monitor the compliance of LGUs with the provisions of 
this Act in order to determine their qualification for the incentives 
provided under Republic Act No. 11292; 
 
(d) The DepEd shall integrate the principles and practice of urban 
agriculture using advanced crop production techniques like soilless 


 
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agriculture, indoor farming or vertical farming to include modern 
methods of irrigation and automated systems into the primary and 
secondary education curricula, including the establishment of school 
gardens under the Gulayan sa Paaralan Program. The DepEd shall 
ensure the adequate capacity building programs such as training-
workshop, hands-on training or immersion program of teachers and the 
development of appropriate instructional materials such as educational 
video and manual for this purpose; 
 
(e) The DOST shall conduct research on modern, cost-effective methods 
and technologies to support urban agricultural production, as well as 
post-harvest handling of surplus produce from urban agriculture 
projects; 
 
(f) The DTI shall provide technical assistance in processing and packaging 
of surplus produce from urban agriculture and aquaculture projects and 
ensure access of local government units, cooperatives, homeowners' 
associations, and people's organizations to markets; 
 
(g) The DOF shall administer the grant of incentives under Section 10 of this 
Act to qualified persons based on their compliance with Section 5 of this 
Act; 
 
(h) The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) shall ensure 
adequate funding for the functions and programs provided for by under 
this Act;  
 
(i) The CHED shall develop and implement curriculum on capacity 
building programs such as training-workshop, hands-on training or 
immersion program and related standards and instructional materials 
in support of urban agriculture; 
 
(j) The DPWH in compliance with RA 6716 is mandated to undertake 
construction of water wells, rainwater collectors, development of 
springs and rehabilitation of existing water wells in all barangays in the 
Philippines, taking into consideration the population, hydrologic 
conditions, costs of project development and operations, financial and 
economic factors and institutional arrangements; 
 
(k) The National Nutrition Council and the Food and Nutrition Research 
Institute shall assist the DepEd in identifying the crops to be cultivated 
in school farms and in preparing nutritious food, pursuant to 
standardized menus to ensure child nutrition provided for under 
Republic Act No. 11037, and in developing the modules on nutrition; 


 
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(l) The CDA shall provide guidance and assistance to LGUs in the 
development of cooperatives within their jurisdiction; 
 
(m) 
The Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor shall undertake 
social preparation activities to encourage participation and empower 
poor and underprivileged communities from the preparation and 
planning to implementation and evaluation of urban development 
projects;  
 
(n) The Philippine Information Agency shall undertake a nationwide 
information campaign, utilizing all forms of media, to raise awareness 
and encourage participation of the public in the implementation of this 
Act, in close coordination with other cultural agencies such as the 
National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCAA) and the Film 
Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP); 
 
(o) The Council for the Welfare of Children shall integrate urban agriculture 
in the formulation of programs and measures providing dynamic 
leadership in ensuring a child-friendly and child sensitive society; and 
 
(p) The National Youth Commission, as the Philippine government's sole 
policy-making body on youth affairs and consistent with its role in 
coordinating and implementing programs designed to help the youth 
become more aware of the issues surrounding them, shall include an 
appreciation of urban agriculture. 
 
SEC. 11. Performance Report to Congress. – The DA and partner agencies 
in the National Convergence Program on Urban Agriculture and Aquaculture 
shall submit annual performance reports to Congress. 
 
SEC. 12. Appropriations. – The funds necessary to carry out the initial 
implementation of this Act shall be charged against the respective budget of 
concerned agencies for the current year. Thereafter, such sums as may be 
necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the 
annual General Appropriations Act. 
 
SEC. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within ninety days (90) 
from the effectivity of this Act, the agencies under the National Convergence 
Program on Urban Agriculture and Aquaculture shall promulgate the 
necessary implementing rules and regulations to implement the provisions of 
this Act. 
 
SEC. 14. Separability Clause. – If any part or provision of this Act is held 
unconstitutional or invalid, other parts or provisions hereof which are not 
affected shall continue to remain in full force and effect. 


 
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SEC. 15. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders, issuances, rules 
and regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby amended, repealed or 
modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 16. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved.